Mindful Medicine 2 - Brief Body Scan

In a body scan, in the space of a few minutes, we move the light of awareness from the top of the body to the bottom, from the scalp down to the toes. We envelop the body in warm kindness.

This is a short guided meditation series by Jan Chozen Bays MD, a longtime Zen teacher and pediatrician. During this time of covid19, when healthcare workers are experiencing heightened stress, these meditations are a potent form of self-care, particularly for those who have only a brief time to practice.

Transcript

A brief body scan.

This is a short version of the usual body scan.

In the space of a few breaths or a few minutes,

You move the light of your awareness from the top of your body down to the bottom,

From your scalp down to your toes,

At your own speed.

You can do it in several long breaths or take a luxurious three minutes.

If you become aware of any extra holding or tension in an area of the body as you scan,

You can let it soften or release a bit.

Be especially aware of tension in the forehead,

Between and around the eyes,

And around the mouth or in the jaw.

You might notice that your breathing is shallow or your abdomen is tightened.

Adjust as you wish.

When you finish your three breaths or three minutes of body scanning,

Envelop your body in a cocoon of warm awareness for another three breaths.

Before you end,

Thank your body for how it has served you this day.

I'll demonstrate.

I'm bringing awareness to my hair,

My scalp,

My forehead,

Between the eyebrows,

Relaxing any tension.

I notice there,

Awareness of the eyes,

The area around the eyes,

The cheeks,

The nose,

The mouth,

Any extra tension or holding in the mouth or jaw,

Lifting the corners of my mouth slightly.

Now moving my awareness down through my neck and both shoulders,

Releasing any extra holding or tension.

Down the shoulders,

Both upper arms,

The elbows,

The forearms,

The wrists,

The hands,

The fingers.

Now I bring my awareness back to my neck and run my awareness down my spine,

From the cervical spine,

Thoracic spine,

And finally down to the sacrum.

Now I bring my awareness to my chest,

To the movement of the rib cage,

And what the rib cage protects,

My lungs and my heart.

Now I move my awareness down into the abdomen.

Those of us in medicine are quite aware of the anatomy of the abdomen.

So I bring my awareness on the right-hand side to my liver,

In the middle pancreas,

On the left-hand side spleen.

Bring my awareness to the esophagus,

Stomach,

The winding of the small intestine,

The large intestine as it rises on the right side,

Crosses across,

And descends on the left side.

Bring my awareness to my kidneys,

Ureters,

Bladder,

Reproductive organs.

Now I bring my awareness to the hips,

The thighs,

The knees,

The lower legs,

The ankles,

The feet,

And the toes.

And to finish,

I envelop my body in a cocoon of warm awareness.

And if you wish,

You can add a few words of loving kindness.

May I be at ease.

May I be at ease.

May I be happy.

Reviews

Great scan, I usually move quickly through to the entire body and sit with that. It was a pleasant reminder to occasionally slow down and move through the body at a slower pace.🙏🏼❤️

Excellent, brief scan

Lovely and brief meditation. I keep coming back to this one as it hits all the right points for relaxation. As a healthcare worker I'm very appreciative of the acknowledgment in this recording

Lovely clear introduction to body scan practice