Compassionate Body Scan

This body scan meditation was developed by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer as part of the Mindful Self-Compassion program.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position.

This could be laying on your back on a comfortable,

Supportive surface,

Maybe with your head or your neck supported and your arms at your sides.

You could sit in a chair with your feet firmly on the ground and your arms either in your lap or to your sides.

Or you could sit on a cushion.

Just find a position that's relaxing,

That's comfortable,

Where you can be for a while and not have to worry about supporting any part of your body with your muscles.

And now if you like you can place a hand or place two hands over your heart and take three deep breaths just to remind yourself that you're going to bring yourself loving attention in this meditation.

You're going to bring your body loving attention.

So just take three breaths and set that intention for yourself.

And then once you've taken your three breaths please put your arms down at your sides again and relax them.

So we're going to start with your feet.

Bring your attention to your feet.

Notice what your feet feel like.

Do they feel warm or cold?

Do they feel moist or dry?

Notice if there's any discomfort there and if so just mentally soothe that area as if you were placing a warm towel over your feet or giving them a little massage.

Imagine doing for your feet what would make them feel good.

And if you do feel a little pain in your feet you could bring some compassion to that area just by acknowledging what's there.

There's a little pain there and it's okay.

That hurts and I'm going to be with it.

Throughout this meditation we're just going to feel the sensations of our body whether they're pleasurable or painful or even if there's no feeling at all.

We're just going to let every sensation be as it is.

If you do find there's pain in a particular area know that once the meditation is over you can do what you need to do to make yourself feel better in that area.

And now direct some gratitude towards your feet.

They work so hard for us every day allowing us to walk and run,

Dance.

So many little bones,

So many muscles in that area of our body,

Such a small area of our body holding everything else up,

Working so hard for us every day.

We often don't tend to our feet.

So just feeling some gratitude for our feet.

If you notice that your mind is wandered that's perfectly natural.

Just use that as an opportunity to bring your attention back to the focus of the meditation.

Once your mind is wandered just bring your attention back to your feet.

If you find that you're flooded with some difficult feelings or some judgement around any part of your body feel free to bring your hand back to your heart area and take some deep breaths and bring your attention back to the focus of the meditation which is to find some gratitude for our body.

If it's difficult to find gratitude simply return to the sensations of the body.

Simply be with them whether they be pleasurable or painful and simply note the sensation.

If you find that it's very difficult to be with any part of your body please just move on to the next part of your body.

We're not trying to endure anything.

Please do what you need to do for yourself.

So now moving your attention up to the lower part of your leg your calves and your shin.

Once again another part of your body that works very hard all day to move your body around to allow you to walk and run.

Finding some gratitude for your calves and your shin.

If you're feeling any judgement about that part of your body just note that.

That's okay.

If you're feeling any pain note that.

If you're not feeling any pain note that and you might also like to send some gratitude for the fact that you have no pain today.

Moving up from our calves and our shin up to our knees.

Very complex joint here and knees.

They work very hard for us all day.

Just recognising how hard they work.

Bending all day for us.

Working and straightening all day.

Now moving up to our upper legs our thighs.

Very large muscles in this area working very hard for us.

Very powerful muscles holding us up and helping to move us around.

Very important part of our body.

If you find you're feeling any judgement about this area remind yourself what a valuable job this part of your body does.

How important it is.

And see if you can find some gratitude for what a good job this part of your body does all day every day.

Feel some thankfulness for the strength in your thighs.

And now moving up and around to our buttocks.

Some more very large muscles doing a lot of work for us every day helping us to walk and run.

Helping us to bend.

And that large area that we sit on all day.

Taking it for granted quite often.

It's a very valuable part of our body even if we feel some judgement about it.

It cushions us.

Takes care of us.

Just finding some thankfulness for your buttocks.

And now moving around to your pelvis area.

This area where there are so many important organs,

Internal organs,

Organs of digestion and organs of reproduction.

Such a complex arrangement of organs working really hard for us all day every day.

We don't even know how hard they're working most of the time.

If you're feeling any discomfort in this area,

Just sending some loving attention to this area.

Just softening around this area.

There's so much going on down there.

Now moving up to our abdomen and more organs of digestion.

Our stomach.

Working hard all the time to digest our food and to give us energy throughout the day.

Very complex sequence of organs.

If things are working well in that area we can be very grateful for that.

If there's any pain in that area or things are not working so well,

Finding some soothing,

Some softening from that area,

Just directing some loving attention,

Some acceptance,

Some gratitude for the hard work that's done in our stomach and our abdomen.

Doing a very tough job that area.

And then moving up to our chest.

Up to the place where our heart and our lungs reside.

Such important organs working for us 24 hours a day to keep our bodies vital.

Just sending some appreciation to this part of our body.

And then moving our loving attention up a bit further to our shoulders.

See if you can visibly relax your shoulders.

Let them drop.

We often walk around with our shoulders hunched up.

