Thank you for joining me for today's body scan meditation for sleep preparation or just relaxation.
This is a meditation that is best done lying flat on our backs,
Or perhaps with our soles of our feet on the floor,
Our knees up.
It can also be done seated if that's more comfortable to you.
Begin by tuning into our breath,
And on the next exhale,
Gently closing the eyes if that's comfortable to you.
Taking a deep,
Deep breath into the belly through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh it out.
One more just like that.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale,
Let something go.
Beginning to feel your body now where it meets support,
Where the ground hugs you.
We'll scan the body from the crown of the head to the toes,
Just checking in quickly and gently with each area,
Noticing what we find,
And breathing in to encourage release.
Beginning with the crown of the head,
Sensing any feelings here,
Any tingling,
Moving the muscles of the body,
Noticing what you feel around your arm,
Breathing in to soften.
Breathing to relax the cheeks and unclench the jaw.
Breathing long into our neck and throat,
Feeling the tops of our shoulders pull away from our midline as we exhale.
Breathing long and heavy into the arms.
Feel tension melting through our fingertips.
Noticing our collarbones,
Our chest,
Our upper back.
Feeling our collarbones widen as we inhale,
And our shoulder blades sinking into the earth or down the back on the exhale.
Breathing in to our chest,
Our heart center.
As you inhale,
Feeling breaths around your heart,
Feeling light and spacious.
Your ribs expand on the exhale,
Feeling your ocean belly welcoming your liquid breath.
On the inhale,
Releasing on the exhale,
Breathing into the mid and lower back,
And your spine and muscles long.
Shifting our attention to our pelvis,
Our hips.
In yogic tradition,
This is the center of our emotions,
Our relationships,
Our creativity.
Can you breathe a bit more life into any of these areas where you might need it?
Breathing long and heavy into the thighs,
Front and back.
Breathing space into your knees.
Noticing your calves and your shins.
See you're breathing into the ankles and the tops and soles of the feet.
Sending a bit of gratitude towards this incredibly important part of our body,
Our roots,
An area that carries us and that connects us.
Can you feel this gratitude beginning to fill your whole body?
Feeling its warmth,
Welcome.
Noticing any shifts when we approach our body as something we are grateful for,
That we love.
Perhaps imagining now that you can breathe through all of your skin.
Imagine breathing in nourishment,
Gratitude and nourishment.
Taking one last deep,
Deep breath.
Your deepest breath of the day here.
And we release.
Beginning to wiggle the fingers and the toes.
Just taking a small stretch where you stretch the body in two directions.
Feeling that the energy might be flowing more freely now.
Perhaps you've been able to let something go.
As you open the eyes,
Maybe just taking one little hug around your arms.
Thank you body.
And thank you for meditating with me today.
