Body Scan & Guided Meditation

Main part of a yoga nidra. Contains the body scan, guided imagery, and a guided meditation though a park and into a temple.

Transcript

We'll begin now with a body progression relaxation.

As I bring your attention to each part of your body,

Rotate your consciousness as quickly as possible.

Repeat each body part mentally as I say them,

And bring your attention to that area.

We always start on the right side.

Bring your attention to your right thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

The right pinky,

The palm of your right hand,

The back of your right hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

The right side ribs all the way down to your waist,

Your right waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

The right knee,

The right calf,

Your right ankle,

Heel,

The sole of your right foot,

The top of your right foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the right baby toe,

Your left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Your left pinky,

The palm of your left hand,

The back of your left hand,

Your wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Your left side ribs all the way down to your waist,

Your left waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

The left calf,

Your ankle,

Heel,

The sole of your left foot,

The top of your left foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And your left baby toe,

Your right shoulder,

Your left shoulder,

Your right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Upper back,

Mid back,

Lower back,

The right buttock,

The left buttock,

The entire length of your spine,

The back of your neck,

The right side of your neck,

The left side of your neck,

The left side of your neck,

The back of your head,

The crown of your head,

Your forehead,

Your right eyebrow,

And your left eyebrow,

The center of your eyebrows,

Your upper and lower right eyelids,

Your upper and lower left eyelids,

Your right eyeball,

And your left eyeball,

The orbit in which each eyeball floats,

The orbit in which each eyeball floats,

Your right ear and eardrum,

Left ear and eardrum,

Your right cheek,

Left cheek,

The bridge of your nose,

The length of your nose,

The tip of your nose,

Your right nostril,

And your left nostril,

The divot under your nose,

The root of your tongue,

The hollow at the midpoint of your tongue,

And the tip of your tongue,

And the tip of your tongue,

The point where the tongue connects to the floor of your mouth,

The fleshy part on the inside of your right cheek,

The fleshy part on the inside of your left cheek,

Upper teeth and gums,

Lower teeth and gums,

Your upper lip and your lower lip,

Your chin,

Your jaw,

Your throat,

Your right collarbone,

Your left collarbone,

The right side of your chest,

The left side of your chest,

And the middle of your chest,

Your upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

And your navel.

Now bring your attention to your whole right leg,

From your hip all the way to the sole of your right foot,

And now your left leg,

The entire length of your left leg,

And now both legs together,

And your right arm from your shoulder to your fingertips,

And your left arm from your shoulder to your fingertips,

And now both arms together,

The whole back of your body from the back of your head to the heels of your feet,

And the front of your body from your forehead to the tips of your toes,

Feel the point where the front and the back meet,

And now feel the entire length of the right side of your body,

And now the left side of your body,

And the point where the right and the left meet.

Bring your attention to your face,

Feel your entire face,

Neck,

And head all together,

And now become aware of your entire body,

From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet,

The entire length of your body,

Develop an awareness of the whole body,

Become aware of the space occupied by your body,

Become aware of the body and the space that is occupied by the body,

Body and space,

Continue to feel your entire body,

Become aware of all of the points where your body meets the bed,

And now switch your attention to your eyelids,

Feel the narrow line of meeting between the upper and lower eyelids,

Feel the sharp edges of the eyelids,

Intensify your awareness of your eyelids,

And now move your attention to your lips,

Center your awareness on the line where your lips gently meet,

From the lips we move to the breath,

Draw your attention on the natural ingoing and outgoing of your breath,

Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the collarbone,

On each inhale your breath rises from the navel to your collarbone,

And with each exhale it descends from your collarbone to your navel,

Become completely aware of the breath without changing it,

Without forcing it,

Maintain your awareness of your breath,

And at the same time start counting your breaths backwards,

I am breathing in 27,

I am breathing out 27,

I am breathing in 26,

I am breathing out 26,

Continue counting in this manner backwards until you reach one,

Count to yourself mentally as you follow the natural rise and fall of your breath from the navel to the collarbone and back again,

The breath is slow and relaxed,

If you lose your place that's okay,

I'll let you know when it's time to move on,

Continue your awareness of your breath and continue counting backwards to one.

Thank you.

And now I would like for you to imagine your body very,

Very heavy,

As if it were made of lead or steel,

Experience heaviness throughout your body,

So heavy you couldn't move it if you tried,

Your body is so very heavy.

And now experience weightlessness throughout your body,

As if your body were filled with helium or made of feathers,

Your body starts to rise a bit because it is so weightless,

You are hovering between the ceiling and your bed,

Your body is so very light,

Totally weightless.

And now experience heat throughout your body,

Heat all around,

Surrounding you,

You can see the heat rising off the ground,

As if you were standing in midday with no shade on a very hot summer day,

Heat all around and throughout your body.

