The intention of this body scan meditation is to kindly step out of autopilot mode and learn how to check in and be with each area of the body in a non-judgmental way.
The attention will be placed on the sensations or lack of sensations in the body,
Moving to a part,
Staying a while and then letting go.
Observing and accepting what is there in the moment without trying to change it or control it in any way.
The attitude we'll be cultivating during the body scan is a sense of curiosity and self-compassion.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated in a chair or on a cushion on the floor,
Or perhaps lying down.
I'm taking a moment to consider what would be best for you today.
If you're sitting down,
You might notice where the body makes contact with the seat.
Allowing your spine to lift and lengthen.
Settling the body into its natural state.
If it feels right for you,
You can close your eyes or just lower your gaze to the floor,
Allowing the hands to rest on the lap or the thighs.
And if you've chosen to lie on the floor,
Feeling the ground beneath you and making a choice to allow yourself to be exactly as you are in this moment.
The intention of the body scan is to be present with the body without wanting anything at all,
Not even relaxation.
And of course,
It's nice to relax,
But that is not the intention of the body scan.
The intention is to kindly check in with each area of the body in a non-judgmental way.
Feeling whatever there is to feel,
Without judging it as a good feeling or a bad feeling,
But just simply noticing the sensations that arise.
And as we go into the practice of the body scan,
If at any time sensations in the body become too uncomfortable,
Thoughts,
Images or emotions arise that are too difficult,
Remembering that it is always possible to return to the rhythm of the breath as a safe place.
A retreat for you to rest in until you're ready to tune into the body scan again.
Or you could also open your eyes for a moment and just notice what you can see in your environment.
So now I invite you to tune into the sound of my voice once again.
Allowing the breath to flow naturally and effortlessly.
Perhaps sensing the rising and falling of your tummy.
Feeling the movement of the breath moving in and out of your body.
Or you might notice the breath as it moves in and out of the nose.
Tuning into the sensations of the breath.
It might feel warm or cool,
Shallow or deep.
There's no right or wrong.
Just allowing the breath to flow in its natural state.
Witnessing the breath.
And witnessing any turbulence of the mind.
And as we move through the body scan,
There might be times noticing that we can't feel anything at all.
And this is completely normal and okay.
So just checking into those areas with a sense of curiosity.
And if there's nothing to feel then that's what we become aware of.
Allowing the experience to be exactly as it is.
And if the mind wanders off into thoughts,
That's okay.
That's what the mind does.
Just noticing without judging.
And gently guiding the awareness back to the sensations of the body.
And feeling the body sitting or lying here.
Or noticing as the breath moves in and out of the body.
And now inviting you to draw your attention to the subtle sensations on the top of your head.
Without visualizing your head or thinking about it,
Simply bring your attention to any sensations you can feel at the top of your head.
Perhaps there's a tingling,
A tightness,
A weight.
Or maybe there's a sense of the temperature or the air surrounding you.
Or maybe there's nothing to feel here.
Just noticing.
Observing with curiosity.
Detecting the sensations you feel on the top of your head.
And now beginning to scan through the body,
Keeping a field of mindfulness like a spotlight,
Illuminated by your own awareness.
Moving this field of awareness down the right side of your head.
Moving the awareness from the left side of the head to the right ear.
And feeling whatever there is to feel here without projecting.
And just remaining aware.
Bringing your awareness to the back of your head.
And the left side of your head,
The left ear.
And the left ear.
And moving along to the forehead.
Noticing if there's any pressure or warmth.
And keeping your body very still,
As this helps to sustain the coherence of your attention.
And slowly scanning downwards across the face.
Feeling into the forehead,
The eyes,
Nose,
Cheeks,
Jaw,
And down to the mouth and the chin.
Taking your time to scan the whole face.
And then to the back of the head.
And feeling any sensations here.
Expanding your awareness to feel the whole head on the surface and the interior.
And then moving the attention now down to the neck and the right shoulder.
Opening the awareness to move down from the right shoulder to the right elbow.
And noticing any sensations here.
From the right elbow down to the right wrist.
Feeling any sensations on the right hand.
All the way down to the tips of the feet.
And the tips of the right fingers.
