A Relaxing Body Scan Meditation

Allow yourself time to become physically relaxed in this beautiful guided meditation. "Your Simple Path" author Ian Tucker will gently guide you through as you let go of stress and ease in to the moment concluding with a mantra that will leave you feeling light and reset.

Transcript

So with your eyes closed now,

Before we begin the practice,

Just allow yourself to set a gentle intent that you are going to slow down.

Don't worry if it doesn't feel that way at the moment,

Don't think it through or wonder how,

But we're just going to slow down together.

I'd like you to imagine that maybe there is a natural rhythm and pace to each moment,

To each space,

A softness,

A gentleness and maybe our work,

If there is any,

Is just to slow down and meet the natural rhythm and pace there is in any moment.

So we began with a little silence there and when we connect with silence that can sometimes just gently turn the volume up in other areas.

You may sense something in your body,

Feel an emotion that you can now name or understand or a thought,

But everything is welcome here,

We're not pushing or suppressing anything.

So again let's just drop into a short silence and just be with whatever you sense or feel.

We're taking care of ourselves here you and I,

That means all of us,

Whatever comes up is welcome.

Everything is temporary,

Things want to pass through,

Nothing more.

So let's gently move to our breath now and to begin with I'd just ask you to notice your breath,

Just a little bit more than maybe you were a few seconds ago.

Don't try and change anything,

Don't worry is it right or is it wrong,

It's perfect as it is your breath.

Just lean into it a little bit more and let's have about 10 seconds in silence as we experience our breath,

The natural flow.

During times of silence or when we're looking to connect with our breath thoughts may come,

We may drift away from this moment to something in the future or the past,

That's natural.

There's no conflict,

We just accept that that's part of it how it is.

But the practice for now is just to notice that you've drifted away and come back to your breath again and again,

That's the practice.

So let's just have 20 seconds in silence now and we just come back to our breath gently,

Calmly,

Again and again.

You're doing great,

Practicing mindfulness perfectly,

Breath by breath and why has the breath been at the base of all meditation and relaxation practice for thousands of years?

Well it's because it runs the show,

Your breath.

When your breath is calm and relaxed,

Soon after your thoughts,

Emotions and actions move the same way,

Just make a note that there is always a direct correlation between your breath and how you are.

How wonderful then that we can gently control the breath,

It's in our hands,

Our well-being.

A gentle reminder that this session is all about slowing down and we can use the breath a little more to slow down now.

Between each breath,

Every in-breath and out-breath,

There is a pause,

A space,

Just melt in a little more to that space between each breath now.

Again have no expectations about how this should be,

But just be with it a little more over the next few breaths,

The space between each breath.

In music they say it's the space between each note that truly makes the music.

Without the space between each note it would be one continuous noise.

Sometimes my life can seem like one continuous noise,

But now I have the space between each breath and so do you.

We can rest there.

So let's take about 20 seconds in silence and the practice now is just to be with the space between each breath,

Nothing more,

That's the practice.

Remember thoughts outside influence,

Feelings will come always.

Acceptance is the key,

It's just a thought,

It's just a noise,

It's just a feeling.

It wants to move on,

It's temporary,

But I'm going to come back to the space between each breath to take care of myself in this moment.

Now just loosen your focus away from your breath knowing it will do its own thing perfectly and take it to the top of your head so we're now focusing on the top of the head,

The forehead and around the eyes.

Again a gentle reminder you're in control,

You can move your focus wherever,

Taking care of yourself.

We're going to allow ourselves to become physically relaxed in this practice.

To do that we're going to use a gentle body scan,

So wherever I ask you to place your focus allow yourself to relax there,

To become easy and soft there.

So let's begin now with the forehead,

Around the eyes and the cheeks,

Just soften,

Maybe let the muscles drop a little,

Let go of any energy that you are holding there,

This may loosen the jaw or the mouth and that's perfect.

Moving down through the neck into the shoulders,

The top of your chest and back.

