Body scan.
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 without being rigid.
Choose a place where you will be warm and undisturbed.
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.
There is no need to change the breath.
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.
Notice the surface below you supporting you and where your body is in contact with the surface below you.
Then 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 and all the toes.
Maybe even the spaces between your toes.
Then all of the feet,
The whole foot.
Maybe noticing if some part of the foot is in contact with the surface below.
Maybe the heels touching the ground.
Then moving up to your ankles.
If your mind is wandering,
That's normal.
Don't worry about it.
But as soon as you notice that your mind has wandered,
Just guide it gently back to focus again on your body.
And right now to focus on your ankles.
Then let's notice any sensations here in your ankles.
Or maybe if there's no sensations you can pick up,
Then just noticing the absence of sensations.
That's okay too.
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've never scanned your body or experienced your body before.
Bring curiosity and kindness to your practice.
Do you notice a pressure or a touch?
A touch of your clothing or contact with the surface if you're lying down?
Do your lower legs feel warm or cool?
Is there maybe a tingling,
An itching?
And then leaving your lower legs moving up to your knees.
Is there any sensations?
The back of your knees,
Sides of your knees,
Top of your knees.
Then bringing your awareness to your upper legs,
Sides of 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.
Any sensations?
And if your mind wanders again,
That's okay.
Just every time you notice that your mind has wandered,
Guide it back gently and kindly.
Even if your mind wanders a thousand times,
It's totally okay.
That's what the mind does.
Just gently guide it back to focus on your body.
And then focusing on your whole pelvic area,
Your buttocks.
Maybe where your buttocks is in contact with the chair or the surface below you.
Is there any tension held here?
Often these muscles in the buttocks called gluteus can be a little bit tense.
That's often where we store tension.
The hips on the side and the whole pelvic area.
And then moving your awareness up to your lower back.
What do you notice?
Any sensations?
Any tingling?
Any tension?
Moving further up to the middle part of your back.
Your ribcage,
Then your upper back and shoulders.
A space between your shoulder blades.
Your shoulder blades.
And possibly even noticing how your upper back moves with your breathing.
Is there anywhere in your back where it feels a little bit tight?
Where you're possibly holding some tension?
And then moving your awareness and attention to the front of your body.
First to your chest.
Maybe noticing how your chest moves with your breathing.
Expanding as you inhale and relaxing as you exhale.
And then moving on to your abdomen.
To all of your abdomen.
The outside and the skin.
Noticing how it's expanding and relaxing with your breathing again.
Also feeling right into your abdomen and noticing if there's any other sensations.
Maybe you're gurgling from your digestion.
Or what else can you feel?
Staying curious.
Just noticing what is.
And if it's difficult to feel anything or notice anything,
That's okay too.
Then bringing our awareness to our arms.
Paying attention to the upper arms.
Elbows.
Lower arms.
Wrists.
Hands.
The palms of the hands and all the fingers.
Starting with the thumb.
Moving down to your little fingers.
Then both arms and both hands.
What can you notice?
Any sensations?
And also letting go of the arms and hands and moving up to your neck.
The back of your neck.
Sides of the neck and front of the neck.
Even your throat.
Any tension held here?
Moving up to your head.
The back of the head.
Sides of your head around your ears.
The top of your head.
And your face.
Forehead.
Cheeks.
Jaw.
Teeth.
Mouth.
Tongue.
The muscles around your mouth.
The muscles around your eyes.
And all of the face.
All of your head.
All of your body.
Noticing any sensations now.
Anywhere in your body or head.
And slowly bringing this practice to an end when you're ready.
Maybe noticing the breath again before you end this practice.
You can start by bringing a little bit of movement into your body.
Maybe your fingers or toes.
Good to start with.
Maybe you feel like a gentle stretch before you come up to sitting if you're lying down.
Or even if you're sitting it might be nice to end this practice with a gentle stretch.
