Begin by making yourself comfortable in the place you are in.
If you're sitting in a chair or a couch,
Sit up as straight as you can,
But not too stiffly,
With your feet on the ground or folded underneath you.
Your hands are resting gently on your lap or by your side.
Allow your eyes to close if they're not already,
Or to remain open with a soft gaze.
Take several long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Breathe in fully and exhale slowly.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or your mouth,
And feel your stomach expand on your on your inhale,
And relax and let go as you exhale.
Begin to let go of the sounds around you.
Shift your attention from outside to inside yourself.
If you are distracted by sounds in the room,
Simply notice this and bring your focus back to your breathing.
If at any time during this meditation you become distracted by thoughts or sounds or feelings,
Simply notice them with gentleness and no judgment,
And return back again to your breath.
Now bring your attention down to your feet and begin observing sensations in your feet.
You might want to wriggle your toes a little,
Feeling your toes against your socks or shoes,
And just notice without judgment.
You might imagine sending your breath down to your feet as if your breath is traveling through your nose,
Through your lungs,
Through your abdomen,
All the way down to your feet,
And then back up again,
Out through your nose and lungs.
Maybe you don't feel any sensations at all,
And that's okay too.
Allow yourself to feel the sensation of not feeling anything.
When you're ready,
Allow your feet to dissolve in your mind's eye,
And move your attention up to your ankles,
Your calves,
Your knees,
And your thighs.
Observe any sensations you are experiencing throughout your legs.
Breathe into and breathe out of your legs.
If you notice any discomfort,
Pain,
Or stiffness,
Don't judge this.
Just simply notice and observe how all your sensations arise and fall,
Shift and change moment to moment.
Notice how no sensation is permanent.
No sensation is permanent.
Just observe and allow the sensations to be in the moment,
Just as they are.
So breathe into and out from your legs.
Then on your next out breath,
Allow your legs to dissolve in your mind's eye,
And move to the sensations in your lower back and pelvis,
Softening and releasing as you breathe in and out.
Slowly move your attention up to your mid back and your upper back.
Become curious about the sensations here.
You may become aware of sensations in the muscle,
Temperature,
Or points of contact with your chair or your couch or your bed.
And with each out breath,
Let go of any tension you're carrying.
And then very gently shift your focus to your stomach and all of your internal organs there.
Maybe you notice the feeling of your clothing or your belly rising or falling with each breath.
And if you notice any opinions rising about these areas of your body,
Gently let them go and return to just noticing and observing sensations.
As you continue to breathe,
Bring your awareness to your chest and heart region and see if you can tune in to notice your heartbeat,
Your heart that beats and keeps you alive with no effort of your own.
And observe how your chest rises during the inhale and how your chest falls during the exhale.
And again,
Let go of any judgments.
On your next out breath,
Shift your focus to your hands and your fingertips and see if you can send your breathing into and out of your hands and fingertips as if you were breathing from your hands.
And on the next out breath,
Shift your focus and bring your awareness up to your arms and observe the sensations or lack of sensations that may be occurring there.
You might notice some difference between your left arm and your right arm.
As you exhale,
You may experience your arms softening and releasing tensions.
Now bring your attention to your neck,
Your shoulder,
And your throat region,
Which is an area where we often hold tension.
And just be with sensations here.
It could be tightness.
It could be holding.
It could be tension.
And you may notice your shoulders moving along with your breath.
Let go of any stories or thoughts you're telling yourself about this area.
And as you breathe consciously,
You may feel tension rolling off your shoulders.
On your next out breath,
Shift your focus and direct your attention to your scalp,
Your head,
And your face.
Notice all sensations that are occurring there and observe the movement of the air as you breathe into and out of your nostrils or your mouth.
And as you exhale,
You might notice the softening of any tension you might be holding.
Now let your attention expand out to include your entire body as a whole and bring into your awareness the top of your head down to the bottom of your toes.
Feel the gentle rhythm of your breath as it moves through your body.
As we come close to the end of this body scan practice,
Take a full deep breath,
Taking in all the energy of this practice and exhale fully.
And consider sealing the intention of this practice so that it builds awareness within you and perhaps it might benefit everyone you come in contact with today.
