Hello and welcome to our practice.
Today we will be practicing a mindfulness exercise called the body scan which will allow your nervous system to calm down and help your brain become more aware of the internal and external systems that might be impacting your body.
By practicing a body scan we are allowing our brain to gain some space,
Calm,
And awareness of both the physical and emotional states of our bodies.
Let's get started.
Please find a comfortable seat or lay down to feel supported.
Make sure you are somewhere you can remain still for seven or eight minutes.
Once your body is situated close down your eyes or lower your gaze.
Let your hands fall naturally on your lap or by your side and let your body breathe naturally.
Notice the natural flow of your breath in and out.
As you are supported and continuing to breathe in and out start to visualize a beautiful ball of golden light growing above your head and as you breathe allow that ball of light to slowly move down over your head.
Let the ball of light cover your face,
Head,
Jaw,
And ears and send a few breaths to that area.
Notice what you are feeling and sensing all around your head.
Next let the light flow down your head to your neck and your shoulders.
Become aware of any sensations you're feeling there.
Send your breath to that area and let it go just as easily as you continue to inhale and exhale.
As you breathe it's okay to become aware of thoughts that might be entering your mind.
Let them come and just as easily let them move on.
Let that golden light divide into two entities that move down both of your arms,
Your upper arms,
Your elbows,
Your forearms.
What do you notice?
Let the light bathe your arms and continue to breathe.
As the light moves to surround both of your hands,
What sensations can you feel in your hands?
Let the breath flow to the light around your hands naturally.
Notice.
With your next inhale guide the light back up your arms to meet at your chest.
That golden light is now surrounding your torso and your back.
Send your breath to the middle of your body and become aware of any sensations you're feeling in your midsection.
There's no judgment around anything you notice,
Only awareness and curiosity about what you notice.
Slowly let the light drop to your pelvis and your hips.
Guide your breath to that region and notice what might come up for you as you continue to breathe.
Now let that light break into two once again as it travels down both of your legs.
Notice the sensations in the front and the back of each leg,
Your knees and your ankles.
Let your inhales and exhales travel down each leg with the light.
As the light moves into your feet,
Take some intentional breaths and notice how your feet feel at this moment.
Let the light and your breath stay at your feet.
On your next few inhales send the light up the length of your body and then with each exhale let the light flow back down the length of your body.
Breathe from the tip of your toes to the top of your head.
Take two more slow breaths while the golden light travels up and down the length of your body with your breath.
On your last exhale,
Release the light into the ground below you and slowly allow yourself to come back to your body and your breath in this moment.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes and come back to the space around you and pause for a moment to be grateful for the beautiful gift of mindfulness you have given your brain and your body.
