Hi,
And welcome to a daily insight.
My name is Karen Roy.
I'm a teacher on insight timer.
Today's insightful moment was created to reestablish a loving connection with your body.
A body scan is a powerful technique which can help us to reestablish a connection to our body.
It's also an effective means for developing both concentration and flexibility of attention.
The intention of the Loving Kindness body scan is to help us be more loving and compassionate to our bodies.
This includes sickness,
Physical aches and pains,
Cancer,
Arthritis,
Back pain,
Knee pain,
Old age,
And all the physical phenomenon we experience in our life.
Using the Loving Kindness body scan,
We meet each part of our bodies with great respect and gentleness as best we can.
Using each body part with Loving Kindness is a way to reconnect and make friends with your body.
To begin this Loving Kindness body scan practice,
Take a moment to find a quiet space,
One where you won't be disturbed by any distractions or chaos around you.
Begin by finding a comfortable posture for yourself.
Laying down is preferred for this particular body scan,
So to ensure that you're comfortable,
You might want to roll up a towel and place it under your knees and let your head rest on a pillow.
You'll want to be comfortable,
But not so comfortable that you fall asleep.
If you're having difficulty staying awake,
You might find it's helpful to keep your eyes open with a soft gaze.
It's also fine to do this meditation sitting in a chair if you prefer,
But do allow your body to sit up in a posture that is upright and that for you represents dignity and presence.
It's common that your mind will wander during a meditation,
Even in a Loving Kindness body scan.
Rather than finding this frustrating or disappointing,
Know that this is going to happen.
It's merely a question of when.
Just notice this.
Observe where your attention has gone and then gently invite your mind back to the region of the body that you're focusing on.
And now,
Take a deep breath in and exhale completely,
Setting the intention to be fully present as best you can in each moment.
Take a moment to acknowledge what is here right now.
Open to whatever is present.
Notice your thoughts,
Emotions,
Notice any body sensations,
And explore each of these with compassion and gentle curiosity.
Not wanting to change them or alter them,
But instead simply allowing them just to be as they are.
Begin to scan your body.
Moving through your body,
If you notice pain,
Note precisely what the qualities of these sensations are.
Then treat the sensation as much as possible with kindness,
With compassion.
As you move through the body,
Continuing in the meditation,
Try to notice the various sensations that you encounter.
This practice teaches us how to respond to unpleasant sensations by simply acknowledging them and moving on without becoming stuck or attached to them,
Or making up a story trying to explain,
To forgive,
Or to understand.
Instead,
Simply seeing the sensation as it is.
There are certain parts of the body that it would be common to not feel any particular sensation.
You might just notice them and label them as neutral,
But allow your attention to remain in those areas for a few moments.
In those few moments,
Relax and allow yourself to be at ease,
And then move on.
Let's begin the meditation practice itself.
Allow your eyes to close if you're comfortable,
And begin to turn your gaze inward.
After all,
We see so much better with our eyes closed.
Begin by settling into your body and gently noticing the general sense of the position of your body and the flowing sensations,
Just as they are,
The movement of breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Know that you can trust that you already have all you need to be present and mindful in this moment.
Let's begin by taking three deep breaths,
Breathing in all the way down to the base of your belly,
And then allow the breath to travel out slowly,
Maybe sawing it out.
Breathe in again deeply and exhale completely.
One more time,
Breathe in and breathe out.
Bring your attention to the feeling of your body breathing.
As your body is breathing in,
Notice the expansion of your chest or belly.
You might even want to put your hands onto your belly.
Place your attention on your hand and feel it moving,
Rising as the breath flows in and falling as the breath moves out.
Allow yourself to rest in the natural flow of your breath.
No need to alter it or control it in any way.
Allow yourself to relax.
Allow a light resting focus to be on the constantly changing sensations of the body.
Experience your body,
Not getting lost in a desire to judge your body.
You're not thinking about the body,
But rather you're connecting directly to the body sensations,
Feeling the body from within.
Allow yourself a moment to feel your body as a whole,
From your head all the way down to the soles of your feet and out to your toes and fingertips.
