20-Minute Body Scan

In MBSR, the body scan is used to develop awareness rather than being for relaxation. However, in reality many people find it does just that. When used as an awareness practice, the body scan is a great way to get us out of our head and into our body and trains the attention to be more present. It can also lead to greater self-awareness as we attend to the inner workings of our body and mind.

Transcript

Welcome to this 20-minute body scan meditation.

Finding a comfortable posture either lying down or you can sit on a chair for this practice.

If you're lying down allowing the legs to be outstretched and the feet falling away from each other.

The arms can be alongside the body with the palms facing up.

If it feels right you can close your eyes for this practice.

The intention of the body scan is to cultivate an awareness of the physical sensations in the body,

Whatever they may be while also being aware of thoughts and emotions as they come and go.

The body scan is a great way to get in touch with the body and the mind and offers the possibility for greater understanding and ability to tap into sources of strength,

Wisdom and healing already within us.

As you attend to the physical sensations in your body you will notice that some sensations will be pleasant,

Others will be unpleasant,

Perhaps even painful and in other areas there may be no sensation at all.

The invitation is to stay with whatever you may be feeling from moment to moment doing your best to notice the actual sensations themselves,

Perhaps aware of the difference between the felt physical sensation in the body and thoughts about the sensations.

Aware perhaps of preferences for some sensations and the normal tendency we all have for other sensations,

Especially painful ones to go away or to be different from the way they are right now.

Remembering the attitudes of openness,

Curiosity,

Kindness and non-judgment.

In particular letting critical and judgmental thoughts simply come and go without having to believe them or make them go away.

Remembering that there's no right or wrong way to feel.

How you're feeling is simply how you're feeling.

And now becoming aware of the body as a whole from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes.

Aware of the front of the body,

The back of the body and the sides.

Noticing where the body is bearing weight at the heels,

Backs of the legs,

The buttocks,

The upper back,

The arms and the head.

Perhaps feeling the air around the body and air within the body in the form of the breath.

Feeling the breath moving in and out of the body.

Feeling the rise and fall of the ribcage and abdomen with each in and out breath.

It may be helpful to place a hand on your belly and follow the movement of the breath as the belly expands and contracts with each inhalation and exhalation.

Breathing in and out,

There's no need to force or change the breath in any way.

Simply being aware of the breath and noticing how it feels.

Knowing that if at any time a physical sensation or emotion becomes too strong you can always shift your attention to the breath using the breath as a kind of anchor,

A refuge to the present moment and return to the body scan when you feel ready.

And now if you had your hand on your abdomen,

Returning it beside your body and deliberately directing your attention all the way down the legs to both feet.

Becoming aware of all ten toes,

The spaces between the toes,

The balls of the feet,

The arches and the heels.

Aware of the tops of the feet and any sensations within the feet.

And there may be no sensation at all.

And now letting go of the feet in the mind's eye and directing the attention up the legs through the ankles to the calves.

Aware of the shins moving the attention up to the knees.

Aware of the soft fold at the back of the knees and the bonier part at the front.

And now continuing to scan up the legs to the thighs.

Perhaps aware of volume here.

Aware of the muscles and any other sensations that are here to be known.

Remembering that if your mind wanders off during this practice,

Simply bringing the attention back to wherever we're at in the body scan.

In this case the thighs.

And now expanding the field of awareness to include both legs in their entirety from the tops of the legs at the hip joints all the way down the legs through the ankles to the tips of the toes.

Aware of both legs in their entirety as you breathe.

And now letting go of the legs in the mind's eye and directing the awareness now to the whole pelvic bowl.

Aware of the soft belly at the front,

The bony hip joints to the sides.

Aware of the tailbone at the back and the buttocks.

Also aware of the organs of elimination and reproduction in this lower torso.

Sensing whatever sensations are here to be known.

There may be a sense of fullness or lightness,

Movement perhaps.

And now shifting the awareness to the middle torso.

Aware of the waist.

And to the back,

The lower mid-back area.

And now continuing to scan up to the upper torso.

Aware of the chest and rib cage,

The sternum and the collarbones.

This bony structure that houses the organs of respiration and circulation.

Taking a moment here,

Perhaps sensing the heartbeat.

Feeling the breath as the lungs expand and contract with each in and out breath.

And now moving to the back,

Up the spine and becoming aware of the upper back.

And now sensing into the expanse of the shoulders.

Aware of any sensation in the shoulder region.

Aware of the tops of the shoulders,

The sides,

Underneath towards the armpits.

You may be aware of temperature here,

Moisture,

Dryness.

And aware of the arms as they connect into the shoulder sockets.

And beginning now to direct the awareness all the way down the arms to both hands and becoming aware of all ten fingers.

The spaces between the fingers.

Aware of the fronts of the hands and the backs.

Feeling whatever sensations are here to be known in the hands.

Tingling,

Tightness,

Pulsation,

Vibration or perhaps the absence of sensation.

And now allowing the attention to move up through the wrists to the forearms.

Through the elbows,

Aware of the soft fold at the front of the elbow and the bony or part at the back.

And now allowing the attention to travel up the arms to the upper arms.

Aware of muscles here,

Perhaps volume.

And from here expanding the field of awareness to include both arms in their entirety.

From the tops of the arms all the way down to the tips of the fingers.

Aware of both arms in their entirety as you breathe.

And now letting go of the arms in the mind's eye and allowing the attention to rest at the back of the neck.

Aware of all of the little muscles at the back of the neck.

And the larger muscles on the sides that help to support the head.

Aware of the front of the neck and the throat.

And now moving up to the face beginning with the jaw.

Sensing into the jaw,

Noticing perhaps if there's any tension.

If so,

Seeing if it's possible to soften.

Aware of the lips.

And now into the interior of the mouth.

Aware of the roof of the mouth,

The sides and the floor.

Aware of the teeth and the gums and of how the tongue is resting in the mouth.

And now moving to the nose.

Aware of the nostrils.

Perhaps sensing here the subtle cool air as you inhale and the warmer air as you exhale.

Aware of the bridge of the nose.

And now moving to the cheeks.

And now to the ears.

And becoming aware of the ears as a sense organ of hearing,

Receptive to sound.

Sounds arising,

Lingering for a while and then passing away.

And directing the awareness now to the eyes.

Becoming aware of the eyeballs resting in the eye sockets.

Aware of the eyelids,

The eyelashes,

The eyebrows.

And now moving up to the forehead and the temples.

Another area that can hold tension,

Softening if that's possible.

And now becoming aware of the sides of the head,

The top and the back.

Also aware of the brain,

The brain resting in the cranium.

And now connecting all parts of the body beginning with the head.

The head connected to the neck.

The neck connected to the shoulders.

The shoulders connected to the arms,

The wrists and the hands.

Back to the neck connected to the entire torso.

The upper,

Middle and lower torso connected to the legs through the knees.

The ankles and to the feet.

Feeling the whole body as a complete organism connected and whole.

Sensing the envelope of the skin and how touch is perceived at the level of skin.

Feeling sensations perhaps of movement,

Pulsation,

Circulation,

Digestion.

Some sensations that are strong and others that are subtle.

Being present to this entire body,

Breathing in and breathing out with this awareness.

Present to your whole being,

Complete just as you are.

You

Reviews

A wonderful body scan! Felt like a good coverage of external and internal organs. Feeling deeply relaxed and connected