Welcome to this body scan meditation.
To begin,
Allow comfort to enter your body.
Perhaps you want to move gently or give yourself a little shake.
Roll your shoulders,
Sway your hips,
Loosen your jaw.
Release any tension,
Any restlessness,
Any stagnant energy you may be carrying.
And when you're ready,
Come into a comfortable position,
Laying down on your back.
Allow your limbs to uncross.
Let your hands rest easily.
Give your body permission to be supported,
To feel comfort.
Welcome in the ease and gently close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And then exhale slowly out of your mouth.
Once more,
Inhale fully.
The breath is steady and spacious.
And as you exhale,
Release a soft sigh out of your mouth.
One more time,
A deep inhale through the nose.
And then exhale,
Release out of the mouth.
Now allow your breath to find a natural rhythm.
You're breathing gently in and out through your nose.
Nothing feels forced.
There's nothing to perfect here.
You're simply letting your breath move naturally,
Flowing in,
Moving through,
And releasing out.
With the body settled and the breath steady,
We'll begin to scan through every part of your body.
And before we begin,
Take a moment of gratitude for your physical body.
Appreciate how your body shows up for you every day.
Thank your body for carrying you through this life.
And beginning to notice all of the parts of your body,
All of the parts that support you every day.
We'll start focusing on the toes.
Notice the energy in the toes and any sensations you have.
Now focus on the tops of the feet,
The bottoms of the feet,
And the ankles.
Without trying to change anything,
Simply notice the sensations.
Is there warmth or coolness?
Do the feet feel pressure or relaxed?
Can you find stillness along with awareness in your feet?
Take a slow inhale and let all of your focus fully rest in your feet.
And exhale,
Let them relax a little bit more.
Begin to guide your attention up into your lower legs.
Notice the calves,
The shins,
The knees.
What is present here?
Is there tightness or ease or even a neutral sensation?
Continue moving upward into your thighs,
The hamstrings,
The quadriceps,
Your hips,
Your sitz bones.
Feel where your body meets the floor.
Notice the support beneath you.
And allow both gravity and the earth to hold you.
Breathe here,
Aware of the entire lower half of your body.
The touch of fabric on your skin.
The air moving across you.
Quiet hum of sensation.
Now bring your attention to your lower back.
Take a slow breath into this space.
Notice if there's any tension or softness in your lower back.
And perhaps the inhale allows you to create space.
And the exhale allows you to soften.
Guide your awareness into your belly.
The lower abdomen.
The middle of the belly.
Up into your ribs.
Feel the ribs gently expand and release with the breath.
With each breath,
Notice the subtle movement at the middle of your back.
Bring your breath into your chest,
Your heart.
Across the collarbones and into the shoulders.
A place that often carries so much weight.
Focus on the sensations and energy through your entire torso.
Inhale in new air.
And with your exhale,
Invite the shoulders to soften just a little bit more.
Let the awareness travel down your arms.
Moving from your shoulders to the upper arms.
The elbows.
The forearms.
The wrists.
And the hands.
Notice any sensations in your palms.
And all the way out your fingers to the fingertips.
You may even gently wiggle your fingers.
Just enough to feel them fully.
And then allow the fingers to become still again.
Focus your attention back up through the arms.
Fingertips to shoulders.
And come into your neck.
Let the neck be soft.
Unclenched.
Unforced.
Melting any tension with a nice breath.
Guide your awareness to the back of the head.
And then slowly around to the face.
Notice your jaw.
Unhinging it slightly.
Relax your tongue and your mouth.
Soften the temples.
The closed eyes melting a little bit deeper.
Notice the sensations across your forehead.
And down your face towards your chin.
Let your entire head feel both heavy and supported.
Allowing gravity and the earth to be there for you.
Take one deeper breath in through your nose.
And one slower breath out through your nose.
Feel your body as a whole.
Places touching the floor.
The feeling of clothing on your skin.
The temperature of the air.
Notice how your body feels in this moment.
Not how it has felt before.
And not how you think it should feel.
Just now.
How does your body feel right now?
There's no labeling of good or bad of the body.
You're simply noticing.
Noticing what it feels like to breathe in.
Noticing what it feels like to breathe out.
And with each breath.
With each intentional thought surrounding your body.
You're strengthening your awareness.
You're allowing yourself to be fully present right here.
So allow yourself this body scanning.
These breaths.
This moment of stillness.
When you feel ready,
Take a slow deep breath in.
Sigh the breath out.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Full awareness into the body.
Into the steadiness and presence of this moment.
And once more expressing gratitude to the body.
Thanking it for everything that it does for you.
Every moment of every day.
Placing one hand on your heart.
One hand on your belly.
Take a final slow breath in this meditation.
And when you're ready.
Opening your eyes and reentering your day.
