The relaxing body scan meditation.
So take a moment now to adjust your posture.
If you're sitting,
You're sitting open and upright.
Or if you're lying on your back,
Your legs are relaxed with your feet resting outwards.
Or you might like to slightly bend and support your knees to take pressure off your lower back.
Relax your shoulders.
Your palms are open.
Relaxing by your side or resting on your lap.
Please close your eyes.
Relax and settle into your body.
Relaxing,
Awake and alert.
And remember there's nothing you need to be doing right now.
There's nothing you need to experience or achieve during this meditation.
This is your time.
Begin by bringing your attention down to the feet.
Really concentrating on the feet.
Perhaps moving them a little.
Really feeling what sensations are in the feet right now.
And remember that for this exercise there's no right or wrong.
The exercise is simply one of noticing what sensations there might be in the feet right now.
As you notice and hold your attention on the feet,
Feel the muscles softening a little.
Relaxing and releasing with each out-breath.
Just simply letting go.
And now move your attention up to your calves.
Feel what sensations might be there at the moment.
Perhaps some parts feel different to others.
And again,
Even if some areas feel tight or tense or uncomfortable,
Just be interested to notice how they feel at this particular time.
Almost like an impartial observer.
Just noticing with a gentle curiosity.
And as you hold your awareness on the calves,
Feel the muscles relaxing and releasing that little bit more on each out-breath.
Just simply letting go.
And now bring your attention up to the thighs and feel them relaxing and releasing.
Relaxing and releasing that little bit more with each out-breath.
Feel it deeply,
Completely,
All down through the thighs and the calves and the feet.
Sometimes it might feel almost like the muscles are melting down into the chair or the floor a little.
Just relaxing and releasing.
Perhaps feeling a little heavier.
Just feeling them letting go.
Deeply,
Completely letting go.
And now feel it all through the buttocks,
The hips and the pelvis.
Sometimes it helps to imagine there's a belt or a band around the hips that's just been loosened a little.
The big muscles around the hips softening and loosening,
Relaxing,
Releasing.
Quite effortlessly,
Effortlessly just going with it.
Now bring your attention to the tummy.
You'll probably notice it rising and falling a little with the breath.
And then that feeling of letting go again,
All through the tummy,
A little bit more with each out-breath.
Calm and relaxed.
Just going with it.
Calm and relaxed.
And now bring your attention up to the chest.
Again,
Just being aware of the chest rising and falling with the breath.
And feeling the ease of it all.
Just allow the breath to take whatever the rhythm feels comfortable for you at the moment.
Quite effortlessly,
Effortlessly.
Just going with it more and more,
Deeper and deeper,
Letting go.
And now feel a wave of relaxation flowing down through the arms.
First the upper arms softening and loosening,
Down through the elbows into the forearms,
Relaxing,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Down through the wrists,
The hands and the fingers.
Sometimes you might notice almost what feels like a tingling flowing into the hands and the fingers.
A feeling of lightness,
Almost like they could be floating.
Just going with it,
Effortlessly,
Effortlessly.
Just going with it,
Letting go.
Now feel all through the shoulders,
Perhaps just raising and lowering the shoulders a little to help you reconnect.
Feel the head move very slightly side to side.
Muscles up either side of the neck softening and loosening.
Relaxing and releasing all through the shoulders,
The neck and the throat.
Feeling the ease of it all,
Just going with it.
Now bring your attention to your face with your lips just lightly touching through your drawer,
Drop a little.
The tongue soft and loose,
Your cheeks relaxed.
Feel the eyelids smoothing out,
Feeling it deeply all through the eyes and the temples.
Feel around your ears,
The back of the head,
Over the top of the head.
Relaxing,
Releasing.
Now feel the forehead smoothing out,
Feel it deeply,
Completely.
Feeling it all through the body more and more,
Deeper and deeper with each out-breath.
Just letting go.
Feel it through the body and the mind,
Going with it more and more,
Deeper and deeper.
Just simply letting go.
And as we come towards the end of this relaxing body scan,
You might like to take a deeper breath or two.
Start to reactivate and re-energise your body with all your fingers and toes,
Have a little stretch.
And then when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Thank you.
