Be in Your Body

Be in Your Body is a clearly guided, beginner-friendly practice focusing on developing awareness of the physical body and a deep sense of stillness. This practice is known as Kaya Sthairyam, (Body Steadiness) and is a technique of the Bihar School of Yoga. It is an excellent way to alleviate anxiety and calm a racing mind. It will help you develop your ability to focus and visualize, while finding your center and becoming grounded and present. Free yourself from thoughts...be in your body!

Transcript

And please prepare yourself for the meditation practice,

Choosing a comfortable position that you feel you can maintain for the duration of the practice.

Sit comfortably.

Make sure that the spine is in alignment.

And tuck the chin to elongate the back of the neck.

Become comfortable.

Become steady.

Take the attention now to the crown of the head and feel the crown of the head in alignment with the spine.

Feel down to the eyes and ensure that the eyes are not tightly closed,

That the upper eyelids are relaxed against the lower.

Feel into the lips and observe the upper lip resting on the lower lip.

Feel that the lips and the mouth are relaxed.

Feel the tongue softening inside of the mouth and allow the jaw to completely release.

Feel down into the neck and allow the shoulders to soften.

Allow the shoulders to release evenly from the sides of the neck.

If unsure,

Breathe in,

Gently raise the shoulders,

Breathe out,

Lower them.

Observe the arms as extensions of the shoulders and feel the arms relaxing.

Feel the hands on top of the thighs or knees.

Observe whether it is more comfortable to have the palms facing up or down and lightly bring the index finger to touch the tip of the thumb.

Pay close attention to the feeling of the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb.

Draw the attention back up into the shoulders.

Feel the muscles in the chest softening.

Relax the abdomen completely.

Take the awareness into the hips.

Observe any areas of tightness or tension in the hips.

Consciously relax these areas.

Feel down through the legs and observe the position of the legs,

Feeling the bend in the knee,

Feeling the positioning of the left foot and the right foot.

Feel each toe.

Ensure that the entire position is completely comfortable,

Making any last minute adjustments now.

Count five breaths,

Natural and full.

There is no rush.

Be easy with the breath.

Become completely aware of the entire body from the crown of the head down through the tips of the toes.

Feel that the body is perfectly symmetrical.

There is balance between left and right sides.

Feel as though there is a sense of balance originating from within the body.

Feel the stability of the base.

Feel a sense of connection to the floor below,

Symmetry in the base of the body,

Perfect alignment right down to the position of each finger.

Feel complete balance,

Complete alignment.

Visualize the body now as though looking into a full length mirror,

Seeing the entire body in its position from the front.

See each detail of the body from the front.

Switch to the right side now,

Tracing the outline of the right profile and seeing the entire right side of the body as though an observer from the outside.

Move the focus to the left side now.

Look as though from a distance and then sharpen the focus.

See the back of the body now as though in silhouette,

Entire body from behind.

The floor below is made of glass.

Look up at the body from below.

Imagine floating above the body and look down,

Seeing the top of the head,

The slope of the shoulders,

The hands on top of the thighs or knees,

Whole body from above.

See all sides of the body at once now,

A three dimensional image.

See the whole body and connect down now to the base of the body,

Feeling the stability of the base and feeling a connection to the earth below.

Feel that there are deep roots growing down from the tailbone,

From each knee,

From each ankle,

Deep roots into the earth like a tree.

Visualize this network of roots extending down through the soil.

Take the awareness up into the trunk of the body and feel the solidity of the trunk to be like the trunk of a tree,

The skin of the body like the bark of a tree.

Feel the strength of the torso of the trunk,

Capability for great growth,

Great heights.

Feel into the arms and hands,

The branches of the tree,

The leaves.

Feel the lightness of the arms and hands.

Draw the attention up now into the head,

Into the crown of the head,

Feeling that the crown of the head is like the top of the tree,

The canopy,

Expanding upwards towards the sky.

Whole body,

Ancient tree.

The body is the link between earth below and sky above.

Embrace the image of the body as the tree and become acutely aware of any sensations within the body,

Moving the attention lightly from part to part,

Seeking out all of the different sensations.

Be focused,

Be attentive,

Noticing sensations of itching or tingling.

Without reacting,

Simply notice.

Notice sensations where the body touches itself,

Contact points between fingers,

Backs of hands on the thighs,

Feel these sensations.

Continue to find new sensations,

More subtle experiences.

Feel that there is complete steadiness in the body,

No reaction to sensations,

Remain still.

Begin to create a deep experience of stillness within the body.

Become completely motionless.

Feel the gentle movement of the breath.

Notice how subtle the breath has become.

Consciously allow the breath to deepen,

Noticing the movement of the breath in through the nostrils and feel the muscles contracting and expanding as the breath moves into the chest.

Begin to connect the breath to the body.

Feel into the weight of the body against the floor.

Feel the weight of the body distributed between the buttocks,

Between the thighs.

Begin to feel your entire body from the tips of the toes to the crown.

Have a sense of your depth,

Your height,

Your width,

And your weight.

Having a clear experience of the space you occupy within the room.

Recognize your body within the room,

Beginning to recall the details of the room around you.

Remembering the position of the doors,

The windows,

Any objects within the room,

Any pictures on the walls.

Begin to draw your awareness back out into the day and observe any effects that the practice may have had on you.

Begin to move the body very carefully,

Very slowly,

Ending the practice of body steadiness,

High hysterium.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

The practice concludes.

Reviews

Thank you very much!

Wow! Extremely helpful. I will comeback to this again. Thank you!🙏🏽

Very centring and gentle. This meditation has given me the confidence to go within on my own and just trust in the process x

Nice effects but hard to really follow the exact instructions

Excellent meditation for coming into a balanced experience of the body. Recommended especially for those who are new to meditation.

Very grounding. Thank you!

Very interesting and relaxing experience x

Wow! I loved this session. Thank you for providing another perspective on my body. Loved seeing from all sides. Thank you 🙏☺

I initially became acquainted with Hilary via her excellent live casts and have started checking out more and more of her recorded offerings here.

There are plenty of body-scan meditations out there (and once you know the basic technique you can easily do one without outside guidance), but this one really stands out for its thoughtful, in-depth approach.

Great for new and experienced meditators alike. Bears repeat listening when you want the guidance.

Beautiful way to start the day thank you 😊

Glorious meditation 🧘‍♂️ feel so balanced and centred afterwards

Thanks for the quiet guidance, body stillness slowly translated to inner stillness!🙏

I loved this meditation. I felt very still and present in my body. Thank you!

What an amazing meditation , didn’t want it to end. Thank you.

Wonderful very relaxing thank-you so much🙏💗

A wonderful practice, guided through my seated body in a most reassuring and positive way, awakening my connection with nature and instilling a stability that I pray will remain with me throughout the day. Thank you.

Namaste❤💚💜💛💙❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
This meditation brought such calmness
To my body that I didn't want it to end.
Thank you.🌹🌹

Had my doubts but very relaxing

Beautiful and very relaxing

Wow this was amazing. Definitely coming back to this one.