Come into a comfortable position.
It can be a seated position,
A lying down position,
Any position that feels comfortable,
Any position where your body feels supported.
Allow the breath to flow in and out at its natural pace.
Close the eyes if that feels comfortable to you.
And if it doesn't feel comfortable and you'd rather have your eyes open,
It could feel supportive to have a soft,
Gentle gaze focused on one point.
If you notice that at any point you're holding your breath,
Which can happen if the body feels discomfort or if the mind is so focused,
If you notice that the breath has paused,
Welcome the breath back in and out.
If at any point in this meditation you notice that a specific movement or shift in the body would help you feel more comfortable,
Make that shift.
As the breath flows in and flows out,
Notice that you can identify as the witness to whatever is going on right now in the body and in the mind.
As pure awareness with compassion,
You can witness emotions without becoming them,
You can witness thoughts without believing them,
And you can witness sensation in the body without believing that it's going to last forever.
As pure awareness,
You can witness your feelings with compassion and watch them come up,
Knowing they will float by.
You can watch your thoughts,
Knowing that those rapidly change moment to moment,
There's no need to get stuck on them.
And you can observe the sensations in the body and notice as you observe them with compassion and curiosity how they too move and shift,
And nothing is static,
Nothing is permanent.
Breathing in,
Energy flows into the body,
Breathing out,
It helps the body relax.
Scan the body from head to toe,
And as you notice the different parts of the body,
Notice how the mind reacts,
Notice how the emotions react,
And again and again,
Bring your awareness back to the breath as it flows in and as it flows out,
Or bring your awareness back to the knowledge that the body is always wanting to be in equilibrium.
If you feel discomfort in the body,
Know that the body wants to resolve that,
And that as you relax around the discomfort,
And as you observe it with compassion and care,
You're supporting the body in doing its job and its work in ways that we don't even understand.
It's a miracle,
It's beyond our comprehension,
And it's happening all the time.
The body is working to feel well and to be able to support you as you live your life.
Start the scan at the top of the head and notice without judgment how the top of the head feels.
Bring your awareness down to the forehead,
Envision the forehead relaxed and at ease.
Scan down the face,
Let all expression melt from the face,
Invite relaxation to the face,
Especially the jaw.
If the mind wanders anywhere,
Simply bring it back.
Identify with pure awareness,
With compassion,
Observing the thoughts,
The emotions,
And the sensations without getting caught up in them,
They are temporary.
Scan down the neck and the shoulders,
Taking a nice deep inhale,
And then letting out an audible sigh on the exhale to help release tension and return to normal breathing.
At any time in this body scan or in this meditation if you feel that a nice deep breath and then an audible sigh with the exhale would be helpful,
Do that at any time to release tension.
Scan down the chest,
The front and the back with compassion,
With loving kindness,
Scan down the whole torso,
Inviting relaxation,
Inviting comfort and ease to the body.
Scan down the shoulders and the arms,
The hands and the fingers,
Scan down the legs,
The feet and the toes,
Inviting the body to relax.
At your own pace scan the body and if you notice anywhere there's still tension,
With the in-breath,
Invite that life force energy to flow into that spot gently.
And on the exhale,
Imagine exhaling anything you no longer need to hold on to,
To worry about,
To plan.
Anywhere in the body you feel tension,
Inhale and imagine that prana going there.
And on the exhale imagine you're letting go of anything you no longer need to be carrying.
Remember that you can return any time day or night to this type of breath.
Each inhale can be long and silent and each exhale through the mouth and be accompanied by a sigh,
An audible sigh to help release tension.
Take a moment and have gratitude for the body,
For the miraculous ways that the body does all of the functions that it does all day and night without you needing to worry about that or needing to know how it happens.
Have gratitude for how prana,
Life force,
Enters the body in through the nose and then out through the mouth,
Animating you and allowing you to enjoy this life and to navigate its challenges and obstacles.
Notice the possibility that at any moment discomfort can stop,
At any moment troubling thoughts and feelings can pass.
Sometimes it takes longer than we wish and yet we notice that thoughts and feelings and sensations are temporary.
Allow the breath to flow in and flow out as you continue to identify with the witness,
The witness of the thoughts and the feelings and the sensations you are that.
Allow the feelings to come up and to flow through as you breathe and witness with compassion the experience.
Envision yourself feeling well.
Envision yourself feeling whole,
Body,
Mind,
Energy.
Envision yourself doing the things that you want to be doing with ease.
And again and again,
Hold your whole self and your whole experience in compassion.
As the breath flows in and flows out,
Take a nice inhale through the nose,
A long exhale through the mouth,
Return to normal breathing,
And if the eyes were closed,
Open them now.
Allow yourself to readjust to the light in the room and head into the rest of your day or your evening slowly and gently,
With compassion for yourself and everything that you're experiencing moment by moment.
