This is a body scan.
So we're just taking a few moments for ourselves today to check in with the body.
We can do this in a seated or a laid down position.
So just starting to let the eyes close,
If that feels okay,
And start to bring our awareness inwards for a moment or two.
Just noticing if we're feeling quite busy,
If there's a lot of activity in the head.
And bringing our awareness across the lungs and noticing the breath.
Just allowing that to be however it is today.
And then very gently coming down towards the feet.
Just feeling any contact or connection there.
Just allowing ourselves a few moments just to really feel the feet,
The toes,
The balls of the feet,
The arches and the heels.
And being aware of the whole shape of the body.
And any connection,
Contact that we've got with the surface that we're resting upon.
And feeling the connection and pressure there.
Just starting to bring this sense of allowing the bed or the chair and the floor to support us.
We don't have to hold the body up.
That can sometimes feel a bit like we're starting to let go.
So we're bringing our awareness once more down to the feet.
Just feeling those soles of the feet and each toe.
Perhaps even we can feel the spaces in between the toes.
Just allowing whatever's here to fill our awareness.
Moving across the tops of the feet and up and into the ankles.
Along the shins and the calves,
All the way up to the knees.
Just being aware of whatever's here for me today.
If there's any discomfort,
Any difficulty,
Any pain around,
We can make a little bit of space for that.
Or if we find that we're pulled away,
Perhaps sounds or thoughts,
Pulling our attention away from this space of the body.
And that's also okay.
But as soon as we've noticed,
We're bringing our awareness back.
Coming back into the knees.
And along the thighs,
All the way up to the hips.
Again,
Being aware of how these joints feel for us today.
Is there space here?
Is there any discomfort,
Any tension and holding?
Sometimes the fronts of the hips can ache if we've been doing a lot of sitting.
And coming around to the seat bones at the back and the buttocks.
Starting to move along the lumbar region.
Just feeling a little bit of an arch at the bottom of the spine and how that's feeling today.
This can be an area of tension,
Of discomfort.
And noticing the abdomen.
Moving up to the stomach.
Is there any tension,
Any holding in the stomach?
Coming up to the ribs and coming around the ribs to where they meet the spine.
Just feeling perhaps the movement of the breath in the back of the body for a moment or two.
All the way along the length of the spine.
All the way along the length of the spine.
And coming up to the shoulder blades.
To the tops of the shoulders and the collarbones.
As we perhaps become aware for a moment or two of the front of the chest.
And bringing our awareness up to the shoulder joints.
Another set of large joints.
Just noticing how much space is here or how much tension.
Just allowing whatever is here to be here.
We don't have to change it.
And then allowing awareness to come down the arms.
All the way into the hands.
And to the tips of the fingers and each thumb.
Just noticing the shape of the hands are taking right now.
Anything they're in contact with.
Moving across the backs of the hands as well as the palms of the hands.
And into the wrists.
Coming along the forearms to the elbows.
Just noticing whatever is here.
And along the upper arms.
Just noticing any tension,
Any holding.
Also noticing space.
And coming back up to the shoulder joints themselves.
All the way along the tops of the shoulders.
To where they meet the spine.
The upper part of the spine that makes the neck.
And around the front that's the throat.
Just feeling where the head meets the spine.
And perhaps if we're laying down right now for this practice.
We notice that contact with the back end of the head and the floor or the bed.
And just coming across the scalp.
Down over the forehead and the eyebrows.
The ears,
The eyes.
The nose and cheeks.
The lips,
The tongue and the teeth.
Just allowing for a bit of a space between the back teeth.
And noticing if there's any tension in the base of the tongue.
And then coming out around the jaw all the way up to those joints just underneath the ears.
Just letting our attention rest here for a moment or two.
Noticing how this is for me today.
Being aware if it feels okay to stay with the body.
Or if thoughts or sounds are moving us away.
However this is,
That's okay.
Just very gently coming back into this space of the body.
Right now the head and the face.
Just allowing this to be where we rest our attention for a moment or two.
And then we're broadening our awareness out so we can feel the head and the face.
We can notice the neck and the shoulders.
The arms and the hands.
The upper chest.
And upper back.
The stomach.
The abdomen.
The lower back.
The buttocks and hips.
The thighs,
Knees.
Shins,
The ankles and feet.
Just being aware of this whole space of the body.
All the way from the top of the head out to the tips of the fingers and to the tips of the toes.
And just taking this in for a moment or two.
Just feeling this whole space that we occupy.
Perhaps being aware of the breath in the middle of this space of the body.
Perhaps just allowing our attention to float to the back of the body and feel the breath there along the spine.
And just noticing.
.
.
Whatever else is going on for us today within this space of the body.
What we might say are our passengers that are along with us for the day.
So any feelings,
Any strong sensations that are around.
Just making a bit of room for whatever's there.
Knowing that we don't have to do anything with it.
But it's okay to be curious,
To notice.
And then perhaps just taking a moment or two just to feel the breath.
Moving in and moving out.
And then coming back out to the places of contact,
Of connection between the body and the surface that we're resting upon.
And the room that's around us.
Perhaps sweeping the body in and out.
And very gently if we've had the eyes closed,
Just starting to open the eyes now.
And taking the shapes and the colours that are around us.
And being aware of any requests the body's making.
If we need to move and stretch.
Or perhaps just to feel the breath.
And just noticing the breath.
And then just letting go.
And then just letting go.
If we need to move and stretch.
Or perhaps have a drink of water.
And then just seeing if we want to take this mindful awareness with us into the next few moments.
After this practice,
As we start the rest of our day.
