We're going to do a meditation together.
It's called a body scan,
And the purpose is to bring your attention to different parts of your body so that you notice them.
The more aware we are of our bodies throughout the day,
The more in touch we can be with what's going on with us both physically and emotionally.
So we'll practice noticing,
Also noticing distractions,
And if they come,
That's okay.
Just notice and bring your attention back to your body.
That's very normal.
Another thing noticing our bodies can do is help bring us into the present moment,
Meaning the time that is happening right now,
Instead of something that's already happened in the past or something that is coming up in the future.
So it's helpful to focus our attention on the present moment because that's the only moment we can actually control our choices and our thoughts.
So spending lots of time remembering the past or wondering about the future can feel tricky for our brains and our nervous system,
Which can then make it feel challenging to find a calm feeling in our day.
So it's helpful to bring your attention to the present and specifically feeling our bodies in the present to give ourselves a break from thinking about other things.
And this can help us feel calm and peaceful.
So let's go ahead and get started.
You can sit on the floor or in a chair,
Whatever works best for you.
Go ahead and close your eyes and get your body comfortable.
It's helpful to keep your spine straight to help you stay alert during meditation.
You can let your arms rest gently by your sides or in your lap.
And just take a moment to notice if there's any adjustments you want to make to how you're sitting.
Get yourself into a position that you're comfortable in for the next few minutes.
And remember,
If you ever need to open your eyes or adjust your body during a meditation to get more comfortable,
That's also okay.
Throughout this meditation,
I'm going to guide you to notice any sensations in your body.
To start,
We're going to take three deep breaths in and three deep breaths out.
So take a big breath in through your nose and see if you can fill up your belly when you breathe in deeply.
And now let your breath out through your mouth.
Again,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Feeling your body relax as you breathe out or exhale deeply.
And again,
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Now let your breath return to its regular self the way you normally breathe.
And now let's feel our body against the floor or your chair and notice any sensations you feel anywhere in your body.
They're all okay.
There's nothing special that should be happening.
We're just practicing noticing.
So now start by taking your attention and putting it on your feet.
What do you notice there?
Feel the weight of them as they rest on the floor or just notice the position of your feet,
Which part of your feet are touching the floor.
Notice the sensations inside of your feet now.
You might notice tingling or heaviness,
Lightness,
Maybe an ache or any movement,
Or maybe even nothing at all.
Let your attention travel all around your feet,
Noticing each part,
Each toe,
And even if you can notice the space between your toes.
Now bring your attention to the top of your feet and up to your ankles.
And let your attention move over your shins and around to the back of your calves.
See if you can feel the exact spot where your calves rest against the floor or your chair.
Notice also if you get distracted.
That's normal.
Just bring your attention back to your body whenever that happens.
And now move your attention to your knees and the upper part of your legs,
Your thighs and your hamstrings.
Notice any tingling,
Tightness,
Or maybe not really feeling anything there.
Notice your sit bones on your chair or the floor.
Notice if it feels soft or hard or cold or warm.
And now bring your attention to your belly.
Just notice if it's moving with each breath or if it feels tight.
And then moving to your ribs,
Noticing if they're expanding or contracting with each breath.
Rounding your attention to your back.
Notice if it's straight and relaxed or if you're holding it tight.
And then move your attention to your shoulders.
It's important to hold our attention during meditation with kindness to ourselves.
So whatever you're feeling is okay.
There's not anything special that needs to be happening.
We're just observing and noticing what's happening,
Just paying attention to it.
So gently pay attention to your arms.
All the way down to your fingertips.
And then gently go back up your arms to your shoulders again.
And to your neck.
Now noticing your jaw and if it's tight or loose.
Noticing if it might feel good to relax any tightness that might be there.
Is your mouth open or closed?
Notice your cheeks and your ears.
You might even feel your breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils or your mouth.
And now your eyes and your forehead.
You might feel some tightness there or you might not notice anything at all.
If it feels good,
You can relax your forehead.
So now we're going to take about 30 seconds to scan through your entire body.
Starting at the top of your head and going all the way down to your toes.
Just noticing how it feels.
No need to change anything about it.
Just notice there's no right or wrong way your body should feel right now.
And when you're done with that,
Start to breathe deeply again.
In through your nostrils and out through your mouth,
Letting go of all your breath when you exhale.
And now you can choose to lie here for a few minutes and continue to notice your breath.
Or you may feel ready to open your eyes.
Whenever you do,
Do so gently,
Moving slowly at first.
And take one more moment before entering back into your day to notice how you feel.
Notice if you feel differently than when you started this meditation.