See if you can relax those muscles.

And sending some gratitude to our shoulders.

Working all day holding our arms in place.

Helping us to do all the things we need to do in our day with our arms.

And also wonderful messengers for our well-being if we find ourselves tight in our shoulders.

We know we're getting a message that we could bring some softening and soothing attention to that area that maybe we could stop for a little while.

Pause.

Be mindful.

Bringing some gratitude to our shoulders.

Now moving back around to the back of our body again to our upper back.

Very large muscles in our upper back giving us a lot of strength to do things we need to do in the day.

Once again a place where we can hold a lot of tension.

Another great messenger from our body telling us how we're going.

Relax that part of your body.

Let those muscles drop.

There's nothing they need to do right now.

And bringing some gratitude to your upper back and for how hard it works for you all day.

Often only resting when we lay down.

And then moving down to your lower back.

Often a place where we feel some pain.

Partly because it's working so hard for us and also it too is sending us messages about our level of well-being.

See if you can soften around that area of your body.

Your lower back.

Those large muscles down your spine holding you up all day working so hard.

And some loving attention to your lower back.

And then moving your awareness slowly up from your lower back.

Lovingly passing over your upper back.

Lovingly passing over your shoulders.

And down to your upper arms on both sides.

And more large muscles working hard for us every day.

Allowing us to do so many things in our day.

Just focusing some loving awareness on our upper arms.

And then moving down to our elbows.

Very complex joint our elbows.

Bending and straightening so many times in a day to let us do what we need to do.

Just feeling a measure of gratitude for our elbows.

And then moving down to our lower arms.

These two working hard for us all day.

Supporting our hands.

Sending some softening and soothing energy into our lower arms.

Some loving attention.

And now moving down to our hands,

Very complex series of bones and muscles and tendons that give us so much flexibility.

So much power to move things and do things,

Hold things,

Pick things up,

Shake someone's hand.

Cradle a child.

What a blessing are our hands.

If you feel any discomfort in your hands,

Just acknowledge what a lot of work they have done for you.

How hard they've worked.

See if you can soften around any discomfort in your hands.

And then slowly and lovingly sweeping your attention back up your forearm,

Your forearms,

Over your elbows,

Up over your upper arms,

Over your shoulders,

Up to your neck.

Letting your attention rest at your neck.

Working hard to hold our head up all day.

Once again,

More muscles that send us messages about our stress levels,

About our wellbeing.

See if you can soften around any tension that might be in your neck.

And feeling some gratitude for how hard your neck works all day to hold your head up.

And then slowly sweeping,

Loving attention back over your head.

Sending it up and over the top of your head and down to your face.

And feeling some gratitude for all of the parts of your face and your head that allow you to take in the wonder of every day.

To hear music,

The sounds of birds,

The laugh of a child.

To see a beautiful sunset,

The changing colour of the leaves in autumn.

To see your favourite television show.

Your nose to smell a cup of coffee in the morning.

To smell a rose.

Your lips to kiss with,

To sing with,

To talk with.

All these senses that allow us to take in the world around us,

Respond to the world around us.

Allowing us to delight in the things that we come across.

Feeling some gratitude for all of these senses.

What amazing instruments these are that they can take in all that information for us.

And then letting your loving awareness broaden.

Feeling it like a warm wave and just sweeping it back over your whole body again.

If you need to stop at any place on your body and consciously soften into that part of your body,

Feel free to do that.

Just moving your attention generally over your body.

Like warm water running down and through your body.

Giving awareness of your whole body.

Once you've done this,

If you like,

You can put a hand or both hands over your heart again.

And just feel one last shower of affection over your whole body.

Just experience.

One last bathing in gratitude and appreciation and loving kindness.

And then when you're ready,

You can open your eyes and move back into the day.

Reviews

A wonderful transcendence of body and soul, connecting with core body components to energize and elevate ones well being!

Thank you - wonderfully held with presence and attention.

Lovely to take the time to be completely in my body and appreciate it and renew a promise to care for it well. Thank you.

Lovely. Makes me appreciate my body and all it does for me!

Very soothing, calming and helpful exercise. Thank you!

You have a very soothing calm voice. Thank you

I lay down in pain an had a wonderful nap for halv an hour. Tanks!

Very soothing voice that guides you through your entire body with a sense of awareness and gratitude.

Thanks for this lovely practice 🙏

Thanks for reminding me to appreciate the magnificent tool that is my body.

Excellent body scan

I love this thorough loving slow appreciation for the body. It's thoughtful pace & caring instruction teaches true gratitude & compassion for this amazing thing we call the body. Much appreciated. Thank you!

Thankful for the opportunity to turn towards my pain with kindness ❤️

Just what I needed!

Thank you so much. Beautiful voice and body scan💜

I appreciate this scan and the friendliness and warmth of your voice. Thank you!

Love the pace and the gratitude for
my body. 💕 Thank you. 🙏🏿