And now experience cold,

So very cold,

As if you were walking barefoot across a marble floor in winter,

The cold spreads from the soles of your feet throughout your body,

Surrounding you,

With each exhale you see your breath,

So very cold all around and throughout your body.

And now I would like for you to bring to mind a memory of pain,

It can be physical pain or mental pain,

Bringing to mind as vividly as possible,

Remembering any sights,

Sounds,

Any aromas that would bring this memory as vividly as possible to your mind,

And now a memory of great pleasure or joy,

Again bringing it to mind as vividly as possible,

Remembering any sights,

Colors,

Sounds,

Aromas,

The feel of anything close,

Whatever would bring this sense of joy and pleasure as vividly as possible to mind.

And now realize that all of the sensations you've just felt were first thoughts in your mind and then manifested in your body.

I'd like for you now to bring your awareness to that space between your eyebrows,

To your third eye.

As I list an image,

Imagine that on the screen of your mind or get a sense of it however is most comfortable for you.

A red rose,

An orange pumpkin,

A yellow sun,

Green emerald,

A blue sky,

A lavender moon,

A white lotus,

A galloping horse,

A cross on a steeple,

A barking dog,

Smoke rising from a chimney deep in a quiet forest,

Ocean waves,

An elephant on the savanna,

A boat on a lake,

A snow-capped mountain,

A field of wild flowers,

A palm tree swaying in the breeze,

A lightning bolt,

A cat in repose,

A freshly mowed lawn,

A gentle breeze,

A fish swimming gracefully,

A fire glowing gently in a fireplace,

An apple tree,

A starry sky,

A grazing cow,

A gentle mountain stream,

A quiet cabin,

A stormy sky.

Withdraw your mind and concentrate on the space between your eyebrows.

Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space,

A space that extends as far as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this space and become aware of anything that manifests on it.

You hear,

Watching anything that manifests in the space,

But do not become involved.

Practice detached awareness only.

Missing any colors,

Any patterns,

Images,

Words,

Even sounds or feelings.

Just make note of them,

But do not become involved.

Repeat your sankalpa three times to yourself.

Now we are going to travel into your past.

In the same way you have traveled from the past to the present,

We will retrace the steps of your memory and consciousness backwards from this time.

The past is part of time and time is part of your mind.

Normally we walk forward,

This time we will walk backwards together.

By remembering your past,

You are going into the deeper recesses of your consciousness.

Try to remember what happened from the past time to the time you got up this morning.

You have to go back in time as if you were watching a film running in reverse.

Remember back to the start of this yoga nidra.

Recall what you were doing in the half hour before that.

Bring to mind all of the important objects and feelings in that time.

Keep progressing backwards in half hour or one hour stages through your day until the time you woke up this morning.

Remember all of the important objects and feelings.

Stage by stage with full awareness but with total detachment,

Visualize and recall what you were doing,

Thinking and feeling as you moved through your day.

Feeling as far back in time as you feel comfortable.

The further back you progress,

The faster time seems to move.

Yet you still have the remembrance of all the important objects and feelings without becoming attached.

When you have finished traveling back as far as you feel comfortable,

Bring yourself back directly into the present moment.

Imagine yourself in a park in the early morning.

The sun has not yet risen.

The park is deserted except for you.

The sky is a beautiful rose color.

It is a beautiful park,

Calm and peaceful.

As you enter the park and walk across the springy grass,

You can hear the birds whistling,

Singing,

Calling to each other as they welcome in the new day.

It is an early autumn day.

You feel the coolness,

The crispness of the air.

As you breathe in,

The air is slightly chilled.

It feels warmer as you exhale.

Somewhere in the distance,

You can smell a fire burning in a fireplace.

It is a warming,

Relaxing feeling.

As you continue to walk through the park,

You notice that there are gardens of flowers.

You are drawn to the rose garden.

And before you is a living rainbow,

Roses in every imaginable color,

Yellow,

Pink,

Red,

Purple.

You smell all of the wonderful aromas.

Some are spicy,

Some are sweet,

Some are very,

Very strong,

And some more subtle.

You still hear the birds in the distance.

You see the gentle dew drops formed perfectly on the rose petals.

You stand in awe of the beauty before you.

On the other side of the rose garden,

You see a fish pond.

You continue walking through the rose garden,

Enjoying this time.

As you reach the goldfish pond,

You hear gentle splashes.

There is a small stone bench surrounding the fish pond.

You decide to sit and relax for a few moments,

Enjoying the solitude.

As you touch the bench,

You can feel the cold stone.

You can still hear the birds gently singing in the background.

You can still smell the faint aroma of the roses.

And as the sun is beginning to rise,

It is becoming a bit warmer.

