Hi,
Welcome to today's trauma-sensitive body scan meditation.
Over the next 20 minutes we will be turning a kind,
Curious attention towards the body,
Attending to sensations and beginning to build our capacity for embodied presence.
So for this practice you can remain seated or you can lie down.
Whatever you choose,
Just make sure that your back is straight and supported.
You can grab some pillows or blankets.
Just taking a moment to get comfortable.
And as you settle,
Please remember that you are in complete control of this practice.
So be kind to yourself and take breaks or shift your posture if you need to.
Or open your eyes to come back to the room if you feel overwhelmed.
Making choices that help cultivate safety in your body.
So to begin you can close your eyes or lower your gaze.
And start taking a few deeper breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
All the way down into your belly and breathing out slowly through the mouth.
Allowing yourself to really arrive in this practice and setting the intention to remain alert and compassionate towards yourself over the next few minutes.
And now you can let go of the breath and we'll start the practice by resourcing ourselves.
So just bring to mind a person or a pet or a place that makes you feel safe and happy.
Do your best not to overthink this,
Just choose one.
And if it's a person or a pet,
You might picture their loving gaze or imagine hugging them.
And if you're thinking of a place,
Allow it to really come to life,
Remembering any sounds or smells.
Whatever you choose,
Let this sense of safety and joy to really sink into your body.
To nourish you and to infuse your practice moving forward.
And notice the difference in your body when you bring this image to mind.
You might be feeling more present or relaxed or maybe even playful.
So my invitation is to hold this image in your back pocket throughout the practice and you can come back to it whenever you feel overwhelmed or in need of some support.
Feeling and trusting that this capacity for calm and love is already within you.
So let's start the scan by directing your attention to your feet,
Investigating with curiosity what sensations are present here.
You might feel the points where your feet make contact with the ground or some tingling or temperature.
Open your awareness to the play of sensations in your feet,
Away from the thinking mind.
Letting all thoughts about your feet drift into the background,
Knowing that you can pick them up again after the practice.
But for now,
Just really tuning into sensations,
Making note of any pleasant ones that you find.
And from there,
Allow your attention to move up towards your ankles,
Noticing the sensations here.
And up towards your calves.
Even looking for any sensations or perhaps the absence of sensation with curiosity,
Without judgement.
And then moving up into your knees.
And into your thighs,
Seeing what sensations are present here.
Feeling if there's any tension or maybe a sense of relaxation or maybe restlessness.
Just noticing.
Moving up into the buttocks,
Feeling the pressure,
The weight of your body.
And if there's any tension here,
Just try to breathe into it,
Without changing anything or thinking about it.
And if thoughts or judgements do come up,
Just gently bring your attention back to the body,
Scanning for sensations.
Now shift your attention around into the pelvis,
Noticing the sensations here with a gentle curiosity.
If the sensations here are overwhelming,
Just shift to a different part of the body that feels pleasant or neutral.
Or go back to your resource from the beginning of this practice.
Having control of your own safety and wellbeing.
Now moving up into your abdomen.
What sensations do you notice?
Maybe there's some rumbling or a sense of fullness.
Just look into the sensations,
Trying not to judge or think about them.
Then turning your kind attention towards the stomach.
Investigating the sensations here with curiosity.
And then shifting the attention towards the heart and chest area,
Scanning for any sensations and noting them with kindness and self-compassion.
You may even want to place a hand on your chest to extend yourselves in care.
Now allow your attention to go up into the shoulders,
Feeling them from the inside and noticing any sensations,
Maybe tension or numbness that's there.
Noticing if there are any familiar narratives that come up.
Then turn your attention around,
Scanning your back,
Starting with your lower back.
The sensations in your middle back and your upper back.
Feeling the points of contact with the floor or chair or the sensations of your clothes against your skin,
Making any adjustments to your posture if needed.
Then allow your attention to flow down your arms,
Feeling the sensations in your upper arms,
Elbows,
Your forearms.
And then exploring the richness of sensation that's in your hands.
You might feel their weight,
Temperature,
A sense of tingling,
Maybe even your own heartbeat.
And again allowing any pleasant sensations to linger in your attention.
Then moving up,
Feeling your chin,
Your lips,
The space of your mouth,
Your tongue,
Your tongue.
Noticing your jaw and maybe allowing it to relax a bit more.
Then feeling the space inside your nostrils,
Your cheeks,
The sensations of your eyes not working so hard for a few minutes.
Your eyebrows,
Your forehead.
Feeling the sensations of your ears.
And then finally scanning your scalp for sensations.
And now just take a moment to feel your entire body at once.
Feeling the play of sensations.
And seeing what it's like to be inside this body,
A fully embodied presence.
We often think that we don't feel much that we're cut off from our bodies,
But when we begin to look with kindness rather than judgement,
With compassion rather than a need to fix,
It's quite surprising how much the body is willing to open to us.
So let this practice really sink in.
And congratulate yourself for all the effort and time you're putting into building a better relationship with yourself,
With every practice.
So thank you for meditating with me today and I wish you well.
