Hello.
Welcome to this body scan practice.
As we go about this practice,
We're going to be,
Of course,
Going to each part of the body and just scanning over each part.
And as we do this,
I would invite you to allow whatever portion of the body we're focusing on to relax,
To soften,
And to release any sort of tension,
Any anxiety.
So let's go ahead and begin at the top of the head.
Scanning down,
Moving into the forehead,
The brow,
From there into the eyes,
The nose,
The cheeks,
And the jaw,
Bringing your teeth away from each other so they're not touching,
Just relaxing the jaw,
The mouth,
Inviting these areas to relax,
Letting go,
Letting go.
And from there,
Moving into the neck,
The front,
Sides,
Into the back,
Breathing in nutrients and oxygen to nourish these muscles that do so much.
And while exhaling,
Releasing any tightness,
Any tension that may be held in this area,
Breathing in and exhaling tightness,
Tension,
Letting it all go.
Moving down gently into the shoulders,
Feeling deep to the bone,
All the way up into the muscle,
To the very surface of the skin,
Noticing what's here,
Inviting these muscles to relax,
Softening,
Releasing,
Letting go.
From there,
Down into the chest,
Releasing any tightness,
Any tension,
Perhaps even any anxieties,
Any fear,
Allowing that to go,
And feeling the back,
The spine,
These powerful muscles that help us to help us to stay upright,
Imagining them softening,
Just allowing them to release.
This area tends to tighten a lot too,
So just allowing it to relax and let go.
Feeling into the stomach and easing our way down into the pelvic region,
Inviting this area to relax and to release.
Feeling the arms from the shoulders where we were before into the upper arm,
The bicep,
Around the back into the tricep,
Encouraging these muscles to relax,
To soften,
And let go.
Moving down into the elbows,
And from there into the forearms,
The tops,
Sides,
And the bottom,
Allowing this region to soften,
Imagining the area warming as you would warm ice,
And feeling it melt into water,
Warming,
Softening,
Releasing.
Gently making our way down into the hands,
The palms,
The backs of the hands,
Each and every finger,
All the way up to the tips,
Allowing these hands to rest in a position that feels most comfortable and effortless,
And inviting them to relax,
To let go,
To be at ease.
And moving into the legs,
The thighs,
Deep into the bone,
Into the muscle,
Gently inviting these areas to relax and to soften.
And we'll continue moving down into the knees,
Especially if this area is particularly painful for you,
Being gentle,
And allowing any relaxation,
Any release of this area that's possible at this time.
And if not,
Also remembering to respect and honor the body for what it's doing and what it's capable of at this time,
And letting it be,
Just noticing it.
And from there,
Moving down into the lower legs,
The shins,
Calves,
Once again inviting this area to release,
To relax,
Letting go of any tightness,
Releasing any stresses that may be housed here.
Now let's continue into the ankles.
And from there,
Easing our way down into the feet,
The heels,
The balls of the feet,
All the way up into the toes,
Even to the very tips,
Inviting our feet here to relax.
You'd be amazed what they're able to do when we ask them to relax and to release.
Now expanding our awareness so that you can see your entire body,
Just noticing it being here.
What is it like to be in this body right now?
Is it any different than it was before the start of this practice?
There's no right or wrong answer to these questions.
It's mainly just noticing,
Just being here and seeing what's going on with the body right now.
And as you hold this view,
This perspective of your entire body and your mind's eye,
Invite the entire body to release,
To relax,
To let go.
Breathing in,
Nourishing oxygen,
And breathing out tension,
Anxiety,
Any tightness,
Wherever it may be harbored.
Just letting go,
Letting go,
Letting go.
As we come to the close of this practice,
I would invite you to place a hand over your heart,
Wherever you can feel it really beating,
And just consider for a moment how good it is to be alive,
How good it is to be here in this body,
In this moment,
With all its imperfections,
All its messy chaos,
And with all of its beautiful qualities as well.
Take this moment to say thank you.
Thank you to your body for all that it does,
And absorb this gratitude.
Allow your body to feel this gratitude,
Warming it and holding it.
And now as you go throughout your day,
I hope this practice helps you to feel more relaxed and more at ease.
Thank you for joining me today for this practice,
And enjoy the rest of your day.
