Body Scan Meditation

Today's body scan meditation allow us to come home to our bodies, cultivating awareness of what's already here, and pay attention to the sensations and signals our bodies signal. Integrating a mindfulness body scan allows the practitioner to connect with thyself, cultivating love, and a unique connection that only the self can do.
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Transcript

Welcome to today's meditation.

For today's meditation you can choose to lie down,

You can choose a seated position,

However you feel more comfortable.

For a body scan meditation,

If you're laying down allow your hands to lie alongside your body,

Your feet uncrossed.

If you're sitting you can place your hands by your thighs,

Your knees or one on top of the other.

You can begin by gently closing your eyes and before we do anything else notice how your body feels.

Notice the contact between your body and whatever is supporting you,

Your mat,

Your bed,

Your cushion,

Whatever it is,

Notice it.

Remind yourself that you're not trying to get anywhere,

The intention for this practice is to spend time with each region of your body,

Cultivating awareness of what's already here.

We're not looking for anything special to happen during this practice,

We're allowing things to be just as we find them.

Perhaps if it's even possible for you today to let go of the need to want things to be a certain way or to even judge what you're doing.

See if you can allow yourself to follow along this meditation and whenever your mind wanders away gently bring it back,

Don't give yourself a hard time.

Now let's begin by bringing your attention to the sensations of the breath in your belly.

Notice the rise and fall,

Notice your in-breath and notice your out-breath.

Allow your attention to stay here for a short while,

Resting your sensations on the breath.

When you're ready let's bring your attention all the way down to your feet.

Notice the sensation in both of them,

Notice the sensation in your toes,

The soles of your feet,

Your heels,

The top of your feet.

How does it feel right this moment?

If there's no sensations then it's okay,

Just notice.

This is your experience right now,

There's no right way to feel,

Just allow the attention to remain here on that area of your body for a few rounds of breath.

Now taking a deeper breath let go of the feet on your out-breath and let them dissolve in awareness.

Now bring your attention to your ankles.

What sensations are here?

Remember there's no right way to feel if there's no sensation that it's okay.

By bringing your awareness to each part of the body that we're mentioning during this meditation is cultivating your awareness of your own self.

Taking a deeper breath let go of the ankles on the out-breath and now let's move your attention to your lower legs.

Notice any sense of contact with whatever you're lying on or touching on your seat.

Being fully alive to any of the sensations that you might experience during this meditation.

From your skin to the inside of your lower legs.

Now taking a deeper breath on the out-breath release your attention from your lower legs and bring it up to your knees.

Don't think about the knees just sense what's here right now.

Did anything change when you brought your awareness to your knees?

See what's true right this moment.

If it happens to me that you have any discomfort on your knees focus your breath on that area and offer yourself some love some kindness and stay there for a few breaths.

Take another deeper breath and on the out-breath let go of the knees and shift your attention to your thighs.

What do you notice right now?

There might be sensations of contact with your clothes,

Sensation of heaviness,

Lightness.

Notice your sensations and stay here for a few breaths.

Now when you're ready on your in-breath,

Imagine your breath coming into your body,

Flowing all the way into your legs right down into your feet.

Imagine it flowing back again on your out-breath and out of your body.

Let's do that one more time.

Bring your in-breath and allow it to go all the way down into your legs to your feet.

Then imagine it flowing all the way back again on the out-breath up and out of the body.

Take a deeper breath and on your out-breath let go of the legs.

Allow them to dissolve in your awareness and now shift your attention into your hips and your pelvis.

Notice any sensations on your right hip,

On your left hip,

On that entire region of your body.

If you feel any tightness or any sensations whatsoever,

It says that it's said that we hold lots of emotions on that area.

Bring some love and kindness with your breath to that region.

Allow your in-breath and your out-breath to deepen your awareness and stay with the sensations.

From time to time you might find yourself getting distracted by thoughts,

By what's next,

Or even the feeling of wanting to hurry up.

But give yourself permission to stay here.

Give yourself the opportunity to notice the sensations,

Feel the feelings,

And cultivate your awareness.

Now taking a deeper breath,

On your out-breath let go of your hips and your pelvis and bring your attention into your back.

Begin with your lower back for a few breaths and again,

What are you sensing there?

On your lower back.

On your next in-breath expand your awareness to the middle part of your back.

On your next in-breath continue expanding your breath and your awareness into your upper back including your shoulder blades.

You're now holding the whole of your back in awareness so now you're breathing with your back.

Now take a deeper breath and as you let go of your breath let go of the back of your back.

Now move your attention to the front of your body.

Let's move into your lower abdomen observing sensations that are in that area.

Feel the changing sensation as you breathe,

As you inhale,

And as you exhale.

And again if your mind wonders,

Nothing has gone wrong.

Without any judgment bring your attention back to this area that we're focusing now.

And if it helps you,

You can even tell yourself breathing so you can bring your attention back into your breath.

Now take a deeper breath and on the out-breath let go of your abdomen and bring your attention up into your chest,

The area where your heart sits.

What sensations are here as yourself?

And without forcing any answers just sit with your awareness and your breath.

Now let's take a deeper more intentional breath into your chest and when you're ready let go of the breath and let go of your chest too.

Shift your attention now into your heart into your hands and arms.

Stay here for a few breaths fully alive to all the sensations in your arms and your hands.

Take a deeper breath now and on the out-breath let go of your hands and arms.

Bring your attention into your shoulders and your neck.

Is there any tightness?

If you're feeling any tightness at all allow them to fall and to relax with your breath.

Without any judgment,

Cultivating awareness.

Breathe with your shoulders and your neck.

You don't have to be in control just breathe.

Take another deep breath and on the out-breath let go of your shoulders and your neck.

Now let's move your attention into your head and your face.

Let's begin with your lower jaw and your shin,

Then your mouth and your lips,

Your nostrils,

The surface of the nose,

Your cheeks,

The sides of the face,

Your ears,

Your eyes,

Your eyelids,

The eyebrows,

The space between the eyebrows,

The forehead,

The sides of the forehead,

Your scalp.

Breathe into that area.

See if it's even possible to imagine that the breath could fill your whole headspace.

Refreshing and renewing with each breath you take.

If you wish you can extend this refreshing and renewing breath to your whole entire body.

Breathe into the whole body and out from the whole body.

Breathe in with intention and love and awareness.

Breathe out fully engaged and loving yourself.

You can finally let go of any intentions for the breath.

Don't force and simply you can lay here where you are or stay sitting with any sense of coming home to your body.

Allow your body just to be as is and allow yourself to be just as you are.

You are complete in your whole and you're resting on an awareness moment by moment,

Breath by breath.

Perhaps you can even thank yourself for taking this time of nourishment,

Awareness to be more fully in your body and see yourself as giving this time to heal yourself,

To be in full contact with yourself and know that this meditation it's available for you at any time.

It is a way for you to find peace and wholeness as your life unfolds moment by moment and breath by breath.

May the rest of your day be as fully and engaged as you were during today's meditation.