The body scan is normally done laying down,
But you can also sit in a chair or assume any posture that is comfortable for you.
This is a time to be with yourself and so selecting a time and a place where you won't be interrupted.
We begin with the intention for this practice.
Be aware that it's not to become relaxed or calmed or to have an improved mood.
These things might happen or they might not.
The intention is,
As best you can,
To bring a kind,
Curious and non-judgmental awareness to any sensations found in all the various parts of the body.
To tune into the body,
Becoming attuned to this gift that so often goes unnoticed or is seen as an enemy or a disappointment.
In this practice we let go of judgment about any aspect of the body and instead bring a gentle,
Kind curiosity to what sensations are present.
We're tuning in to the body's sensation radio as an analogy.
Becoming aware of the points of contact of your body with whatever is supporting your body.
Sensing into the heels of the feet where they make contact.
Feeling the pressure of the back of the legs where they are resting on the support.
Feeling the backside,
The back of the head,
The weight of the body's touch points as a hole on this mat or bed or floor or chair which is holding you up.
And now turning your attention to the breath.
Feeling sensations of air coming into and out of the body,
The nose,
The throat,
The chest,
And the abdomen.
Turning in with awake awareness to a few conscious breaths,
Feeling the sensations caused by breathing as best you can.
Paul in Corinthians says,
Ye are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you.
For the temple of God is holy,
Which temple ye are.
Temple here refers to the holiest places where God personally dwelt.
Sensing appreciation for the gift of the body as a vessel to commune with God where he can dwell with and be within you.
Continuing to ride the waves of breath entering the body,
Recognizing the ideas of breath and spirit are constantly intertwined in holy writ.
As this breath enters,
Imagine it going through the entire body all the way down to the feet and then imagining exhaling from the feet all the way back out.
Inviting this symbol of God's spirit to come all the way through all the chambers of the body,
The lungs,
The trunk,
The legs,
All the way down to the toes and then to release it from the same entire body path,
The outgoing breath.
Practicing a body part of your own and imagine breathing into and out of the hand or the knee.
Practicing this breathing into and out of for a few more breaths.
Noticing any feelings or effects from breathing into a particular place in the body.
And now moving your attention to the left foot all the way down to the toes,
Sensing into the big toe of the left foot,
Feeling it from the inside out.
And with the next out breath,
Letting go of sensations there and moving attention to the pinky toe of the left foot.
Being aware of all five toes of the left foot as a whole,
Inviting those sensations into awareness with a kind and gentle curiosity.
Now noticing the right foot,
Attending to any sensations in that foot as a whole.
And then feeling the right and left foot together as the entirety of both feet,
Attuning to any tingling or vibrating,
Coolness or pressure,
The muscles and bones inside the feet.
If nothing can be felt and there's a sense of numbness,
That's okay too.
Just being aware of numbness,
Curiously wondering,
Hmm,
What is that like to feel numb?
Checking back in with the feet,
Appreciating all that the feet do for you on a moment to moment basis.
And on the next out breath,
Letting attention to the feet go,
Moving the spotlight of awareness to the ankles,
Feeling the skin around the circumference,
The muscles and bones on the interior right down into the very joint.
Feeling what is there on the inside,
Moving from the ankles to sensations of the calves,
Attending to the feelings of contact with the surface where you're resting and to the knees,
The muscles and bones inside the knees.
Feeling the front side of the knee,
The back side of the knee,
And then the interior of both knees.
If any pain or discomfort is encountered during this practice with any part of the body,
Just bringing a compassionate awareness that that is there and there's discomfort there.
Not trying to make it stop or change anything,
But allowing kind attention to be with this sensation for the moment.
If your mind wanders away,
This is not a problem.
Just make a mental note of where it went,
Remembering,
Thinking,
Planning or imagining something else,
And then return without judgment to the sensations of the knees.
Moving up from the knees to the thighs,
Recognizing your nature as a spiritual being having a human experience includes the gift of this body.
Our spiritual body inhabiting this physical one and the sensations perceived,
Bringing a presence and awareness of this dual nature of ourselves,
Body and spirit together comprising the soul.
Sensing the entire circumference of the thighs,
Keeping attention on sensations within the thighs and letting go of judgment.
Noticing the interior of the thighs,
Including the muscles and bones here,
Then focusing on the hips,
Sensing into the place where the leg joins the hip region,
Experiencing sensations there,
Held in awareness.
Moving through the pelvic region with intention and attention,
Exploring what is felt here.
Sensing into the lower back,
The vertebrae,
The spine and the interior of the back and all the work it performs daily,
Allowing a sense of appreciation for the abilities and labors undertaken by the back.
Paying attention to the internal digestive organs,
Sensing the stomach,
The intestines,
The play of life that manifests here right now.
Seeing this physical body as a divine gift with which to experience mortality,
Appreciating the body's role to allow our spiritual nature to gain free will.
Two influences calling to our spirit through the body,
To holiness and to baseness or fear reside within us simultaneously.
The gentile choice determines if we rely on divine power to make us better than we otherwise would have been and to perform loving actions we otherwise would not have been able to maintain on our own.
Moving now to the upper body and to the chest,
Feeling the changing play of sensations initiated with breathing.
Knowing that we don't have to control the breath,
The body breathes itself,
Feeling the diaphragm,
The lungs,
The rib cage,
All rising and falling with each breath.
Bringing attention to the heart region as the heart is nestled safely between the lungs,
Tuning into sensations of feeding,
Appreciating the life-giving work of the heart and lungs.
Noticing the shoulders,
Seeing if there's any tension or tightness here.
Not even much of our stress is manifest in the shoulders,
Allowing sensations here to be as they are,
Breathing into them,
Mentally soothing them.
Noticing what's here and allowing it to let go as it will.
And radiating attention down both arms to the elbows,
Feeling the roughness of the skin on the outside of the elbow and the softer skin on the inside,
Welcoming all sensations of the arms and elbows.
And now attending to the wrists,
Swirling your awareness around the entire exterior of the wrist and then moving inward to receive all sensations from the inside.
Noticing the hands,
Perhaps softening them a little.
Noticing any tingling,
Vibrating or pulsing.
The play of sensation at the ends of the fingertips.
Feeling gratitude for the work and gift of the hands.
And moving back up to the base of the neck,
Where the vertebrae of the neck,
Muscles and skin connect to the shoulders.
Attending attention to all that is present in the neck,
Appreciating how it bears the head with dignity and flexibility.
Moving up to the jaw,
The hinges of the jaw connecting to the face.
Noticing what's there and relaxing around it.
Turning into the mouth,
Lips on the interior and exterior.
And then going within to the tongue.
How does it feel at the root of the tongue connecting to the mouth?
Noticing the entirety of the face,
The inside and outside of the cheeks.
Feeling the eyes cradled in their liquid vessels,
Allowing smoothness at the brow.
Sensing into the forehead and the scalp.
Being aware of the magnificent brain inside the protection of the skull.
Feeling the back of the head all the way down to the neck once again.
Paul in Corinthians,
For the body is not one member,
But many.
If the whole body were an eye,
Where were the hearing?
And now are they many members yet one body.
The eye cannot say into the hand,
I have no need of thee.
Nor again the feet to the head,
The head to the feet.
I have no need of you.
And whether one member suffer,
All the members suffer with it,
Or one member be honored,
Then all the members rejoice.
Ye are the body of Christ.
As this body scan comes to a close,
Savoring that we can intentionally bring a quality of not just awareness,
But curious kind awareness toward whatever we're experiencing in that moment in the body or in life.
Letting go of judgment,
Nurturing,
Strengthening the connection of body and mind together as the soul whole and united.
