Ring Around the Sulcus

This Mental Massage body scan and activation encourages presence with your body in order of the way the sensory and motor cortical areas are laid out in the brain. In this way, you are literally stimulating the areas of a fold called the Central Sulcus that goes roughly from ear to ear in your brain forming a ring around the inside of that fold.

Transcript

You can begin by letting yourself tune into your breathing.

Just observing how you're already breathing and what it feels like to breathe.

And letting your body relax.

You can let your attention move to the big toe of your left foot.

Imagine moving the big toe of your left foot,

Wiggling it or moving it however you like without actually moving it at all.

So just imagining moving that big toe.

And now imagine stopping moving it and relaxing your big toe.

Just letting your big toe of your left foot become completely relaxed.

And now letting your attention move to the toe next to it.

Imagine moving that toe and imagine relaxing it.

And now picturing the middle toe of your left foot moving and relaxing the toe next to that,

Moving it and relaxing it.

And now focusing your attention on your little toe of your left foot.

Picturing moving it without moving it at all.

And then picturing letting it relax.

Now let your attention go to your ankle,

Moving your foot around your ankle,

And then letting that relax.

Imagine bending and straightening your leg at your left knee and letting it completely relax.

Your left hip moving and relaxing.

Your left lower back and belly moving and relaxing without actually moving at all.

Upper back and chest moving and relaxing.

And then picture around your left shoulder moving your arm and the structures around your left shoulder.

Just picturing moving them without actually moving at all.

And then relaxing.

And I will continue to name body parts with the idea that you just focus your attention there.

Picturing moving that body part and then relaxing.

So to your elbow,

Moving your arm around your elbow,

Straightening and extending your arm.

Picturing moving it without moving it at all.

And relaxing.

Your left wrist,

Your left hand,

Your left little finger,

Ring finger,

Middle finger,

Index finger,

The thumb on your left hand,

The left side of your neck,

Your forehead and brow on your left side,

Your left eyeball.

Imagine looking around with your left eyeball and moving it without actually moving it at all.

Your left eyelid imagining opening and closing and then relaxing.

The left side of your face,

Your lips especially on the left.

And now picturing vocalizing.

Imagining vocalizing without making any sound.

And then relaxing your vocal apparatus,

Vocal cords in your neck.

Imagining moving your jaw and relaxing especially on your left.

Picturing salivating and relaxing.

Tongue on your left side moving,

Relaxing.

Chewing on the left side of your mouth.

Swallowing.

And now letting your attention follow that swallow down into your belly.

And at this point paying attention just to sensation.

Just noticing what you feel inside the left part of your belly,

The back of your throat on your left side.

Just noticing sensations there.

Your tongue on your left.

So again just noticing sensations.

What sensations do you feel on your tongue on the left side?

Your lower and upper teeth paying attention to any sensation.

Gums on the lower and upper side of the left side of your mouth.

Your left jaw.

Your lower lip,

Upper lip.

Left side of your face noticing any sensations there.

Left nostril and nose.

How does your left eye feel?

Your left thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger on your left hand.

Little finger.

Your left hand itself noticing any sensations in your left wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Left shoulder.

One by one at each body part just paying attention to any sensations there.

Your head on your left side.

Your left neck.

Your left chest and upper back.

Left lower back and belly.

Your left hip.

Your left thigh and upper leg.

And your foot on your left side.

Your little toe.

The toe next to it.

The middle toe.

The second toe.

Your big toe on your left foot.

And now letting your attention go to your genitals on your left side.

And then the right side of your genitals.

Your right big toe just noticing any sensations in your right second toe.

Your middle toe.

The toe next to it.

The little toe on your right foot.

Your right foot itself.

Your lower leg on your right.

Your right knee and upper leg.

Your right hip.

Your right lower abdomen and back.

And your right chest and upper back.

Your neck on your right side and the right side of your head.

Just noticing sensations of your right shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Your right wrist,

And right hand.

Just paying attention to any sensation in your little finger,

Ring finger,

Middle finger,

Index finger,

Your thumb on your right hand,

Your right eye,

Right side of your nose,

Your face on the right side of your face,

Your upper lip and lower lip,

Your right jaw,

Your upper and lower gums,

And upper and lower teeth on the right side of your mouth,

The right side of your tongue,

The back of your throat on the right,

And down into the right side of your belly.

Just noticing sensations there.

Now,

Picturing swallowing,

Especially on your right side.

And just picturing swallowing without actually swallowing at all.

And then picture relaxing whatever it takes to swallow.

Picturing chewing on your right and relaxing.

Salivating and relaxing.

Picturing moving the right side of your tongue without actually moving at all.

And then letting your tongue relax.

Imagining moving your jaw,

Especially on the right side.

And now imagining vocalizing.

And then letting your vocal system relax.

Imagining moving your lips on the right side of your mouth.

And then letting them relax.

Moving the right side of your face and letting it completely relax.

Opening and closing your right eyelid,

Moving your right eyeball,

Your right brow,

Moving and relaxing.

Right side of your neck,

The thumb on the right hand,

Your index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Your whole right hand.

Moving at your right wrist and relaxing.

Picturing moving your arm at your right elbow.

And then letting your arm relax.

Imagining moving around your right shoulder,

Relaxing your right upper back and chest,

Lower back and belly,

Your right hip.

Moving your leg around your right knee and relaxing your right ankle,

Little toe on your right foot,

The toe next to it,

Middle toe on your right foot,

And the toe next to that.

And now coming back to the big toe of your right foot.

Imagining moving it without actually moving it at all.

And then letting it completely relax.

And now drawing your attention to your whole body.

Imagining moving your whole body in whatever ways you want to.

And now you can imagine your whole body relaxing,

Being supported on whatever you would like to imagine that you're sitting or lying on.

But imagining your whole body being completely relaxed.

And in that relaxed state,

Letting your attention return to your breath and observing how it is to breathe.

And when you're ready in your own time,

You can bring this exercise to a comfortable close.

Reviews

Relaxing self awareness body scan. Very thorough, well paced, and pleasing sonorous voice. Thanks!

Your meditations are relaxing beyond what I have experienced before. Just wonderful. Thank you so much.

What an interesting spin on a full body scan. The direction to imagine moving each part of your body without moving it provided me an unexpected degree of focus and mindfulness. I felt relaxed and present throughout the meditation. There really isn’t “background” music as much as it’s a short musical intro.

I like this variation on a body scan. And I got my catnap!

This is interesting. I found it both simulating and relaxing.

Fantastic for relaxation, however needed it to bring me out at the end but it just finished and left me to bring ,us elf out of the relaxation which was not good. Apart from that really enjoyed it.

Wonderful different body scan. I would give it 10 stars

This was excellent. Thank you 🙏🏻

Super good. Love it.