Mindful Body Scan

This practice allows us to practice observing sensations in the body without judgment or reaction, bringing curiosity and kindness to whatever we experience in the body. It can help us understand that physiological sensations and emotions come and go like waves, over time supporting us to become less reactive to sensations or urges that may arise in the body.

Transcript

Welcome to this body scan practice with me,

Mindfully Laura.

We're just going to start by taking a comfortable seat.

You can also do this practice standing,

Or even laying down.

Just being aware that laying down might bring on some feelings of sleepiness,

As our body is used to lying down when we prepare for sleep.

So setting yourself up in a posture and position that's going to support you for your intention for this practice.

Perhaps finding a comfortable seat where you are relaxed but also alert.

And just finding a grounding with the floor,

Whether that's through the feet,

A connection to the chair through the sit bones.

Just noticing all the places where your body is supported in some way.

And if you'd like to gently closing the eyes or lowering your gaze.

As we begin this body scan exercise.

I invite you to take three deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Breathing in through the nose.

And out through the mouth.

And again in through the nose.

And out through the mouth.

More deep breath in through the nose.

And out through the mouth.

Allowing your breath to return to normal.

And allowing your awareness to rest on the breath.

Noticing how the breath feels.

As we move into the body scan.

I invite us to practice noticing sensations,

Whether physical or emotional.

And practicing not judging what you find.

Noticing allowing the sensations to be there without holding on to anything that feels pleasant.

Or pushing away anything that maybe doesn't feel pleasant.

In fact we're going to try in this practice to avoid any judgements at all about what we find.

And of course avoiding judgement,

If we do happen to judge,

We are human after all.

So let's practice that as we move to the top of the head.

Inviting you to bring your awareness to the crown of your head.

And as we did for the breath,

The invitation is just to notice what you feel in the crown of your head.

Maybe you don't feel very much at all.

Just know that that is completely normal.

Maybe you feel lots of sensations.

Whatever your experience is,

Just exploring it with curiosity and with kindness.

Moving your awareness from the crown of the head to the back of the head.

Noticing any sensations in that area that you are aware of.

Maybe a throbbing,

Maybe an energy,

Maybe just an absence of any sensation.

Just noticing,

Practicing non-judgment of whatever we find.

We're moving now to the forehead.

Can be a place where we hold a lot of tension in our body.

Just noticing what sensations you find as you bring your awareness to your forehead.

Moving your awareness to your left eyebrow.

And to your right eyebrow.

Moving down now to the eyes.

Noticing any sensation in the eyes or around the eyes.

Trying not to judge what we find,

Just noticing.

Moving awareness down to the nose.

Again noticing any sensations,

Any temperature,

Any tingling.

Moving awareness now to the left cheek.

Now to the right cheek.

Moving down to the lips.

And if you find that your mind has wandered and you've become lost in thought,

Just take a nice deep breath and when you feel that you're back and your mind is aware,

Gently invite your mind to come back to join us with our awareness at the lips.

Moving down now to the chin.

And up to the left ear.

Again just noticing what sensations,

If any,

You find when you bring your awareness to your left ear.

Moving now to the right ear.

Just noting if there's any difference on this side.

Moving down now to the throat.

Noticing sensations if they arise.

And again thinking about that concept of not holding on or not pushing away anything that we find there.

Just observing.

Moving down now to the chest area,

The upper chest.

Moving down now to the collar bones.

And then moving down the left side starting with the left shoulder.

Noticing any sensations in the left shoulder.

Moving down to the left upper arm.

Moving down to the elbow.

And then the forearm.

Moving from the forearm to the wrist.

And then moving your awareness into your left hand.

So that all of your awareness is focusing on sensations in the left hand.

And again if you don't feel sensation,

Just noting that that's what you found.

And exploring any sensations or lack of sensations with that curiosity.

Seeing if it changes the longer that you allow your awareness to stay there.

Moving up now to the right shoulder.

And we go down the right side.

Exploring that right shoulder,

The right upper arm.

Finding awareness down to the right elbow.

The forearm.

Then down to the right wrist.

Moving down until all of your awareness is focused in the right hand.

Just noticing what sensations are there.

We move up now to the chest.

Starting with the upper chest.

Trying not to get caught in a thought about the sensations.

Not analysing what we find,

Just noticing.

Knowing that we don't need to change anything.

We can just observe.

Moving down to the diaphragm.

Down into the torso,

The abdomen.

Notising what sensations are present in the abdomen.

Again trying not to analyse,

Just noticing.

Moving down now into the pelvis,

Including the sit bones,

The genitals,

The root of the body.

Just noticing any sensations that are there.

And now moving up again to the back body.

Starting with the upper back,

Below the neck.

And just exploring with curiosity any sensations.

And again if you find that your mind has wandered,

Just know that that is normal.

And it's part of the practice just to notice you've been distracted and then gently bring the awareness back to the upper back.

Moving down to the mid back.

Taking note of any sensations.

And then down to the lower back.

Moving down again to the root,

We move now to the left leg.

Starting with the upper left leg socket,

The thigh.

Just noticing any sensations in this part of the body.

Moving down to the left knee.

Bringing all of your awareness to your left knee.

And down to the left lower leg.

Moving the awareness down all the way to the ankle.

And then into the foot,

And then into the left foot.

Allowing all of your awareness to rest in your left foot.

Just noticing with that curious mind anything that you find there.

Moving up now to the right leg,

We start with the right upper leg.

Exploring any sensations or lack of sensation.

Moving down to the knee,

The right knee.

And then the right lower leg.

And again just noticing if the mind has wandered,

Or if you're meeting any resistance in the mind,

Just knowing that that is normal.

Just noticing.

Gently bringing the awareness back to the lower right leg.

Moving down to the right ankle.

And then finally the right foot.

Feeling any sensation in the right foot.

Allowing all of your awareness to be placed there.

And now I invite us to bring our awareness to the body as a whole.

Just noticing the whole body.

Bringing your awareness to what it feels like to be wherever you are right now.

And then scanning the body for any emotion.

And in a similar way to the body scan for sensation,

Inviting us just to notice any emotion without analysing.

Without holding on,

And without resisting.

Just noticing any emotional sensation in the body.

And now I invite us just to welcome back in some very slight movement to the body,

Starting with a smile,

If that feels right for you.

If it doesn't,

No need to do it.

But if you'd like to,

Just experimenting with a very slight smile on the lips.

And bringing your awareness to how that feels in the body.

And not holding onto anything we may find.

Not pushing away any sensations either.

Now we bring the awareness back to the breath.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Not needing to change anything about the breath.

Just noticing how it feels to be breathing.

And when you're ready,

Allowing the eyes to open,

Or the gaze to return to normal.

And this completes our body scan practice for today.

Reviews

A great start to the day thank you!

Absolutely lovely and perfect for a slow and deep journey across the body :)

Excellent. Relaxing and calming

Lovely. Thanks Laura.

A really thorough body scan. The words used are precise, perfect and not too many. Thank you for creating this meditation.

5 stars - same as all other Laura’s meditations 🙏

Gentle and effective. Comfortable pace and tone.