Body Scan For Sleep

This track is a body scan repeated 2 times. The volume on the track slowly drops towards the end. The track is a practice, with practice the track can be remembered where you don’t need to listen anymore but can have it with you whenever and wherever you choose to practice. There is no signal for the end of the practice. A body scan is an excellent way to slowly drop into being, to release the days tensions and allow yourself to drop into sleep. We say ‘to fall asleep’ implying that sleep is like an accident. This relates to how we can’t control when we fall asleep or how, sleep just comes the more we can be in the body and let go of all the days doings. The track has a repeated musical rhythm with the sansula to keep a tempo and help your awareness flow around the body.

Transcript

Welcome to this body scan for sleep.

My name is Mary.

This body scan is here to support you in falling asleep.

Whether that is at the onset of sleep at the beginning of the night,

Or to fall back into sleep throughout the night.

Not to worry about not falling asleep.

The more stressed and worried we become about the onset of sleep,

The farther away sleep retreats from us.

When we shift the mindset to deeply resting and slowing down,

Then falling into sleep will happen naturally,

Right when the time is right.

Our brain can either think or feel.

It cannot do both,

And although we would like to find the switch to turn off the thinking mind,

From shifting into feeling and sensing,

The thinking mind quiets down.

A body scan connects the brain with the whole body.

This is a practice.

It changes and evolves with practice.

The more you practice,

The more you will remember and be able to have this body scan with you wherever you go,

Not needing to listen to this recording anymore.

The practice becomes yours.

The body scan repeats two times.

You're invited to land very softly into each point and open to feeling and sensing.

There is no signal for an ending.

You can simply fall into sleep when the time is right.

The body scan welcomes you to slow down.

Begin to welcome slowing down.

Welcome a shift in your rhythms,

From the rhythms of the day to the slow,

Quiet rhythms of the night.

Release the day with your next three exhalations.

Lengthen your exhalation.

You can do that by making a very small opening between the lips as though you were breathing out through a straw.

As you exhale very slowly,

Feel the way the physical body responds to that slow exhale.

Have a sense that each exhale invites you to drop down.

A sensation of sinking into the support beneath you.

Feel the shift in your body as you slow the breath down.

Sense what is happening with that slow exhale.

We'll now begin a rotation of consciousness around the body.

Begin by feeling the right hand thumb and the right hand index finger.

Feel the middle finger and the ring finger.

The little finger and all the fingers on the right hand together.

Feel the right palm of the hand and the back of the hand.

Feel into the wrist joint and the lower arm.

Feel into the elbow joint and the upper arm.

Feel the right shoulder joint and the right armpit.

Feel all the ribs on the right side and the right side waist.

The right hip and the front of the right thigh and the back of the thigh.

The kneecap and the back side of the right knee.

The shin,

The right ankle joint,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The arch of the right foot,

And the top of the foot.

The right big toe and second toe,

The third toe,

Fourth toe,

The fifth toe.

And all the toes on the right foot together.

Feel and sense the whole right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body.

Feeling the whole right side.

Become aware of your left hand thumb,

Index finger,

The left middle finger,

Ring finger,

And the little finger on the left hand and all the fingers on the left hand together.

The left hand,

The palm of the hand,

And the left back of the hand.

The wrist and the lower arm and the left upper arm.

And the left shoulder joint,

Armpit,

And the ribs on the left side.

The left waist,

The front of the left thigh and the back of the thigh.

The left kneecap,

Back of the left knee,

The shin,

The calf,

The left ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot,

And the arch of the foot.

Top of the left foot,

The left big toe,

And the second toe.

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the fifth little toe.

All the toes of the left foot together.

Feel the whole left side of the body.

Feeling the whole left side of the body.

And feeling the left side of the body.

Bring awareness to rest on your tailbone.

Feeling the tailbone.

And trace awareness up your spine.

Feeling from the tailbone all the way up to the crown of the head.

And all the way back down to the tailbone.

Feel the back side of the pelvis and the lower back.

The middle back,

Upper back.

The right shoulder blade and the left shoulder blade.

The back side of the neck and the back of the head.

Feel all the hair and the scalp on the head.

Feeling the whole scalp of the head.

And the top of the head.

Feeling forehead.

And as though the forehead could smooth out and soften with your presence.

Feel the space between the eyebrows.

In both eyebrows.

Both temples.

And the eyes.

Eyelids and the orbs of the eyes.

The eyes quieting into rest.

And feel the space behind the eyes inside the head.

Feeling the space behind the eyes.

Feel the nose.

And the right nostril.

The left nostril.

And feel both nostrils together.

The whole nose.

Feel the touch of breath under the nose and maybe on the upper lip.

Feeling both lips gently touching.

And the teeth inside the mouth.

Feeling the tongue melting.

And notice where the tip of the tongue is resting inside the mouth.

The whole mouth.

Feeling the whole mouth.

And feel the right cheek.

And the left cheek.

Both cheeks together.

The right outer ear.

And the left outer ear.

Feeling both ears.

Both ears.

And feel inside the ears into the middle ears.

