Your Very First Mindfulness Exercise

A beginner-friendly body scan exercise adapted from classical mindfulness practice. We will take a trip through the body and try to become aware of any sensations that are present. The breath is used as the anchor for your attention. Enjoy!

Transcript

Hi, Hello and welcome. My name is Julie, I'll be taking you through a relaxation exercise in just a moment. Today's exercise is a classic body scan. It's an exercise that's commonly practiced in mindfulness based stress reduction programs and it's a very simple exercise. We will take a trip through our entire bodies starting with the feet and try to be aware of our bodies, Our sensations and any thoughts that we might have. I'd recommend you lie down for this exercise and if you like to cover up with a blanket. As we relax our body temperatures tend to drop and I'd like you to be comfortable right through the end. The relaxation will take around 25 minutes. Okay for starters we'll try and get as comfortable as possible. Lie down, Stretch out your legs, Make a bit of space between your feet and let your toes flop to the sides. Lay your arms down next to your sides and flip your palms to face the ceiling to avoid any distractions. Take a moment to get comfortable, Adjust your position, Adjust your blanket so you can stay relatively still for the exercise. That said if you start to feel very uncomfortable or experience any pain during the exercise please change your position. We can't relax the mind by torturing the body. You can lie down on your side or bend your knees if you like. If you're pregnant I'd recommend you lie down on your left side, Support your head and maybe put a pillow between your knees. If your lower back tends to bother you, You can bend your knees, Put your feet flat on the floor and let your knees rest against each other. Use my instructions for guidance. Notice your body and notice the comings and goings in your mind. Try to be aware of how you feel and try to be aware of what's happening. Treat yourself with curiosity and kindness, Letting go of judgment and critical thoughts. We'll try not to relax too hard or to use our muscles or movement in any way to relax. This will only create tension. Your body knows how to relax all on its own. We'll just try to be aware of each passing moment and accept whatever is happening in the body and in the mind. We all have this tendency to wish things were different from the way they are right now and we'll try to let go of that for the next 20 minutes or so. There's no right way to feel while we do this. The way you feel is just fine, It's just the way that you're feeling. And if that includes boredom or frustration, That's fine. Simply accept it, Give yourself permission to feel whatever it is that you're feeling. Okay, Take a moment to feel your body as a whole right now. Feel the surface that is underneath your body and know that it's supporting you. There's no need to hold your body, It's being held by what's underneath you. Now bring your attention to the fact that you're breathing. Don't try to change the breath in any way, But simply experience the air as it comes into and moves out of your body. Becoming aware of the belly rising as the air comes into the body and falling as the air moves out of the body. Don't try to control the breath in any way. Just become aware of the rhythm and flow of the breath. Notice that as the breath flows naturally, The belly fills with each breath in and falls with each breath out. Pay attention to the movement of the breath. We fill the lungs with each breath in and on each breath out, We let go a little bit. We let our body rest more deeply. If you become distracted or lost at any time during this exercise, Don't worry, Don't beat yourself up, Just bring yourself back to your breath. The breath is the anchor of your attention. Now on the next breath in, We'll move our attention for our breath all the way down to the body to the left foot. Rest your attention to the left foot. Notice any sensations here. Perhaps you feel coldness or warmth. You can feel some air moving. Maybe you feel your socks. Maybe you feel nothing at all. Breathe and rest a moment with whatever is happening in this part of your body. Feel the space between the toes. Feel the skin on the foot, The muscles, All sensations. We'll now move our attention to the left ankle, Aware of the bones, The tendons, The skin. And as we move to the lower left leg, Aware of the skin and the calf muscle, The shin bone and any sensations in this part of your body. Moving now to the left knee, Circle the knee joint with your attention. Explore the kneecap, The cartilage, The hinge and the underside of the knee. Become aware of any sensations here. As you listen deeply to any part of your body, It's possible that you may experience strong sensations. We'll try not to reject them or push them away, But just be with them exactly as they are. We'll try not to judge ourselves or judge our body, But to be fully present with each sensation. We'll move on to the left thigh right now. Becoming aware of the skin and muscle. There may be a feeling of heaviness or weightiness in this part of your body. Maybe you can feel where the thigh touches the surface you're resting on. Become aware of the thigh bone as it rests in the hip