This is a body scan meditation that will help bring awareness to our bodies and release tension.
When we're caught up with the busyness of life,
Running around two feet off of the ground,
Rushing,
We tend to become disconnected from our bodies and disconnected from the breath.
Our body is here,
But our mind is somewhere else.
So this will be a few minutes of quiet where we can check in with ourselves and get back in touch with the body,
Connecting the mind and body so they're operating as one.
So I invite you to find a comfortable seat.
You can sit in a chair,
Or I would suggest lying down on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you,
Arms resting on both sides of the body.
And just listen to the sound of my voice and to the music playing in the background.
Take a nice deep breath,
Inhale and then open the mouth and exhale.
Again take a deep breath,
Inhale,
Open the mouth and side out.
And begin to observe the breath.
And as you observe the breath,
Start to become aware of your body.
Notice the parts of the body that are in contact with the surface underneath you.
Connect with the breath and notice what happens in the body as you breathe in and breathe out.
Let the body be heavy and feel the spine drop back down into the earth.
Notice how the body starts to soften and settle down.
Now begin by taking your awareness to the top of the head,
Noticing any tightness in the scalp.
And imagine it's easy to let that go.
Bring your awareness to the forehead.
Notice if there's any tightness or tension in the forehead.
Let the right side of the forehead slide to the right and the left side of the forehead slide to the left and allow the eyebrows to drop back.
Soften the eyes.
Tighten the backs of the eyes.
And let that awareness drop down to the cheeks.
Relax the lips and unclench the jaw.
Let the jaw hang down.
Now imagine all the muscles in the face are totally relaxed.
Take a deep breath,
Inhale and exhale.
Let any lingering tension go.
Now bring your awareness to the neck,
Relaxing the muscles on both sides of the neck and the throat.
Let your awareness slide down the neck to the shoulders,
Allowing the shoulders to drop down,
Letting go of any tension that might be in the shoulders.
Then let your awareness flow down into your upper arms and the forearms,
Noticing any sensations that might be happening in the arms.
Then begin to move that awareness down to your hands and fingers.
Place your awareness on your thumbs.
Moving to the index finger,
The middle finger,
Ring finger,
And little finger.
Now let your arms and hands feel heavy.
Then bring your awareness back up the arms to the chest,
To your heart center.
Breathing deeply into the chest,
Letting go of any tightness that might be there.
Allow that feeling of relaxation to flow down into the abdomen,
Maybe placing your hands on the abdomen and taking a few deep belly breaths.
Letting the belly rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.
Then allowing that awareness to drop down into the back body,
Noticing the surface that is coming in contact with the back of the body,
And placing your awareness on your tailbone.
Then slowly moving that awareness up the spine to the base of the shoulders,
Letting go of any tightness or tension you feel in the back.
Feel the body drop back into the earth.
And as you inhale,
Feel the breath move up the spine.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath travel down the spine.
Inhale moving up the spine,
And exhale traveling down the spine.
And now take a moment to become aware of how the upper body now feels totally relaxed.
Now bring your attention down to your sits bones and your hips,
Moving your awareness to your thighs,
The inner thigh and the outer thigh.
Letting go of any tightness that might be there.
Let that awareness flow down to the knees,
To your lower leg,
Placing your awareness on the shins and calves.
Then to the ankles,
The feet and toes.
Maybe point and flex the feet if that feels good.
Relaxing each toe from the big toe all the way across to the little toe.
Again,
Just noticing how the body now feels completely and totally relaxed.
And as you become more relaxed,
You might become more aware of thoughts or sensations in the body.
Just observe them.
Try not to attach to them.
If you notice your mind wandering,
Just gently bring your attention back to the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Maybe counting to five as you inhale and counting to five as you exhale.
Now just enjoy the physical sensation of feeling totally and completely relaxed.
Now give you a few moments to rest in your awareness,
Being present with your body and allowing yourself to completely let go.
Just listen to the sound of the music and I'll let you know when it's time to come back.
It soaks you into peace.
If you find that your mind is wandering,
Just gently return to the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Gently now begin to bring your awareness back to the body.
As we come to the end of this meditation,
You can begin to wiggle your toes and gently wiggle your fingers,
Bringing your awareness back into the room.
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Namaste.
