Welcome to this Calm body scan.
This practice that I'm going to share with you has been adapted from Dr.
Chris Willard with his permission.
This practice can expand or contract your awareness,
Just depending on the amount of time and attention you have.
We're going to try and take about 10 minutes for this practice,
But you can do it in a few minutes or as long as you need.
We're going to use the CALM acronym,
C-A-L-M,
And this exercise gives you the reminder just to really slow down and be in your body.
Let's get started with this practice.
So please start by finding a comfortable position to stand or sit or lie down.
Just be comfortable.
And if you feel like it feels right to allow your eyes to close,
Begin with a few expanded breaths.
Allowing your body to relax as you extend the out breath.
Allowing these breaths to nourish you on the inhale.
And continue to relax,
Find ease on that exhale.
Really letting this practice be as easy for you as possible.
Let's start with our chest.
So after those few breaths,
Start to bring awareness to your chest and torso.
Scanning across your chest,
Opening and lifting it with your breath.
Creating enough room for your lungs and belly to fully expand.
Bring your awareness to any sensations that are happening in the chest and torso area.
Just notice is your breath shallow and short?
Or perhaps slow and even?
As you regulate your breath,
You regulate your body and your brain and in turn your emotions and impulses and attention.
Just noticing is your heart beating fast or slow?
Is there any tightness or tension across your chest?
Allow your breath to expand your chest,
Releasing any tension there.
Lastly,
Let's tense all those muscles throughout your chest and torso.
And then just hold for a count of three as you notice what the tension feels like.
Hold and then allow your muscles to relax again and feel that tension flow away.
And the relaxation flow in with the next few breaths.
Allowing ease to come across through your chest,
Through your torso.
Let's continue with our calm practice with A.
Let's shift our awareness into our arms.
Right from the tops of our shoulders down to our little fingers.
Lift and drop your shoulders once and let your arms fall to your sides or into your lap.
Letting them fall gently.
Scan your awareness upward from your hands through the forearms and upper arms.
Are your arms and hands shaking or are they still?
Can you allow them to settle if they're shaking?
Are they tense partly into fists?
If so,
Can you release the tension?
Are your hands sweaty or clammy?
Can you just notice?
Can you drop your shoulders?
Scan all the way up to those shoulders,
Really noticing the sensations.
It might give you some clues to your emotional state,
Knowing we carry so much in those shoulders.
If your shoulders need to be moved right now,
Let them move.
Roll them around.
And then lastly,
Squeeze your fists.
Tense your arms all the way up to your shoulders.
Hold for those three breaths tight.
Feeling the tension,
Letting it just travel all the way up.
And then release.
Release that physical and emotional tension.
Anything that you're holding,
Let it fall from your shoulders down through your arms.
Let your arms relax completely.
Let your palms settle again.
Take three more deep,
Relaxing breaths,
Enjoying this relaxation you feel in your arms.
Let's continue with our calm body scan and move into our legs.
So on your next breath,
Direct your attention down to your legs.
From your hips down all the way to your little toes.
Allowing your attention and breath to flow through your thighs,
Your calves,
Your feet.
Often our legs can be shaking with anxiety or hold tension and stress.
Notice if your legs are perhaps communicating anything to you in this moment.
And just allow them to be still.
Just for a moment,
If there's any movement.
And then as we've been doing,
Gently begin to squeeze the muscles in your feet.
Bring that tension up through your legs and around through your waist.
Just hold that tension for three breaths through your lower body.
Tight.
Hold hard.
Notice the sensations.
And then soften and soften,
Soften and release.
Take three more breaths as you feel that tension flowing out of your legs,
Whether it's through your seat of your chair or down through the floor from your feet.
Allowing the sensation of ease to travel through your lower body.
And then lastly,
Let's shift our awareness up to our mouth,
The last part of our calm body skin,
Our mouth,
Our jaw.
A place where many of us hold tension and clench our muscles without even realizing it.
What expression is your mouth communicating inwardly and outwardly?
Stress,
Anxiety,
Anger?
Notice this and any other sensations in your mouth and even through the rest of your head and neck.
Does it need to move for a moment?
And then when you're ready,
Clench your mouth and all the muscles holding it,
Holding it tight for three breaths,
Bringing all that tension into your face.
Holding it in and then releasing,
Softening.
Soften your face,
Dear ones.
Let go of the tension and allow your mouth to relax.
Perhaps even into a small smile towards yourself into the world around you.
And then take as long as you need to enjoy the sensation of relaxation and smiling.
Perhaps giving one last scan from the top of your head down to the bottom of your feet.
Of ease,
Relaxation and softening.
Allow yourself to be just as you are right now.
Thank you for practicing with me.
