This is a body scan meditation.
Through this practice we are looking to build interoceptive awareness,
Another word for knowing what's going on inside the body.
We are bringing a sense of curiosity to what is present without judgment or agenda.
Finding a comfortable seat and bringing attention to the feeling of the body sitting.
The feet on the floor,
Legs on the chair.
Closing your eyes or lowering your gaze,
Whatever is more comfortable for you.
Stretching up on the in-breath and settling in on the out-breath.
One more time,
Stretching up and settling in.
Now bringing attention to the body as a whole.
Kindly,
Curiously,
Non-judgmentally noticing what's present without trying to change it.
Now shifting your awareness to your feet,
Noticing the raw sensory data entering awareness from the feet,
Pressure from the floor,
Tingling,
Perhaps numbness.
Sliding to your lower legs.
Moving attention up to the knees,
Noticing any tightness or ease.
Now attending to your upper legs,
Noticing the pressure of the chair,
The touch of clothes,
And being aware of the difference between experiencing raw sensory data and thinking about the legs.
If you find yourself lost in thoughts about the legs or anything else for that matter,
Gently,
Firmly redirecting your attention back to the sensations present in the legs.
Shifting the spotlight of attention to the pelvis,
Noticing what's present there.
Moving to the low back,
Noticing and welcoming any discomfort without immediately trying to change it.
Bringing awareness to sensations in your upper back,
Tightness,
Ease,
And wrapping around to the abdomen,
Noticing the movement of the breath,
Digestion,
Hunger,
Whatever else might be present now.
Moving up to your chest,
And shifting your attention to your hands,
Forearms,
Your elbows,
And moving to your upper arms,
Moving to the shoulders and neck,
Noticing any tension without immediately trying to change it.
Bringing awareness to the face,
Noticing any places where you might be holding tension,
And noticing what happens when you bring awareness to this tension.
And shifting to the back of the head,
And the top of the head,
Noticing any sensations that are present,
And resting attention broadly on the body as a whole,
Noticing whatever sensory data is present.
Now taking one deeper than normal in-breath with an audible exhale,
Opening the eyes,
Raising the gaze,
And orienting to the room around you.
Taking a moment to thank yourself for making the time to practice.
Nice work.
See you back here tomorrow.
