Body Scan Meditation

This Body Scan Meditation is intended to be used with the Embracing Change Course. This body awareness meditation helps you learn to love your body, accept that it's changing over time. Go with those changes and love yourself in the body as it is.
You can also use it as a stand alone meditation and you're welcome to revisit whenever you feel drawn to check in to your body.

Transcript

Anybody who's made a difference in the world, One thing they all have in common is that they all have a daily meditation practice. So it's like start with that intention that you're going to spend time meditating every day because when you come back into the present moment you'll be less reactive, You'll be able to make more creative, More conscious decisions. I mean lots of things are going to happen this week that you don't expect, You haven't planned for and that is just true of life in general. But with meditation you're becoming more aware of how you respond in certain situations and when it's helpful to respond in a certain way and when it isn't and then you start becoming more discerning and knowing the difference and sometimes you might not even need to do anything. Start by gaining into a comfortable position, Turn off any distractions and then if you wish when you're ready you can close your eyes. Being aware of your body and do a quick scan through the body starting at the head and gathering your awareness at the top of the head and notice any sensations that are present if possible without judging them, Without reacting, Allowing whatever is there just to be there and if all you ever did was just to bring your awareness into the body it would make a huge difference in your life. Now then start moving your awareness down from the top of the head, Through the head, Down the face and as you do so notice notice whatever's present, Any sensations, Even absence of sensations, Maybe you find it harder to turn your awareness to some parts of the body than others and that's okay, It's not wrong, Just observing and as you scan through notice if there's any tension, Any holding and if possible breathe into those areas, Let them relax a bit and just scanning down the back of the head, The ears, And coming down to the neck and the throat and the shoulders and notice the subtle movements of the shoulders, They rise and fall slightly with the breath, If there's any tension relax it a little letting go if you can be more relaxed in the body you'll feel less stressed overall now coming down from the shoulders, Down the arms, To the elbows, The forearms and the hands, Feeling the weights, Your arms and hands resting in your lap, If that's how you are so positioned and notice all the little sensations in the hands and then bringing your awareness back up through the arms, Back up to the armpits and the shoulders and the upper back, The shoulder blades and feeling the ribcage expanding and contracting with the breath and then lowering your awareness through the back, Down to the sacrum and the hips and the sitting bones, Feeling the support of the chair if you're sitting on a chair and the weight of your body going down through the sitting bones, Down into the earth and then bringing your awareness to the, Where the hips and the body meets, Meet the legs and moving the awareness down the legs to the knees and the lower legs, The shins and the calves, Down to the ankles and the heels, And the feet and if you walk about during the day, Are you aware of the awareness? Your feet connecting with the earth, Just notice now what's that like, To feel the support, Having a solid grounded base and if it's helpful you can breathe down into the lower areas of the body, Down through the legs and the soles of the feet, Down into the earth and then breathing up through the lower body, You can imagine that you're breathing in through the soles of your feet, The air, The breath is coming up through the legs, Up to the hips and up into the heart and feeling the feet and the toes, The tops of the feet, Then coming back up through the legs, Up to the pelvis and the belly, Feeling the belly moving up and down with the breath, And coming up to the heart and the chest, Feeling all the love that's in your heart, The love, The joy, Being alive, Being in this body, Whatever body you're in in this lifetime, It's perfect, It's perfect for you and appreciate everything that your body does, Even if all that's happening right now is that you're listening to my voice and the body is breathing, How wonderful is that, The whole body breathing in this moment, Nowhere else to go, Nowhere else to be, It's right here, Right now. There we are, Have a wonderful week, Take care, Go well and lots of love.