Full Body Scan

This 30-minute body scan meditation is suitable for meditators of all experience levels. This body scan is based on techniques used in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and focuses on presence, grounding, and concentration.

Transcript

Hi there,

My name is Makenna.

Thank you so much for joining me in this meditation practice today.

Please find a comfortable posture that allows you to feel both relaxed and alert.

Something that is sustainable for a period of time and something that feels good on your body.

Our practice today will be a full body scan with the intention of allowing this awareness of our body to ground us in the present moment.

Although the mind may wander at times,

Perhaps thinking about the past or the future or even the present moment but in another location,

It may be helpful to keep in mind that we can only ever be where our feet are.

The only real present moment that we can experience,

The only reality that we can experience is right here in this moment and in this breath.

It may feel good to begin with a few deep breaths.

Taking a big breath in through the nose and releasing the breath through the mouth and through the nose and out through the mouth.

And now allowing the breath to return to a natural cadence,

A natural rhythm.

And we'll begin our scan of the body.

Beginning with the left foot in whatever position it may be.

Noticing any surfaces that the foot may come into contact with,

Whether it's the floor,

Clothing,

Maybe a bed or a blanket.

And then letting the attention move over each of the toes.

Noticing where they make contact with one another.

And then the spot where the toes connect to the rest of the foot.

And as if the awareness was a spotlight,

Letting the spotlight then move to the sole of the foot.

Noticing any sensations,

Whether they be good or bad or neutral,

Just taking this moment to attune to these sensations.

Moving the attention to the top side of the left foot.

Now moving on to the left ankle and letting the spotlight of awareness travel all around the ankle in a circular motion.

Noticing every part.

Moving up to the width of the ankle.

Moving up to the left calf.

The left shin.

The left knee.

The left thigh.

Both the quadriceps and the hamstrings.

The left glute.

And then the left leg as a whole.

What is it like to pay this type of attention to one part of the body?

To devote time and detailed attention to just one part of this whole.

We'll do the same on the right side,

Starting with the right foot.

Let your awareness drift over each toe.

And then to the place where the toes connect to the foot.

The sole of the right foot.

And the top side of the right foot.

And then allowing the attention to circle around the right ankle.

Noticing as minute sensation as you can.

Maybe even noticing where the skin makes contact with the air or clothing around it.

Moving up to the right calf.

And the right shin.

The right knee.

And the right thigh,

Both quadriceps and hamstrings.

And then the right glute.

And then the right leg as a whole,

From the toes up to the right glute.

And now moving up the body to the pelvis.

Using the awareness to examine what is felt at both hips and the spaces in between them.

The stomach.

Noticing any sensations on the skin.

Noticing any sensations associated with the breath.

Or anything else that may exist there.

Moving up to the chest.

Perhaps even noticing if you can feel the beat of your heart.

And then moving to the back.

Using the spotlight of awareness to start at the low back.

And slowly scan up the spine.

What is the skin making contact with and can you feel it?

Are there any sensations within the body?

Big and small sensations paying them both equal attention.

And then shifting the awareness to the right shoulder.

The right upper arm.

Both front and back side,

Both biceps and triceps.

And then letting the attention circle around the elbow.

Allow your awareness to shift to your forearm.

And your right wrist.

The right palm.

And the back side of your right hand.

And now let the spotlight of your awareness slowly travel over each finger of your right hand from the right pinky finger over to the right thumb.

And then noticing the right arm as a whole.

Noticing its weight.

Noticing where it may make contact with other surfaces or with your own body.

And then letting the attention drift over to the left shoulder.

The left upper arm,

Both front and back side,

Both biceps and triceps.

Allow the attention to circle around the left elbow.

And the left forearm.

The left wrist.

The palm of the left hand.

The back side of the left hand.

And then allowing the attention to move over each finger of the left hand slowly.

Starting with the pinky finger.

Drifting over to the thumb.

And then noticing the full length of the left arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Move the spotlight of your awareness up to your neck.

Noticing the back side where the spine extends upward.

And noticing the front side of the neck beneath the chin.

Move the attention up to the jaw.

Acknowledging whether the jaw holds any tension.

And then the lips.

Whether they make contact with one another.

Or perhaps noticing the air between them if they are separated.

Noticing each cheek of your face.

And drawing awareness to the nose.

Perhaps noticing the sensation of breath moving in and out through the nose or through the lips.

And then the eyes.

The brow.

And the forehead.

And then taking the time to move the spotlight of awareness to your left ear and then your right ear.

And then drawing your attention to your scalp.

From the base of your skull to the crown of your head.

And then slowly moving this awareness to encompass the whole body.

Beginning at the crown of the head.

Down through the face.

The neck.

The left arm.

The right arm.

The back.

The chest.

The belly.

The pelvis.

The right leg.

And the left leg.

Allow your attention to rest on this whole body.

This vessel that carries you from one place to another.

And this vessel that contains your thoughts,

Your emotions.

All of the processes that allow you to breathe,

That allow your heart to beat.

Take a full breath in through your nose,

Deep.

And release it through your mouth.

When you are ready.

Link open your eyes gently.

Reorient yourself to the setting around you.

Both time and place.

Feel the weight and the space of your body here.

And continue to pay attention to your body.

As it moves through this time,

As it moves through this place.

Thank you so much for joining me in practice today.

Namaste.

Reviews

Well produced with no music or distracting background noises. Thank you.

A very peaceful, spacious body scan, thank you so much for that very centering session 🙏🏻

Beautifully simple but very effective body scan. Thank you 🙏🏻

Very soothing voice. Nice body rotation with an adequate pace. Thank you very much!

Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

Great vibes felt during this body scan. Different than the usual and perfect tone and speed of her voice.

I really liked this. Nice change from the usual body scan. I confess it did put me to sleep.

Thanks Makenna. That was well done. Blessings to you and yours!

Good feeling

This is my go to body scan on IT. It’s the perfect length and the pace allows me to drop in deeply. Thank you so much for this recording.

Great body scan! Really nice soothing voice. Very clear instructions without unnecessary details.

Lovely meditation! Nice voice and pace. The only downside is there seems a glitch with insight timer recordings where after silence it doesn’t pick up on the first moment of audio. This causes an irritating skipping effect. It’d be great if this could be worked out. Overall excellent thou 😊