So often you and I carry stress,

Tension on our shoulders,

We have no idea we're doing it,

Just let your shoulders drop an inch,

A couple of centimetres,

Allow that trapped energy to just flow away,

That's all it is,

Everything is energy,

Travel light.

Let's move down both arms now,

Over your elbows,

Forearms and into your hands right through to the ends of each finger and even here as you feel both arms right through to the ends of each finger,

Just allow yourself to soften,

Don't worry if you can't feel it,

Just set the intent to become soft and easy to relax.

Moving now to our stomach,

Lower back,

Our torso,

Let's pause just for a moment here,

Your vital organs work so hard every day for you,

Tirelessly,

Let's give a little back,

Invite each vital organ to safely relax with you in this practice now,

Everything is part of you,

Indeed invite each organ to let go of any energy that it no longer requires to reset and refresh.

Let's take one or two deeper breaths so our in-breath really reaches the stomach and the void around all the vital organs now and as you breathe out consciously be aware that you're letting go of the energy that you gave permission to lose.

Again you're doing great,

Taking care of yourself without any expectations,

Letting go,

Simply being and allowing.

Let's continue our journey now over our hips and into the pelvic area,

You may sense your connection to the surface below here to remind you that you're here now,

Down both legs and into each knee,

Again let's just pause for a moment,

Your knees are so important to you,

Support,

Balance,

Flexibility,

I'd like you to sense,

Imagine or feel a warm healing balm like an elixir or an oil as it runs through both knee joints now,

Lubricating and healing,

Warming,

Allow it to continue its flow down the bottoms of both legs,

Over your ankles and for now just into the back of both feet,

So your focus now is just in your heels,

The backs of your feet and we're going to pause there just for a moment,

There may be some part of you that feels slightly uncomfortable with pausing here,

Like the journey has to continue,

Can you slow down and just be with your heels,

The backs of your feet,

This is a gentle reminder that it's important to pause and rest on any journey and a beautifully liberating reminder that you're in control,

You decide when you rest and when you move,

Balance is always the key,

Continuing now through both feet and right through to the ends of each toe and let's use this opportunity to really feel the surface below connect with the bottoms of your feet,

If you're lying down and I would encourage you to bend your knees so you can really feel the bottoms of your feet against the surface below,

Indeed move them a little,

Really ground yourself in to this moment,

Say to yourself I can only be in one place at one time and this is it,

Feel yourself here,

So feeling connected to this space with your body soft and gentle,

Relaxed and your eyes closed,

Let's move back to our breathing and we're going to take a minute in silence and you may wish to just stay with your breath or move back to the space between each breath,

Whatever feels right to you is the right thing to do,

Let's have a minute in silence together now,

Your mind,

My mind will wonder,

Thoughts will come,

We will drift but everything is temporary,

Every thought simply wants to come and go,

We don't try and beat the thought,

Bleach the mind,

We accept it and acknowledge it as just a thought and then we come back to our breath,

To our feet on the floor here,

To this space,

To this moment,

That's the practice,

Let's have another 30 seconds in silence and there's no conflict,

No should have's,

Should be's,

We just come back to our breath and our connection to the space,

Now with your eyes still closed as we come to the end of our time together,

Just for today,

I would like to share with you a few words,

Just for contemplation,

Allow them to settle in,

My experience is when I can live my life around this short mantra,

Then there is a flow to my life,

An ease,

Live simply,

Remain humble,

Love genuinely and all good will come back to you,

Live simply,

Remain humble,

Love genuinely and all good will come back to you,

Thank you for taking care of yourself,

For slowing down and simply connecting with your breath and the moment,

That's the practice,

Nothing more and now when you're ready I invite you to open your eyes and come back to the space that you have chosen in this moment.

Reviews

Very nice, thank you. I appreciate your supportive comments and encouragement throughout the practice. I felt genuinely cared for.

A beautiful time so slow down and just experience life in the moment. Thank you so much Ian 🙏🙏