Welcome to the body scan.
Begin by finding yourself a comfortable position in lying or sitting.
And taking a few moments to arrive here and now.
Noticing what's rising in awareness.
How it feels to be starting a practice.
What emotions are here?
What's in the mind?
And what's in the body?
And tuning into the sensations arising throughout the body in this moment.
Perhaps sensations of contact with what you're lying or sitting on.
Different sensations of pressure.
The contact of clothing against the body.
Contact of the air against uncovered skin.
Any movements within the body.
And when you are ready,
Bringing your attention to the particular sensations of breathing.
The movements related to the breath entering and leaving the body.
One breath after another.
Knowing that you can come back to the breath at any time during this practice as a way of refocusing.
Remembering the intention of the practice is not to get anywhere or achieve a special state.
Even relaxation.
We are simply noticing sensation.
Bringing awareness in each moment.
Paying attention now to sensations in the top of the head.
What do you notice here?
Perhaps tingling.
Pulsating.
Or maybe nothing at all.
And to the sides of the head.
And the back of the head.
Through the whole scalp.
A sense of the brain inside the skull.
Not trying to create anything.
Just observing what is here.
Moving attention down to the forehead.
The eyebrows.
The eyelids.
And eyes.
The eyeballs.
Eye sockets.
Behind the eyes.
To the nose.
The cheeks.
Lips and mouth.
Teeth and tongue.
And the jaw.
All the way up to the ears.
Perhaps sensing tension here.
Or softness.
Becoming aware of the neck and throat.
The back of the neck.
The sides of the neck.
And front.
Sensations on the surface of the skin.
And internally.
And expanding your attention to take in the whole of the head,
The face and neck.
Holding them in a wider attention.
Observing all the different sensations that are arising.
Coming down to the shoulders.
The tops of the shoulders.
The back.
And front.
Into the armpit.
Sensations deep into the shoulder joint.
Noticing pleasant sensations.
Unpleasant.
And neutral.
Bringing an attitude of curiosity to your experience.
What am I sensing here?
Paying attention now to the upper arms.
The elbows.
Forearms.
And the wrists.
Exploring sensations in the hands.
Back of the hands.
Palms.
Fingers and thumb.
Sensations of temperature.
Warm or cool.
Energetic sensations.
Maybe pressure or contact from where the hands are placed.
Broadening your attention to become aware of both arms.
And tuning into the breath as you do this.
Taking a few deeper breaths.
Now to the front of the body.
The front of the chest.
Sides.
Exploring the specific sensations in the chest area.
The ribs and lungs.
Paying attention to the movements there as you breathe.
Vivid,
Large movements.
And the small,
Subtle movements with breathing.
Maybe sensing the heart beating.
Or not.
To the waist and belly and pelvis.
Sensing the organs of the body encased in this area.
Organs of digestion.
Elimination.
Reproduction.
Maybe strong sensations.
Or blankness.
And expanding your attention now to take in the whole front of the torso.
Opening to any thoughts or emotions arising.
Allowing and letting them be.
Welcoming all parts of your experience.
Moving now to the back of the body.
Sensations in the upper back.
Shoulder blades.
Spine.
Ribs.
The muscles of the upper back.
Middle back.
And waist.
Lower back and sacrum.
Sensations in the buttocks.
Pelvis and hips.
Opening your attention wide now to take in the whole back of the body.
Paying attention to the movements there as you breathe.
How they change.
The inhalation and exhalation.
Bringing awareness to sensations in the thighs.
The back of the thighs.
Sides and front.
Deep inside the thigh.
Perhaps sensing the muscles,
The bones.
Any movement.
The pulsating of circulation.
Throbbing.
Denseness.
Or maybe nothing at all.
And noticing when the mind wanders.
And as best you can,
Returning to where we are in the body scan.
Focusing on the thighs.
Sensations on the surface of the skin.
And inside.
Moving down now through the knees.
The lower legs.
Calves and chin.
The ankles.
And the feet.
Top of the feet.
The sides of the feet.
Sensations in the heels.
Maybe noticing where the heels meet the floor.
Point of contact.
The soles of the feet.
Through the toes.
The big toes.
The little toes.
Attending to sensations exactly as they are.
Being present with whatever is arising.
Honoring what is here.
Remembering there is no right or wrong way to feel in the body scan.
Broadening your attention to take in the feet.
And the legs.
Taking a few deeper breaths as you attend to sensations in both feet and legs.
Expanding your attention wider now.
To take in the whole body.
Legs,
Torso,
Front,
Back and sides.
The arms,
Neck and head.
Allowing your awareness to gently cradle your entire body.
Opening to the multitude of sensations arising and passing away in each moment.
And then becoming aware of breathing.
Carefully following all the movements of breathing.
Taking a few moments to notice the impact of attending to the body in this way.
And then making a transition through moving and stretching and opening your eyes.