You sit and watch the beautiful goldfish swimming gracefully amongst the water lilies,

Their movements creating gentle ripples on the water surface.

It is almost mesmerizing.

On the other side of the fish pond,

You notice a grove of stately,

Beautiful trees.

You decide to continue your walk,

Walking amongst the trees.

The leaves that have fallen crunch gently beneath your feet.

The sunlight shows a dappled pattern on the ground.

As you continue walking,

You come to a point where there is a clearing between the trees.

In the clearing is a small temple with an aura of light around it.

It seems very peaceful,

Very welcoming.

As you climb the steps and touch the door to push it open,

The door feels a bit chilly on your hand.

It takes a little bit of effort to push the door open,

But as it opens,

A rush of cool air touches your face.

You can smell the faint scent of incense burning.

You see the gentle flicker of candles.

As you walk into the temple,

Your eyes adjust to the dimness,

And you see that the walls are lined with pictures of great saints,

Teachers.

You continue walking until you reach the inner sanctum of the temple.

As you reach the inner sanctum,

You see before you a beautiful altar with vases of flowers,

Incense burning,

Candles glowing gently,

And in the center is a cushion.

You decide to go and sit on the cushion and enjoy the quiet and take advantage of this time to meditate and quiet your mind.

As you sit on the cushion,

You feel it supports you.

The outside noises have faded away.

You smell the wonderful aroma of the flowers and the incense mingling gently.

The air inside is a bit warmer than it was outside.

You close your eyes and go within.

You become still.

Your mind becomes quiet.

Your body settles on the cushion.

A sense of deep peace and harmony envelope you.

Continue your awareness of meditation inside the temple,

Staying there as long as you'd like.

Peace and harmony prevail all around.

Bring to mind again your sankalpa,

Repeating it to yourself three times.

Remember that this feeling of peace,

This feeling of total relaxation,

Is always accessible to you.

All you ever need do is close your eyes and take three deep breaths with the intention to relax.

Become aware now of your breathing,

Not forcing it,

Just becoming aware of your natural breath.

Begin to gently deepen your breath.

Become aware of how relaxed your body and mind are in this moment.

Become aware of the sound of your heart beating,

Of the sounds in this room,

Of the sounds just outside this room.

Become aware of the sounds outside the building and as far away as you can hear.

Become aware of your body lying in total relaxation and perfect stillness.

Remember your awareness of the room,

The ceiling,

The floor,

The walls.

Take your mind totally external.

Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.

Lie quietly for a few moments,

Keeping your eyes closed.

Begin to gently stretch your body,

Taking your time.

There's no need to hurry.

When you are sure you are ready,

Gently roll to one side,

Resting your head on your arm,

Allowing your head to be the last thing to come up so that you do not get lightheaded.

Using the strength of both arms,

Push yourself up to a gentle seated position and open your eyes.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Namaste.

Reviews

The body scan portion of Yoga Nidra begins immediately. Excellent meditation if you are familiar with the technique and need no explanation.

Calm assured guidance

I like this method of scan. Yes, it moved quickly. But dividing it up into sides and such detail, I was able to stay on track easier than with others that cover larger areas more slowly. A few deep breaths at the beginning could help, but we can do that before starting it.
I don't know what the imagery is after the scan because I fall asleep.

Thank you, that was lovely, a very helpful and effective practice. Namaste

Couldn't sleep and this did it. Also relaxed my body pain. Just her voice which is nice.

Excellent, clear guidance. Thank you!

Love it! Especially the pace of the body scan. I have ADD and am easily distracted so the quickness was perfect for me. I'm happy there wasn't any distracting music and her voice was serene and peaceful. Even my restless elder cat is relaxed. Thank you.

I've done this meditation twice now and absolutely love it! Both times I slept like a baby afterward. For me the timing is perfect, as well as the content itself. Thank you for creating such a fabulous tool Genevieve!✨Namaste✨

Very interesting sequence of processes with profound mental and physical experiences. I am used to the quick bodyscans of yoga nidra but agree with others that it is difficult to move as quickly with other phases. Maybe I am a slow breather, but I only got to 10 in that section. It was also tough for me to come up with a sankalpa so quickly. I think it will get easier as I so this again -and I will. Thanks for a very interesting and intense experience.

This meditation gives one the opportunity to realize one's visual and sensual powers. Thank you!

Fast pace of bodyscan took me by surprise. As I became use to the pacing I was able to immerse myself with the voice and deeply relax and stay with the guidance. Thank you.

Awesome! Left me on cloud 9 :)

An outstanding yoga nidra guided meditation. Very effective for me. Perfectly paced with insightful and well formulated instruction. This meditation is why I love yoga nidra practice. Thank you Genevieve!

That was great!!!! Easy to listen and follow, had me keeping up with everything you were saying.