MBSR - Mindful BodyScan

This 35-minute body scan meditation is a deep investigation into the moment-to-moment experiences of our very alive bodies. By bringing awareness and acknowledgement to whatever we feel or sense in the body, the body scan can help with working with stress, anxiety, and physical pain. This mindfulness meditation is a core part of the MBSR course. It contains regular guidance and becomes more spacious through meditation.

Transcript

Body Scan As we move through the MBSR course,

We will experience how the mind and brain have an influence on the body and vice versa.

In this body scan practice,

We step out of the automatic pilot and come home to the body itself.

In our busy lives it is easy to become disconnected from what the body feels,

Where in our body our emotions show up,

Or what happens when a thought comes into our heads.

This journey through the body asks,

As best we can,

To pay attention to all the different areas of the body,

One by one.

Not to what we think we should feel,

But to whatever is already there.

This moving to a part,

Staying a while,

And then letting go,

Tolerating or accepting,

Is a practice.

We might want to linger longer in pleasant areas,

But we move on.

Or we may find that we do not want to feel into an area of tension or pain,

But with kindness we stay as best we can.

Knowing that if it is too overwhelming,

We can anchor to the awareness of our breath rolling in and rolling out,

Until perhaps we feel able to return to the body scan.

In this way we are retraining the nervous system to be curious,

Observe,

Accept and appreciate,

Rather than to focus solely on the area of pain or tension.

Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,

Taking a moment to consider what would be appropriate for you today.

For those of you sitting on a chair,

Perhaps feeling the ground beneath the feet or sitting bones,

Making contact with the seat,

Spine growing tall,

Head balanced on top of the spine,

Allowing the hands to rest on the lap or thighs.

If you have chosen to lie on the floor,

Feeling the ground beneath the back,

You can use a pillow for the head and a light blanket to keep you warm.

Stretching the arms and legs out to a distance that feels comfortable.

Which position do the hands prefer?

Maybe having the knees bent and the soles of the feet on the floor.

Choosing to close your eyes or just lower your gaze.

Making a choice to allow yourself to be exactly as you are in this moment,

Which in itself is an act of kindness.

The intention of the body scan is to come back to the body,

Clearly aware of thoughts and emotions,

But paying particular attention to sensations in the body as we encounter them.

Without wanting anything at all,

Not even relaxation.

It's nice to relax and it's great if it happens,

But letting go of any need for experience to be anything other than it is.

Allowing the body scan to simply unfold.

Taking a moment now to become aware of the sounds outside of the room.

Use the sense of hearing,

Not trying to identify the sounds,

Just moving from sound to sound.

Moving to the sounds inside the room,

The sound of my voice,

Allowing sounds to come and go as they please.

Now broadening the attention to include the entire body,

Lying or sitting here.

Breathing,

Thinking,

Feeling,

Practicing awareness of the whole body.

Perhaps sensing the rising and falling of the chest,

Maybe placing the hands on the belly.

Feeling the movement of the breath,

The rhythm,

Breath rolling in and rolling out.

Simply riding the waves of the breath from moment to moment.

Practicing coming back to the breath as an anchor.

And when the mind wonders,

Which it will,

That's what minds do,

Just noticing and without judging,

Gently but firmly bringing the awareness back to the sensations in the body,

Lying or sitting here.

Feeling the chair floor beneath you,

The breath rolling in and rolling out.

With the next breath,

Taking our awareness down to the left leg,

Down into the left foot and into the toes of the left foot.

What do we feel in the toes of the left foot?

Maybe tingling or temperature,

Warm or cool,

The touch of the socks or blanket.

The spaces between the toes.

Why does one toe touch another toe?

Broadening out into the whole of the left foot.

Feeling into the area where the foot is touching the ground.

The arch of the foot,

The skin,

The bones.

Now moving the attention to the ankle and lower leg.

What is here to feel if anything at all?

Perhaps noticing the pressure of the calves against the mat or the back of the chair.

Perhaps the fabric of clothes against the skin.

And maybe noticing when the attention has wandered off somewhere else.

Just gently and without judging,

Returning the awareness to the leg.

It's not a problem at all.

The mind likes to wander.

When we're ready,

Shifting the focus into the upper left leg,

The thigh.

Aware of gravity's work.

The pressing against the floor or chair.

The feel of clothing against the skin.

The quality of the muscles.

Tight or loose?

Is it possible to feel the bone running through?

Gently inhabiting the body.

