Welcome.
This is a body scan practice.
And before we begin,
I'd like to offer a few invitations.
The first is to find a posture for your body that's going to feel really nourishing and supportive for the next several minutes.
To the extent that it's possible for you,
You'll benefit from having a symmetrical alignment.
So that's having the weight balanced fairly equally between sides of the body.
So if you're sitting in a chair,
That could look like uncrossing the legs so that both feet are resting on the ground.
You can certainly do this body scan while standing up or in a supine position.
And also,
To the extent that it's manageable for you,
Elongate the spine.
This can help the breath move freely and smoothly.
Can also be really helpful with alertness.
So as I offer the body scan,
I'll be naming regions of the body.
And your invitation is to bring your attention,
Your awareness,
Your focus to those areas of the body.
So be looking with the mind's eye at each region as we move from the top of the body and descend downward.
There's nothing particular to detect or look for.
It is purely an invitation to bring your attention to that area.
There may be something to notice and there may not.
In any case,
You may always invite in a softening or relaxing of that part of the body.
If there's anything that you can do to ease up,
Release tension,
Even just a tiny amount,
That is so,
So welcome.
So to begin,
Find that easeful and alert shape.
A shape that you feel safe and comfortable in.
If you'd like,
You may close the eyes or let the gaze soften.
And you'll let your attention drift upwards towards the crown of the head,
The very tip of the body.
Rest the attention,
The crown of the head.
Notice what you find.
And let your awareness start to pour down the scalp along the hairline,
Behind the ears,
The whole back of the head,
Filled with your awareness.
And let your attention start to drift forward towards the front of your face,
Starting with the forehead and the brow.
And what do you notice when you lay your attention on the forehead and the brow?
Melt your focus down to the eyes,
The temples,
Bridge of the nose.
And awareness gently starts to shift downward into the cheeks,
The nose,
All the way out to the ears.
Your focus gently moves downward into the chin,
The jaw,
Lips,
Tongue,
The whole region at the bottom of the face.
What do you notice as your attention rests here?
Your awareness will now drip down the neck,
The front and along the cervical spine and back.
Along both sides of the neck,
The attention moves down and begins to flare out into both shoulders.
Can scan across the collarbone and begin to travel into both arms.
The focus moves from the shoulders and descends downward toward the elbows.
And gather observation as you move from the elbows down through the forearms toward the wrists.
And then attention will spread into the hands,
Palms,
Top of both hands.
And outwards into each finger to the fingertip.
Let the awareness draw inward now,
Again,
Towards the center of the body.
And move the attention into the chest,
The heart space.
Awareness will descend and fan into the ribs and spread into the belly.
You might observe what it's like to breathe into a soft,
Gentle belly.
Receive and release the nourishment of the breath.
Slide the awareness into the back body,
Up and down the entire spinal column,
From the tailbone through each vertebrae to the occipital ridge where the spine meets the skull.
Your attention radiates up and down the spine.
And your focus is invited to spread through the entire back region of the body,
The area between the shoulder blades,
The space behind the ribs.
Attention permeates the low back and sacrum.
Your awareness spills forward into the pelvic bowl.
Notice the buttocks,
Hips,
Pelvic floor.
And guide your awareness now into both legs,
Starting at the hips.
What do you notice as you move from the hips along the quadriceps and hamstrings as you journey down to the knees?
From the knees,
You continue to descend along the shin and calves toward the ankles.
And finally,
The attention arrives in the feet.
Your mind spreads out along the sole of the foot,
In the heel,
Ball mound.
And each toe,
Your attention has arrived here at the root of the body.
You might take a few deep,
Slow breaths.
And imagine that each breath fans the awareness out through the whole system.
So the awareness that you have cultivated at each region of the body might spread out into the body as a whole.
Each breath nourishes.
And supports your awareness of the physical senses.
You might also let the breath be an invitation to soften.
Release any tensions that you detect in the body.
Take three more breaths to nourish,
Receive,
And release.
And after the third exhale,
You might begin to open the eyes if they've been closed.
And make any gentle movements in the body that might support your transition back into your day,
Into your next activity.
Please be gentle with yourself and take good care.
Thank you for spending some time practicing together.
