Loving What Is-- A Body Scan Practice

A gentle and kind body scan and heart connection practice. We begin with a brief grounding exercise for our nervous system and then move into our body scan practice, followed by a journey connecting a little more deeply with our heart's deepest intentions.

Transcript

Thanks for joining me for our session together.

Just as we begin,

I invite you to take a look around whatever space you find yourself in.

You can just easefully and gently just turn your neck if you're able,

Side to side,

Just scanning your environment with your eyes again if you're able.

Just noticing what's in your space.

Or if vision is difficult for you,

You can just sense what it's like to move your head side to side slowly.

What we're doing here is just orienting to our space and where we are.

Sending a message to our system,

To our nervous system that we are safe.

We are here,

Kind of allowing ourselves to settle into ground or have the intention to settle into ground in the moment.

Just a kind reminder we're not going for perfection or doing it right.

Simply opening to the possibility of doing things a little differently.

So just notice how it is to invite yourself to settle in this way.

And you may want to take a few deep breaths here.

It can be helpful to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth if you're able.

Again,

An invitation to just lengthen the exhale a little bit.

Another simple or easy way to send a message to our nervous system that okay,

We're safe,

Things are okay here.

And perhaps you may just want to take note how it is to intentionally breathe a little slower,

Maybe a little deeper than normal.

You may settle back into a regular,

Easeful rhythm.

With the awareness that you don't have to make yourself breathe.

Our body is so wonderful in that it just breathes for us.

And our heart just beats for us.

And our minds just think sometimes wild and crazy thoughts for us.

Although I don't always think it's for our benefit,

These thoughts that tend to arise.

And that's okay.

Because we can learn to tune in,

To listen,

To be aware of these thoughts.

And how sometimes they are not always helpful.

And we can meet them with kindness and with compassion and with the understanding that our mind is just doing what it's created to do,

It's just think.

Alright.

As we settle here,

You may close your eyes if you like.

Or you can keep your eyes slightly downcast.

And find yourself in whatever position is comfortable,

Yet allows you to stay alert.

Caveat here,

If you do fall asleep,

That's totally okay.

Again,

No perfection.

And our practice does take root a little better when we are awake and alert for it.

Today we're just doing a gentle body scan.

Kind of heart intention practice.

We can begin bringing our awareness to our feet.

Just feeling the space of your feet.

With your attention.

Your toes.

Soles of your feet.

Top of your feet.

All we're doing is just noticing what it is to be inside our feet.

Maybe there's sensations you notice.

You can just gently name those if you like.

Perhaps tingling or buzzing or numbness,

Nothing,

Burning.

And you can just let that go.

Bring your attention to your ankles.

And maybe it's a great time to just offer some thanks and gratitude for our feet and our ankles.

And how much they do for us.

How they carry us through this life.

Maybe noticing what that's like to touch into that appreciation and awareness of this magnificent body we have beginning with our feet.

I'm aware that we aren't always best of friends with our body,

With ourselves.

So it may feel completely foreign,

Weird,

Hurtful even to claim our body as magnificent.

And we can plant the seeds to tend to our relationship with our body,

With ourselves.

In a kind,

Caring,

Present,

Understanding way.

And we'll move up into our lower legs.

Again,

Just the invitation to fill your lower legs with your awareness.

Noticing your calves,

Your shin bone.

Noticing any sensations.

And we'll move up to our knees.

Oh,

These knees,

Which can be a very troublesome area for people.

Another joint that carries so much,

Does so much for us.

Offering any kinds of words of gratitude here,

If that feels good for you.

And we'll move up into our thighs.

Filling the area of our thighs with awareness,

Kind,

Curious attention.

What's it like right here?

That's all we're offering.

Our presence.

And as your mind wanders or judges,

Just let that go and come back.

And then come back again and again.

Moving up to the space of our hips,

Our pelvic region.

You may bring your attention to your sit bones,

Wherever you feel them meeting the surface,

Whatever they're seated on.

Or if you're standing,

Simply noticing this area.

Filling the space with gentle attention.

Kind of with that like,

Huh,

This is what it's like here.

And we'll work our way up to our bellies,

Our lower back.

The whole kind of lower region of our torso.

So much goes on here.

Our gut,

Our spine.

That gut-brain connection.

As you fill this area with your attention,

You may notice your belly moving as you breathe.

Again,

An opportunity to offer some appreciation,

Some gratitude for all that this area does for us.

And then we'll move up to our chest,

Our upper back,

Our lungs,

Our heart,

Space.

Filling this area with your awareness,

Curiosity.

What's it like right here?

Kind of letting go of hearing an answer or looking for an answer.

Just being open to seeing,

Sensing,

Being.

So again,

An opportunity to sense the breath here as your lungs expand.

The inhale,

And then trapped with the exhale.

You can fill your shoulders now with your attention.

Your upper arms.

Your elbows.

Your lower arms.

Your wrists and hands.

These incredible hands that we have that can do so much.

Maybe we can thank our arms,

All the joints.

Our hands.

Notice what it's like to extend some appreciation and some gratitude and acknowledgement for all that is accomplished daily with these arms,

These hands.

We can bring our attention now to our neck and throat area,

The area of like our traps.

That's that muscly kind of area between your shoulders and your neck,

Which can be often tense and tight.

Just noticing this area and what it's like here.

Just kindly filling the space with your awareness.

Perhaps some appreciation here,

Particularly the throat,

Which offers us our voice,

Our ability to speak.

Which doesn't come always so easily for some of us.

Speak our truth.

Set boundaries.

And that's okay.

The more we practice meeting ourselves in this way,

The easier it becomes to speak your truth.

Okay,

We'll move our attention up to our head,

Our face,

Jaw.

All the bits that are up here comprise our heads.

You may want to move your attention up like you're filling a glass of water.

So from the jaw,

Chin,

Just gradually move up mouth,

Tongue,

Ears,

Eyebrows,

Side of head,

Top of head.

Let's take a gander inside that beautiful head,

That thought maker.

What we're doing is simply filling the space with our presence,

Awareness,

Kindness,

Curious.

I'll invite you now to expand outward and bring your attention to the area around your body.

We have this energetic field that we emit all around us.

This energy that we are is not solely in the cells of our body,

But also the space around us.

Just for a moment inhabiting this space.

You may even want to extend your arms out beside you.

Just opening to the idea that you are so much more than you think you are.

You are so much more than you think you are.

Bringing your arms back if you like and perhaps placing them over your heart and dropping back in here again.

Noticing your whole body and the space around you and connecting with your heart here.

Asking yourself what your deepest intention,

Your deepest wish for you,

For this body,

For this life,

What is it?

What seeds of kindness,

Compassion,

Gentleness can you plant here?

Planting it,

These seeds,

Perhaps not only for your life,

But for all those in your community,

Your family,

In the greater community and perhaps even our world.

What is your deepest wish,

Your deepest intention,

Your heart's longing?

Just sitting with that for a moment.

Connecting with the possibility that this is already true.

You may want to invite this longing,

This intention,

This wish to sort of fill all of your cells,

Space around you.

And sending it out as far as your mind's eye can see.

I'd like to ask,

If you're open to it,

You may want to offer yourself an inner bow for your practice today.

For your willingness to be curious,

To be present,

To be open to connecting with the life that's right here.

Whenever you're ready,

You may open your eyes,

Take a look around,

See what your space looks like after this practice.

Thank you.