And feel deep inside the ears.

Deep within the ears.

Feeling.

And feel the very center of the brain.

Feeling the center of the brain.

And the whole face.

Feeling.

The whole face.

Sensing the face.

And the whole head.

The whole head.

Feeling the front of the neck.

And both collarbones.

Feeling the little hollow between the collarbones.

And the whole front chest.

And feeling the heart and the lungs together in the chest.

Sensing lungs and heart.

Feeling the diaphragm.

That gentle movement of the diaphragm.

Connecting the upper torso with the lower torso.

Through breath.

Feel the belly.

Feeling the whole belly.

And feeling down into the pelvis.

Bowl of the pelvis.

Sensing.

And the front of the pelvis.

And behind the bones on the inside of the pelvis.

Feeling the groin.

Feeling.

Sensing.

And feel the whole front side of the body.

Sense the whole front side of the body.

And feel the whole back side of the body.

The whole back side.

Feel the whole right side.

The whole right side.

Feel and sense the left side of the body.

The whole left side.

And the whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

And sensing.

Just feeling.

And being.

And simply being.

Begin by feeling the right hand thumb.

And the right hand index finger.

Feel the middle finger.

And the ring finger.

The little finger.

And all the fingers on the right hand together.

Feel the right palm of the hand.

And the back of the hand.

Feel into the wrist joint.

And the lower arm.

Feel into the elbow joint.

And the upper arm.

Feel the right shoulder joint.

And the right armpit.

Feel all the ribs on the right side.

And the right side waist.

Right hip.

And the front of the right thigh.

And the back of the thigh.

The kneecap.

And the back side of the right knee.

The shin.

And the calf.

The right ankle joint.

And the heel.

The sole of the right foot.

The arch of the right foot.

And the top of the foot.

The right big toe.

And second toe.

The third toe.

Fourth toe.

The fifth toe.

And all the toes on the right foot together.

Feel and sense the whole right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body.

Feeling the whole right side.

Layer of your left hand thumb.

Index finger.

The left middle finger.

Ring finger.

And the little finger on the left hand.

And all the fingers on the left hand together.

The left hand.

The palm of the hand.

And the left back of the hand.

The wrist.

And the left upper arm.

And the left shoulder joint.

Armpit.

And the ribs on the left side.

The left waist.

The front of the left thigh.

And the back of the thigh.

The left kneecap.

The back of the left knee.

The shin.

The calf.

The left ankle.

Heel.

The sole of the left foot.

And the arch of the foot.

Top of the left foot.

The left big toe.

And the second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And the fifth little toe.

All the toes of the left foot together.

Feel the whole left side of the body.

Feeling the whole left side of the body.

And feeling the left side of the body.

Bring awareness to rest on your tailbone.

Feeling the tailbone.

And trace awareness up your spine.

Feeling from the tailbone,

All the way up to the crown of the head.

And all the way back down to the tailbone.

Feel the back side of the pelvis.

And the lower back.

The middle back.

Upper back.

The right shoulder blade.

And the left shoulder blade.

The back side of the neck.

And the back of the head.

Feel all the hair and the scalp on the head.

Feeling the whole scalp of the head.

And the top of the head.

Feeling the forehead.

As though the forehead could smooth out and soften with your presence.

Feel the space between the eyebrows.

In both eyebrows.

Both temples.

And the eyes.

Eyelids and the orbs of the eyes.

The eyes quieting into rest.

And feel the space behind the eyes inside the head.

And feeling the space behind the eyes.

Feel the nose.

And the right nostril.

The left nostril.

And feel both nostrils together.

The whole nose.

Feel the touch of breath under the nose and maybe on the upper lip.

Feeling both lips gently touching.

And the teeth inside the mouth.

Feeling the tongue melting.

And notice where the tip of the tongue is resting inside the mouth.

The whole mouth.

Feeling the whole mouth.

And feel the right cheek and the left cheek.

Both cheeks together.

The right outer ear and the left outer ear.

Feeling both ears.

Both ears.

And feel inside the ears into the middle ears.

And feel deep inside the ears.

Deep within the ears.

Feeling.

And feel the very center of the brain.

Feeling the center of the brain.

And the whole face.

Feeling the whole face.

Sensing the face and the whole head.

Feeling the front of the neck and both collarbones.

Feeling the little hollow between the collarbones and the whole front chest.

And feeling the heart and the lungs together in the chest.

Sensing lungs and heart.

Feeling the diaphragm.

That gentle movement of the diaphragm connecting the upper torso with the lower torso.

Through breath.

Feel the belly.

And feeling down into the pelvis.

The bowl of the pelvis.

Sensing the front of the pelvis and behind the bones on the inside of the pelvis.

Feeling the groin.

Sensing.

And feel the whole front side of the body.

Sense the whole front side of the body.

And feel the whole back side of the body.

The whole back side.

Feel the whole right side.

The whole right side.

Feel and sense the left side of the body.

The whole left side.

And the whole body.

The whole body.

And sensing.

Just feeling.

Feeling.

Sensing.

And simply being.