Let go of the battle.
Breathe quietly and let it be.
Let your body relax and your heart soften.
Listen to whatever you experience without fighting.
Jack Kornfield Today,
We are going to learn how to do a relaxing,
Calm body scan.
A body scan is a form of mindfulness where we focus on areas of our body scanning for whatever our body is feeling.
Tuning into how your body feels will help you understand yourself more.
During this mindfulness practice,
You will tune into how different areas of your body are feeling.
You may experience a variety of sensations or nothing at all.
Any feeling you feel is correct.
Neither good nor bad.
They simply exist.
Begin by getting comfortable,
Either sitting upright or lying down.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and then out through your mouth,
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
Once again,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Ground yourself by focusing on the point of contact between your body and whatever you are sitting or lying on.
How does it feel?
Is it soft or hard,
Cold or warm?
Slowly take in three more deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Then in through your nose and out through your mouth,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Your gentle body scan will start by imagining within your chest a ball of soft glowing light.
What color is your light?
Once you see your ball of glowing light,
Imagine sending your light down to your feet to begin your body scan.
The light spreads into your feet,
Allowing you to focus on what your feet feel like.
Are they sore from activities?
Heavy?
Tingly?
Scan your feet and continue breathing deeply as you focus on the feeling of your feet.
Next,
Let the glowing light travel up into your calves,
The part of your legs between your knees and ankles.
The light flows into your calves,
Illuminating them and helping you focus on how they feel.
Are they tight?
Itchy?
Or do they feel like nothing at all?
Whatever you feel is fine.
No feeling is good or bad.
Scan your calves and take another deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Slowly let the glowing light flow up into your thighs,
The powerful leg muscles above your knees.
Let that light shine onto your muscles and focus on what they feel like.
Maybe they feel relaxed or maybe they feel sleepy.
On your thighs,
As you continue your body scan,
If you notice your mind wandering,
Don't worry.
Gently remind yourself to return your focus to the body scan.
Take in another deep breath and then slowly send the light into your stomach.
The light spreads through your stomach and wraps around your back.
Do you feel any tension or anxiety?
Is your stomach sore or do you maybe feel hungry?
Just scan your stomach and your lower back.
Take in another deep breath,
Appreciating what you feel as your belly rises and folds with your breath.
Now let the light travel up into your chest and shoulders.
Its bright light sparkles as it fills the space,
Letting you tune into your body.
Do you feel any tension in your shoulders?
If you do,
Is it on both shoulders or just one?
Is your breathing fast or is it slow?
Notice how your chest feels.
Maybe you barely notice anything at all.
Whatever you feel,
Allow yourself to feel it in this present moment.
And just scan your chest and your shoulders.
Breathe in again through your nose and out through your mouth.
Your ball of glowing light will now travel a short distance from your shoulders up into your jaw and cheeks.
Focus on these small areas of your body.
Is your jaw tired from a day of talking and chewing?
Does it feel tingly or warm?
Scan your jaw and your cheeks.
And take in another deep breath through your nose and out through your mouth.
Finally,
Let the glowing light spread into the top of your head and down every strand of hair.
Can you feel your scalp?
Can you feel the hairs on your head?
Does it feel heavy or tingly?
Scan the top of your head and take another deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.
As you and your bodies scan,
Imagine the glowing ball of light returning to your chest and let the light bring you to a place of peace.
Take this moment to practice gratitude for the feelings you experienced in this moment.
As you continue your body scan practice and when you come back to this meditation,
You will become more aware of how your emotions affect how your muscles feel.
Take in a final deep breath and thank your body for serving you.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and slowly sit up.
You have done very well on your body scan journey.
And you can return to this mindfulness practice whenever you need to live in the present moment.
Rest your thoughts and deepen your self-awareness.
From my heart to yours with all my love and gratitude.
Namaste.