Notice the places that are in contact with the floor or the bed or the chair.
Now shift your attention to the very top of your head and allow everything else to fall from your awareness.
Just let it go.
Shift your full awareness to the top of the head and without looking for anything in particular,
Feel any sensations that might be there.
The temperature.
Is it cold or warm?
Tingling or pressure or anything else that you might become aware of?
Notice any feelings that are associated with this experience.
Is it pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral?
Once you acknowledge the feelings that arise in you,
Shift your mind toward thoughts of loving kindness and repeat a phrase.
May the top of my head be at ease.
And if you're experiencing any pain,
You might say,
May my head be free of pain,
Free of any tightness or pressure.
Or perhaps you might say,
May my head be relaxed and at ease.
Visualize your head while you repeat one of the phrases or just rest with a feeling of kindness toward your head,
A feeling of compassion for your head.
Now bring your attention from your head to slowly move to your eyes,
Noticing any sensations there or any movement.
Notice if on the backs of your eyelids,
If your eyes are closed,
If there's any color there or a sense of light,
Do you feel your eyes are tired or heavy?
If you have eye problems,
Can you in this moment,
Feel that difficulty with kindness,
Experience that challenge with compassion?
Perhaps feeling a sense of gratitude for your eyes,
Even for your eyeglasses if you need them.
Yes,
Gratitude for the glasses that allow you to see the world and to move around easily and safely in that world.
Send loving kindness phrases.
May I appreciate my eyes.
May my eyes be healthy and well.
May I accept my eyes in whatever condition they are in this moment.
May I see my life with clarity and balance.
Now bring your awareness to your ears,
Simply feeling appreciation for being able to hear,
Offering these words of loving kindness.
May my hearing be clear and crisp.
For those wearing hearing aids,
May I have gratitude for the technology that has created the device that allows me to hear.
Now shift kind attention to your nose.
Notice the air moving in and out at the nostrils,
Feeling the movement of air at the tip of your nose,
Being grateful that you are able to breathe.
Perhaps feel the air in the nasal passage or in the back of your throat and rest in gratitude.
Gratitude for breath.
Switch your attention now to your lips,
Your jaw,
Mouth and tongue.
Appreciate how well they all work together,
Talking,
Chewing,
Smiling.
Notice if you feel any tightness or clenching,
Holding tightly in the jaw.
Invite your jaw to relax and loosen or release that tightness as best you can.
Notice the position of your tongue at this moment.
Allow any tension in your tongue to melt away as you allow the tongue to fall back into its natural resting place.
Make space for the tongue far away from the roof of the mouth.
Feel your whole face relax.
Send loving kindness to yourself.
May my lips,
My jaw,
My mouth and tongue be relaxed and healthy.
Now slowly move your attention from your head down to your neck,
Noticing any sensations there in your neck.
Send loving kindness phrases.
May I meet any stiffness in my neck with kind attention.
May my neck move with ease.
Draw your attention to your shoulders.
Notice the top of your shoulders.
Is there any holding or tightening there?
Meet any sensation you feel with kindness.
Take a nice deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Let your shoulders come down and release any tension as best you can.
Remember,
May my shoulders be relaxed and at ease.
Now let's shift from your shoulders and slowly begin to move down your arms,
Feeling any sensation,
Any aliveness there.
Send your awareness to your hands.
Without moving them,
What position are they in at this moment?
Feel the point of contact for your hands as they rest,
Perhaps on your belly or on the bed or floor next to you.
Notice any sensation,
Any tendency to hold or a sensation of tightness.
Feel any vibration or pulsating.
Notice any sensations that you have in your arms or hands.
Noticing any coolness or warmth in your hands and fingers.
Different loving kindness phrases.
May my arms and hands move with ease.
Feeling perhaps a sense of gratitude for how your arms,
Hands and fingers all work together.
Allowing you to lift things,
Carry things,
Move things.
Letting go your awareness now of your arms and hands and slowly begin to shift your focus down to your torso,
Having appreciation for all your internal organs.