Broadening out now into both legs.

Maybe we notice a difference in the two legs.

Maybe not.

Not judging.

No particular sensation to feel.

A broad awareness.

And when ready,

Moving into the right leg.

Down to the right foot.

Into the toes of the right foot.

Maybe feeling the toes,

But perhaps not.

Maybe feeling tingling or temperature.

Warm or cold.

The touch of socks.

The spaces between the toes.

Where one toe touches another toe.

There may be sensation or the absence of sensation.

There's no need to elicit a sensation if there's none.

Instead,

We can still pay attention as if sensations were present.

Just as we can listen for a sound,

Even if there's none.

What is there to feel in the arch of the foot?

The skin?

The bones?

The whole of the right foot?

What sensations are there?

Broadening out into the lower leg.

Feeling into the ankle,

The calf,

The shin.

What is present there today?

Including the knee into our awareness.

What sensations are there?

Broadening the attention out to include the upper leg.

The thigh up to the hip joint.

Investigating with curiosity.

The whole of the right leg.

The breath in the right leg.

Breathing in and breathing out.

The whole of the leg.

The weight or lightness.

Sensations?

No sensations.

What part of the leg does the attention want to sit with?

Are there parts of the leg that the attention does not want to go to?

As much as possible today.

Letting go of any resistance.

Softening.

Allowing.

Broadening out now into both legs.

The weight of both legs.

Sensations?

No sensations.

No particular sensation to feel.

Maybe feeling a sensation we do not know a word for.

A broad awareness of what is there.

With the beginner's mind exploring what is present in our legs right now.

When it seems right.

Moving the attention up into the pelvic region.

From hip to hip.

Aware of the effects of gravity.

The weight of the lower body.

The buttocks pressed into the floor chair.

Sensations in the hip joints.

The groin.

The genitals.

The lower belly.

Tuning into the sense of the breath.

Breath rolling in.

And breath rolling out.

Noticing thoughts and feelings that may arise.

Aware of judgments.

And,

If it's possible,

Letting them go.

Returning to the rhythm of the breathing.

And the sound of my voice guiding you on a journey through the body.

Practicing inhabiting the body.

Bringing attention to the lower back.

To the sense of contact,

Or lack of contact,

With the floor or chair.

The sense of yielding to gravity,

Or resisting.

Any tightness or softness.

Noticing any tendency to move away from,

Or towards,

Any sensations or thoughts,

Feelings or judgments that may arise.

Remembering that this is simply how it is in the lower back at this moment.

Now extending attention into the belly.

Feeling it from the inside out.

This place where we have our gut feelings.

There really are nerves here that sense and feel.

Feeling into the motion of the diaphragm.

The sense of the breath in the belly.

Moving the attention into feeling the upper trunk.

The chest.

Feeling the sensations of the breath here.

With each inhalation,

And each exhalation.

Breathing in,

And breathing out.

Feeling the breath rolling in,

And rolling out.

Without needing to do anything.

Perhaps noticing the heartbeat.

The rhythm of the breath and the heart together.

Present to these sensations of life.

Feeling the surface of the chest.

The touch of clothing.

Any sense of movement.

And experiencing the whole back now from the shoulders to the base of the spine.

Aware of the subtle and not so subtle motions of the back as you breathe.

Dwelling in the sensations of the back.

Not watching from your head.

Just knowing what the back knows.

Moving now to the shoulders.

Noticing any tightness or softness.

Recognizing this is how they are right now.

As best we can,

Opening and accepting it.

Knowing there does not need to be some other way.

Knowing also that things change.

Is there a sense of the breath in the shoulders?

Now travelling into the arms.

First to the upper arms.

Aware of the pull of gravity.

The weight of the arms.

Feeling the muscles and joints.

The touch and texture of clothing.

Moving the sensations to the elbows.

Noticing sensations there.

And if you notice that the mind has wandered off to some past event or jumped into the future.

With kindness just bringing it back to wherever we are.

Just taking a breath and starting again without judging.

If it feels right,

Perhaps congratulating yourself for noticing that you had wandered away from the body.

Expanding the attention to include the wrists and hands.

Sensations of warmth or coolness.

Tingling,

Moisture or dryness.

How does the breath affect the arms and hands?

Is it possible to feel the pulse here?

Just being with what's here now.

What do the fingers feel like?

Are they relaxed or curled up into the palm?

Maybe noticing the spaces between the fingers.

