Hello,
Insalutations.
Thank you for showing up for yourself today and engaging in practice.
This is the body scan practice.
The body is the first foundation of mindfulness.
In order to be fully embodied,
We must have a connection and a relationship with our physical presence.
Thich Nhat Hanh shares,
The first act of love is to breathe in and go home to your body.
To be aware of your body is the beginning of self-love.
When mind goes home to the body,
The mind and body are established in the here and the now.
Body scan practices help us explore our body,
Connect with our body so as to have a more intimate relationship and know how we show up physically each and every time.
So in today's practice,
We will be engaging in a body scan that explores our body part by part.
To start,
Just find a comfortable position.
Remember to keep your body straight and open but find ease.
If you have any physical limitations,
Adjust as needed.
Find whatever level of comfort works for you.
Remember this is your practice.
And if you're able to,
Whenever you're ready,
You can gently close your eyes.
Begin by focusing your attention on the breathing.
And these next few moments,
Just being aware of your breath.
Maybe taking two to three conscious big breath in and out to bring you into this moment.
Begin to make that connection from breath to body.
And then just allow your breath to go back to its natural rhythm.
There is no need to change or control the breath.
The breath is effortless.
Just observe the breath as it travels in and out.
In on the inhale,
Out on the exhale.
And now we will slowly shift our attention to scanning our body.
Noticing any sensations we might be feeling and experiencing.
Start at the top of your head and notice if there's anything there.
Is there tingling?
Is there heat?
Vibration?
There might be strong sensations or you may not be feeling anything at all.
Remember you're just allowing yourself to be in the experience,
Whatever that might be for you.
Just observing what is happening in this moment.
Allow your attention to your face,
Noticing your forehead,
Your cheeks,
Nose.
As you breathe in and out,
See if you can soften your face.
Observe if there's any sensation happening.
Does it feel soft?
Hard?
Is there tingling?
Just observe and allow it to just be.
Now come down to your neck and see if you notice anything there.
See if you can allow it to just be.
If your mind has wandered,
That's okay.
Acknowledge and bring it back to the breath or body part and be kind as you do this.
Understanding that the mind will wander and we just become mindful to that and bring the tension back.
Back to the body.
And bring your attention to your shoulders.
Again seeing if there's anything there.
You may be feeling tension or strain or again you may not notice anything at all.
A lot of the time stress is held in this part of the body for many people.
Notice if stress is present.
And then notice how stress is present.
Is it showing up in a tightness?
In a temperature?
Maybe there's hotness or warmth.
Maybe there's discomfort.
See if by breathing into that area you notice any change in what you felt there before.
And if you don't,
That's okay.
Just observe that.
Bringing your attention to your arms.
And again noticing any sensations that might be happening on the surface of the skin.
Do your arms feel heavy?
Light?
Again,
See if there is anything regarding the sensations.
And slowly extend your awareness down your arms to your wrist and then your hands and fingers.
At times there can be a lot of sensation in your hand area.
After all,
Touch is one of the five senses.
And many of us touch with our hands.
You may notice moisture,
Dryness,
Heat or coldness.
Observe everything with curiosity.
And remember to not judge your experience.
Just allow it to be what it is.
Now shift your attention to your chest and torso.
Noticing how your chest rises and falls as your breath goes in and out with the exhale and the inhale.
Again observing,
Noticing any sensations that might be happening in this area.
Maybe notice your belly and stomach.
Notice if there's hunger pains or fullness.
Or again there might be nothing at all and that's okay.
We're just noticing that there's no sensation there.
If you notice that you are distracted by the mind or anything else,
Remember that anger,
Right?
Not the breath or the body part but just coming back to that.
Coming back and beginning again.
Many people forget that the act of coming back repeatedly is the act of rewiring the brain to get it to focus on the present moment.
When the mind takes us away is the acknowledgement and consciously bringing it back to the here and now which often is our anchor of the breath,
The body.
Now bringing your attention to your back.
This is a place where often many people can find some distress whether that's in the lower back or the upper back.
Again just like we have done before,
Observe any of the sensations that might be present.
If you notice any discomfort,
Try and see if you can breathe into this area.
And see if there's some release from that discomfort and if not,
Again that's okay.
See if you can just be with the feelings and sensations.
Lower your attention to your thighs and focus on where they make contact with the floor,
Pillow or chair.
Explore any sensations you may feel.
Maybe there's a warmness or a tightness or even a cramp.
You're always welcome to adjust as you feel needed.
And slowly scan from the top of your thighs all the way down to your legs,
Exploring any sensations and continue all the way down to your feet,
To your toes.
Notice how your feet make contact with the floor.
Gently And then gently just begin to explore your body as a whole.
And then just begin to explore your body as a whole.
And as we come to the end of the practice,
Slowly bring your attention back to the breath,
The anchor.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing out.
Slowly begin to come back into the room by noticing any sounds,
Maybe the temperature of the room,
Becoming more aware.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Namaste.