You might want to name a few.
Your heart,
Lungs,
Stomach and intestine.
Same kind awareness and gratitude for all their many functions and have patience for the parts that at times may give you difficulty.
Offer kind words.
May my heart be strong.
May my breath be peaceful.
May my stomach be at ease.
During times of unpleasant sensations,
May I remember to send myself kindness.
May I send any fear or worry that I may have kindness.
And when all is working,
May I be grateful.
Switch your attention now to the front of your body,
To your back.
Slowly moving from the top of your shoulders,
Down your spine to the lower back.
Notice any sensations in your lower back,
Meeting these sensations with kind awareness.
Now move your attention to the left side of your back.
Notice any pain or tightness.
See if you can bring kindness to the parts that are uncomfortable.
And try to soften into any pain or discomfort that you might be feeling.
Rather than bracing against it,
Embrace it with love.
Now do the same on the right side of your back.
Start at the top of your shoulders and slowly work your way down to the lower part of your back.
Again,
See what you notice.
Is there a story that you want to offer about any back pain that you have?
Are you holding yourself in a certain way?
Meet all sensations with kindness,
Letting go the story and instead focus on the direct sensations,
Trying as best you can with great kindness and patience,
Allowing and making space for whatever is happening in your back.
Imagine all the muscles relaxing and any tightness melting away as you put your loving kindness,
Your attention on your back.
Direct the following phrases and receive them well.
May I bring kind attention to my back.
May my tension and back pain be released.
May the holding in my back soften and open.
Let go your awareness now of your back and bring your attention to your hips,
Slowly moving through the hips,
The pelvis and the buttocks area.
Notice any sensations of solidness,
A point of contact with the chair,
The floor or bed.
Meet any sensations with kind attention and offer these words.
May my hips,
Pelvis and buttocks be healthy and relax.
Now open to any sensation arising in your thighs,
Your knees or your ankles.
Feeling the muscles,
The skin,
The bones,
Bringing your kind awareness and having gratitude for your legs,
Saying,
May my legs be healthy and well.
Show kindness towards your legs,
Even if you're having difficulty with them.
Now draw your attention to the tops of your feet and the soles of your feet.
Notice any sensations.
May my feet be healthy and well.
May my feet carry me with ease.
Notice any tightness,
Pain or discomfort in any of your joints in your body now.
Feeling the sensations and offering kindness to your body.
Allow yourself to receive your kind attention as best you can soften and allow any tightness to release.
It may help to imagine your breath traveling down through your body,
Shifting and moving through your body like sunlight,
Warming it,
Healing it.
Send loving kindness to any painful area and invite your body to release.
May this area of my body be at ease.
May the pain be released.
May this part of my body be healed.
Now allow your whole body to rest.
Notice if you're holding on in any particular place in the body.
If you can feel the breath moving through the body,
Allow the breath to bring your kind attention to that area of holding,
Not judging it or trying to fix it.
Just wish it well.
Allow it to be.
And as best you can,
Meet the holding or gripping with a heart full of compassion for whatever your body may be experiencing at this time.
Try as best you can to bring kindness to any part of the body that might not be well or is perhaps hurting right now.
Bring kindness to yourself and your whole body as you repeat these phrases.
May I be free of pain.
May I be free of pain.
May I be free of fear.
May I be free of fear.
May I appreciate my body in this moment.
May I appreciate my body in this moment.
Practicing with kind attention on the body can allow you to relax in such a way that you begin to drop into a space deeper than your pain or discomfort,
Deeper than your personality or your story.
Stay present from moment to moment,
Aware,
Resting in the very nature of your being,
Your wholeness.
You can include your entire body in this vast awareness,
Permeated,
Saturated with compassion and kindness.
Now,
Let there be a light resting awareness,
Again returning to that flowing sensation within the body.
Feel your breath expanding with each in-breath and softening with each out-breath.
Feel your whole body breathing.
Hold that sensation,
That awareness,
That kind compassion of your body and carry that sense of loving kindness toward your body and open to whatever experiences arise in the next moments of your day.
