The body scan.
You can practice the body scan meditation either lying down or in a seated position.
Try to ensure that the spine is straight but not tense and that the shoulders and lower back are relaxed.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes or lower your gaze and tune into your natural breath.
Breathing through the nose if you're able to do so.
And letting the weight of your body drop into the chair,
Cushion or floor beneath you.
Getting a sense of the breath moving through the body.
And perhaps becoming aware of the coolness of the breath on the inhale and the warmth of the breath on the exhale.
Spend a moment just to see if you can let go of any tension in any part of the body.
Be careful not to extend or try to change or lengthen the breath in any way.
Becoming aware of how the natural breath expands the chest,
The rib cage,
The lungs and the belly on each in-breath.
And how with each exhale the body relaxes back towards the spine.
And now moving your focus of attention from the chest,
The rib cage and the belly towards the lower back.
Noticing if you feel any sensations or discomfort or tension in this area.
And with each out-breath being aware of a real sense of letting go.
When the mind wanders away from the breath and the body into thinking,
Planning or worrying.
Just gently bring it back to the breath.
Being curious about where you feel the breath.
And breathing into this lower back area.
And now shifting your awareness to the upper back and across the shoulders.
Breathing again into these areas and letting go of any tension you may be holding onto.
Seeing if any sensations or feelings arise here.
Noticing them and letting them go.
And now allow your awareness to move down into the upper arms,
The elbows,
The lower arms,
The wrists.
And down into the hands.
Notice if you feel any sensations in the hands.
There may be a sense of warmth,
Tingling or perhaps a nothingness.
Just notice what arises and use the breath as an anchor to this present experience.
And now moving your awareness back up the arms to the shoulders.
Moving to the back of the neck.
Around to the front of the neck.
And the sides of the neck.
Moving up across the back of the head.
To the top of the head.
And across the forehead.
The space between the eyes.
The cheeks.
The jaw.
And again having a real sense of letting go on every exhale.
Moving your attention now from the jaw down the front of the throat.
Across the chest and down to the belly.
Again becoming aware of any sensations that arise and just noticing them.
Take your awareness now down to the hips and into the tops of the thighs.
Moving to the back of the thighs.
Down into the knee joints.
The lower legs.
Ankles.
Tops of the feet.
Down to the toes.
And the soles of the feet.
Again seeing if there are any sensations that arise here.
From the soles of the feet flowing your attention now up the body on the in breath to the top of the head.
And down again on the out breath all the way down to the soles of the feet.
Breathing more fully and expanding the breath to take in the body as a whole.
Coming now back to the natural breath.
Noticing perhaps how thoughts,
Sensations and feelings can both come and go if we let them.
Moving through the body just like the breath.
Moment by moment.
And as this practice draws to a close.
Gently opening your eyes.
And seeing if you can sense the stillness and deep relaxation to take with you into the rest of your day.