Feeling anything there is to feel here.
And if you notice your mind has wandered off into thoughts,
Not a problem.
Kindly bringing it back to the tips of the right fingers.
And just taking a breath and starting again without judging.
And each time we notice the mind has wandered off and we bring it back to our object of awareness,
This builds our meditation muscle,
Strengthening our awareness.
And now returning your attention back up to the neck and over to your left shoulder and noticing what you can feel here.
Observing any sensations on the left shoulder.
And moving the field of awareness down to the left elbow.
And sensing any sensations on the surface or interior.
And then moving down towards the left wrist and the right hand.
And the tips of the fingers on the left hand.
You might notice how well you can feel the hands without having to see them.
Noticing what your fingers feel like.
The position of the hand or surface the hand is resting on.
Just noticing.
Drawing the attention back up to the base of the neck on the left hand side.
And opening your mindful awareness to feel the upper left side of your torso.
Mindfully observing the sensations arrive arising in the front.
The upper left side of your back and the interior.
Detecting whatever sensations arise in the area.
The upper left side of your torso.
And moving over to the centre of the chest,
Right through to the back.
And sensing the beating of the heart and all other sensations arising in that field.
Then perhaps exhaling and letting go.
Feeling the sensations of the breath here.
With each inhalation.
And each exhalation.
Feeling the breath rolling in and rolling out.
Without needing to change or control the breath in any way.
And moving over to the right upper area of the torso.
Moving down to the right middle area of the torso.
And feeling whatever there is to feel.
Feel here.
Sensations.
Temperature.
Just noticing.
And moving over to the middle now.
The centre.
And focusing on your solar plexus.
Your centre for personal power.
And moving over to the left middle area.
And noticing if your mind has wandered off into thoughts.
And gently guiding it back.
To the left middle area of your torso.
Moving the attention down to the lower left region.
Down to the groin.
Observing whatever sensations arise here.
Including temperature,
Pressure.
As well as feelings.
Pleasant and unpleasant.
To the best of your ability,
Just observe without reacting or judging the sensations as good or bad.
Just remain aware.
Allowing your body to be still as you observe and witness.
Moving the awareness over to the lower central area of the torso.
And over to the lower right area of the torso.
And slowly moving this field of mindfulness.
Down to the right thigh.
And the right knee.
Noticing any sensations you feel.
And a sense of curiosity.
Observing sensations as well as feelings.
Comfort,
Discomfort.
And just noticing while remaining neutral.
And then moving the awareness down to the right knee and the right ankle.
And moving downwards again to the right foot and the tips of the toes.
And drawing your attention now up to the left hip.
And then gradually,
Mindfully,
Moving awareness down to the left thigh.
Along to the left knee.
And feeling whatever there is to be felt here.
From the left knee down to the left ankle.
And down to the tips of the toes.
And if the mind has wandered off again,
Gently and kindly,
Bringing your attention back to the tips of your toes.
And now drawing your attention back to the crown of your head.
Illuminating the sensations arising on the surface and the interior.
And then moving your attention from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Allowing your field of awareness to include the entire body.
Taking 30 to 60 seconds,
Noticing all sensations.
Gently scanning through the entire body.
From the top of the head down to the soles of the feet.
Now opening your awareness to include the whole field of your body,
Like a bright light.
Illuminating all sensations.
Noticing whatever arises from moment to moment.
With a sense of curiosity,
Openness,
And allowing it all to be as it is.
Noticing how the breath has been a constant companion,
Bringing the whole body together as you breathe in and breathe out.
As we come to the end of this meditation,
I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your experience of the body scan as best as you can,
Without judging the experience as good or bad.
Just allowing it to be what it was.
And I invite you to offer yourself some gratitude for taking this moment out of your day to connect to yourself and your body and your breath.
And now just starting to bring some gentle movement back to the body.
Perhaps wiggling the fingers and the toes,
Moving in any way that feels good and supportive for you.
And starting to deepen the breath,
Connecting with the breath.
Allowing the breath to ground you in this moment.
And when you're ready,
Turning your awareness to the sounds that you can hear,
And gently opening your eyes and coming back when you're ready.