Feeling the position of the hands without looking at them.

Feeling the hands from the inside out.

What is here to feel?

Touch,

Pressure,

Warmth.

Maybe something,

Maybe nothing.

Moving the attention back to the shoulders.

What is there to feel?

Are the muscles in the shoulders tight or loose?

Can you feel your shoulders on the floor or the back of the chair?

Shifting the attention to the neck.

From the base of the skull to the shoulders.

The throat.

Aware perhaps of the play of air or touch of clothing.

Being present in this experience.

Does the neck feel tight or relaxed?

As we move through the body scan,

There is no need to make sensations happen.

If the sensation is subtle,

That's what is there to be noticed.

If there's no sensation,

That's what's there to be noticed.

Simply investigating the experience of a very alive body.

How this aliveness is known through sensations.

Gathering into our senses.

What can be perceived in the neck?

Feeling how it is to be sitting or lying down.

And then into the head.

Does the head feel heavy or light?

Feeling into the scalp,

The forehead,

The cheeks,

The ears,

The eyes,

The mouth,

The lips,

The tongue,

The teeth.

What does the whole head feel like?

Moving the attention to the top of the head.

Noticing that sensations may arise when we bring attention to a particular part.

Maybe tingling.

Maybe pressure.

Maybe a feeling of the breath or the pulse affecting this area.

Or maybe there's no sensation.

That's okay.

That's simply the experience of this moment.

And when ready,

Moving the attention to the forehead.

Observing any sensations.

Perhaps tension or tingling or a sense of relaxation.

Allowing yourself to feel whatever you feel.

Now moving the attention from the forehead to the eyes and eyelids,

Noticing how we are holding them.

How much or how little pressure does it take to keep them closed?

Experiencing the eyes from the inside,

From behind the eyelids.

Are the eyeballs moving or still?

Is there darkness?

Light?

Color?

How does the breath affect this area?

When it feels right,

Beginning to pay attention to the cheeks.

Sensing the bones,

The muscles,

The skin of the cheeks.

Noticing the play of air,

Sensations of coolness or warmth.

Noting perhaps that some sensations stay for a while,

While others pass quickly.

And that intensity may change one way or the other as we bring attention to them.

Maybe the mind has wondered,

Gently bringing it back to the body scan,

To the breath.

Bringing the attention to the nose.

From the bridge to the edges of the nostrils.

Perhaps feeling the breath in the nostrils as it enters and leaves.

Noticing temperature,

Moisture,

Sensations on the upper lip.

Moving the attention to the jaw.

Being aware of tightness or softness.

Allowing the lower jaw to drop down slightly.

Noticing any changes in the sensations in the muscles of the face and neck.

Or in other parts of the body which that small movement may create.

And expanding the focus of attention to include the mouth and lips.

The tongue against the teeth.

Against the roof of the mouth.

Feeling the breath in the mouth and nose.

Allowing the air to play on its way out.

Observing the sensations of dampness,

Dryness,

Warmth or coolness.

Expanding the attention to encompass the entire face.

Expanding the attention to include the entire body.

From the soles of the feet to the top of the head.

Being present to the totality of the experience of sitting or lying here in this moment.

Noticing how the breath has been a constant companion.

How it brings the whole body together.

Perhaps imagining a wave of breath flowing from the tips of the toes to the top of the head.

And all the way back down again.

Feeling the back of the feet on the floor.

Feeling into a sense of being grounded.

Grounded here in the present moment.

And as we draw this practice to a close,

I invite you to take a few moments to reflect on your experience of the body scan.

Without judging the experience as good or bad.

Allowing it to be what it was.

Maybe you have learned some new things along the way.

Areas of the body to nurture and be kind to.

Perhaps sensations were not what you expected.

Starting to bring some gentle movement back into the body.

Whatever feels good.

Maybe wiggling your fingers.

Wiggling your toes.

Stretching the body in any way at once.

And when you're ready,

Turn your awareness to sounds in the room.

And while you start to move and stretch.

Gently opening the eyes and coming back into the room.

The body scan is now complete.

Reviews

Very calm and deep connection
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

This is definitely a favorite! Soft, kind and still sufficiently firm guide of a curious and kind body scan. Thank you for this!

Very easy listening. Soothing and clear direction. I like the addition of awareness of sounds near and far at the beginning and echoed at the end. Thank you!

Body scans can be very difficult for me and this was outstanding. Thank you

Friendly, patient and precise