socket. We'll take a deep breath in and as we breathe in, Breathe all the way through the left leg, The thigh, The knee, The lower leg and the foot. And as you breathe out, Let your left leg sink a bit deeper in what it's resting on. We'll now bring our attention to the right foot. Noticing any sensations here. Perhaps sensing coolness, Dryness, Moisture, Tingling or nothing at all. Place your attention on the entire foot, The muscles, The nerves, The blood vessels, All the sensations. Notice what is happening in your right foot at this moment. Now let go of your foot and bring your focus on the right ankle. Moving now to the lower right leg. Aware of the calf muscle and the skin, The shin bone. And moving now to the right knee, Exploring the right knee. Taking all of your attention and placing it right here in this one part of the body. Noticing sensations on the underside of the knee, The hinge joint, The knee camp and cartilage. Moving now to the thigh, Exploring the muscles and the skin. Become aware of your thigh bone. Feel your right thigh resting. We'll take a deep breath in and as we breathe in, Breathe all the way through the right leg, The thigh, The knee, The lower leg and the foot. And as you breathe out, Let your right leg sink a bit deeper in what it's resting on. Bringing attention now to the hip bones, The entire pelvis, The buttocks, Feeling the points of contact between the buttocks and the surface that you're lying on. Notice any sensations here. Notice feelings of weightiness, Perhaps feelings of lightness. Feeling your attention from the lower back, Up the spine, Aware of each vertebra of the body, Aware of the muscles and the skin of the back, Allowing the muscles in your back to ease and release with each breath. Moving further up the back, Become aware of the ribcage. Maybe you can feel the ribcage expanding with each breath. Aware of the place where the ribcage attaches to the spine. Breathing in deeply, Breathing fully into the entire back, Breathing into the lower back, The middle of the back and the upper back, Allowing the back to rest more deeply. Bringing the attention now to your belly, Aware of your stomach. Perhaps you can feel the sensations of your digestion, Or feel the movement of the abdomen as it rises and falls with each breath. Move your attention now to the chest, Aware of the muscles of the chest, Noticing the skin and the collarbones. Bringing attention now to the shoulders, Aware of the tops of the shoulders and the sides, The backs of the shoulders, Noticing the muscles here. Take your time to explore any sensations in the shoulders. Notice where your shoulders are resting and see if you can allow them to sink a bit deeper in what you are resting on. Now for the upper arms, Notice the way the bones come together at the shoulder joints, Aware of the skin, The muscles, The armpits. Notice any sensations in the elbows, Aware of the lower arms, The skin and the bones. We'll move our attention further down the arms to the wrists and the hands. Draw your attention to the fingertips of both hands, Aware of the sensation of air or a blanket touching your fingertips. Now slowly move your attention to the throat and the muscles there. Notice the neck, The vertebra connecting to the skull, The neck holding the hand. Move your focus up the back of the hand and focus on the way the back of the head is resting on the surface below it. Come further up the head to the crown of the head, The top of the head and now the forehead. Bring your attention to your entire face, Aware of the eyes, The eyebrows, Aware of the nose, The nostrils. As you take a breath in through the nose, Notice the feeling of air coming in. Maybe you can feel how the air is cool at the nostrils when it comes in and is warm when it leaves the body. Let your attention encompass your entire face and then slowly in your own time let your attention spread further throughout the body to hold the hand, The neck, The shoulders, The upper and lower arms, The hands, The chest, The upper, Middle and lower back, The hips and the thighs, The knees, The lower legs, The ankles until the soles of the feet. Take a few moments to simply be here. Now in this moment allow yourself to simply exist, Experience your body and your breath. It's almost time to return to our days, To bring our attention back outside of ourselves. Let's start by deepening our breath a little bit. Breathe in slightly deeper and then breathe out. In your own time, Without opening your eyes, Start to become aware of the space that you're in. See the surface that you're lying on, The walls, The ceiling, The floor. Take another deep breath in and when you breathe out feel free to let the air escape through your mouth, Feel free to sigh. And then slowly turn over onto your right side, Pause, Give yourself some time to come back. And whenever you're ready, Open your eyes and slowly sit up, You're awake, Relaxed and complete. Voila, That was it for this week. I hope you enjoyed the slightly longer exercise and hopefully until next time. Bye. I'll see you next time.

Reviews

lively way to start my day. I did this before getting out of bed. your voice and the pace were just right for me. Thank you.

Love your soothing meditations. Thank you for creating English versions, I'm really grateful for them & you.