This is a short body scan practice.
Usually the body scan is practiced lying down,
But if you prefer you can also sit in a chair.
Sitting straight,
The idea is to stay awake as best as you can.
Now when you are ready,
Gently close your eyes,
Or if you prefer you could also keep your eyes open.
Let's start by taking a few deep breaths.
Breathing in deeply,
And out fully.
Notice the breath flowing in and out of the body naturally.
Just simply observe it as it is.
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body.
Noticing the sensation of touch or pressure where your body makes contact with the chair or ground below you.
Let's start scanning the body.
Let's start with your feet.
Noticing both of your feet,
The soles of your feet,
The sides of your feet,
Top of your feet,
The spaces between your toes and all the toes,
Then all of the feet.
Then moving up to your ankles.
If your mind is wandering,
As soon as you notice that your mind has wandered,
Just guide it gently back to focus again on your body.
Then moving your attention up to your lower legs,
Your calf muscles and chins.
Is there any sensations here?
Be curious.
Try and scan your body like you have never scanned your body or experienced your body before.
Bringing curiosity and kindness to your practice.
Do your lower legs feel warm or cool?
Then leaving your lower legs moving up to your knees.
Is there any sensations?
Then bringing your awareness to your upper legs,
The back of your legs,
The top of your thighs.
What do you notice?
Then bring the awareness to both legs and both feet.
Then focusing on your whole pelvic area,
Your buttocks.
Is there any tension held here?
The hips on the side and the whole pelvic area.
Then moving your awareness up to your lower back.
Any sensations?
Any tension?
Moving further up to the middle part of your back.
Then your upper back.
And shoulders.
And possibly even noticing how your upper back moves of your breathing.
And then moving your awareness and attention to the front of your body.
To your chest.
Maybe noticing how your chest moves of your breathing,
Expanding as you inhale and relaxing as you exhale.
And then moving on to your abdomen.
Noticing how it's expanding and relaxing with your breathing again.
Any other sensations?
Staying curious?
Then bringing our awareness to our arms.
Hands.
Then both arms and both hands.
Any sensations?
Letting go then of the arms and hands and moving up to your neck.
The back of your neck.
Any tension held here?
The sides of the neck and front of the neck.
Up to your head.
The back of the head.
Sides of your head around your ears.
Top of your head and your face.
Forehead.
Jaw.
Mouth.
The muscles around your eyes.
Then all of the face.
All of your head.
All of your body.
Noticing any sensations now anywhere in your body.
And then slowly.
And slowly bringing this practice to an end when you're ready.
Maybe noticing the breath again before you end this practice.
Start by bringing a little bit of movement into your body.
Maybe your fingers or toes.
Maybe you feel like a gentle stretch before you come up to sitting if you're lying down.
Even if you're sitting it might be nice to end this practice with a gentle stretch.
