Welcome to this body scan practice to support your ability to rest at night.
I'm Mary Beth Highland,
Workplace culture consultant and teacher here on Insight Timer.
Today I'll be sharing an excerpt from my book,
Permission to be Human,
Followed by a guided practice in conducting a generous body scan so that you can be in tune with the messages your body is sending you and respond to them so that you can rest and relax.
Our bodies are the keepers of our souls.
They are constantly giving us powerful messages about what is okay and what is not.
When we can make a deliberate effort to listen to our bodies and respond to them from a place of self-care,
We can begin to be one with our mind,
Body,
And spirit.
There's a powerful Cherokee proverb that says,
If you listen to your body when it whispers,
You won't have to hear it scream.
I can't tell you how many years I numbed out the whispers,
Ignored the signs,
And popped a pill to get through.
Today,
When I notice my neck is stiff or I have a headache coming on,
I stop and check in with myself to see what I can do to tell my body that I heard it,
That it matters,
And that I will take care of it.
A body scan is an excellent tool for doing just that.
It's the simple practice of closing your eyes,
If you want,
And slowly scanning your body from your head to your toes to see how it's doing.
You can notice where you're tight,
Where you're feeling well,
And then be intentional about giving yourself loving attention wherever your body could use it.
A stretch,
A walk,
Or even going to sleep are great ways to start to build a kinder relationship with your body's whispers.
Let's practice this mindfulness technique together now.
Decide if you want to lay down or sit.
If this is a practice that you're doing before you go to sleep,
Then go ahead and get ready for bed first.
Then you'll be thanking your future self by being in a perfect position to gently drift off to sleep afterwards.
Having said that,
You can utilize this technique any time of day to intentionally check in and support your physical,
Mental,
And emotional well-being.
Okay,
Now that you're comfortable,
Let's begin by simply elongating our breath in and out through the nose,
Taking long,
Deep breaths,
Simply noticing as the air goes in and out of your nostrils,
Really putting all your attention to your nostrils now and see if you can notice the difference in temperature in the air that's going in and the air that's coming out.
This is the level of attention that we're going to give your entire body one part at a time.
Begin by envisioning a warm,
Loving,
Bright light right above your head,
Just like that bright light that shines on a scanning machine when you make a copy.
We're going to slowly have this light scan down your body so that you can pay attention to where it has messages for you to receive.
With each breath you take,
You'll slowly envision this light making its way down your body.
Let's begin by seeing this light starting at the top of your head.
This part of your body creates your window to the world.
It allows you to express and to connect.
It serves you in so many ways.
What do you notice as this light makes its way over your forehead,
Eyes,
Nose,
Mouth,
And down to the chin?
Are you holding any tension in your face that you can release?
Is there anything that you're holding in your head from today that you can let go of now?
Perhaps you could put any thoughts or judgments down for a nap too.
You can let anything go through your exhale,
Simply relaxing those areas of your body and allowing your breath to serve you.
Envision whatever you want to leave making its way out through the stream of air that's leaving your nose,
Feeling your whole face soften,
Your head feeling completely relaxed.
Now seeing that warm light moving down through your neck and shoulders.
This part of our bodies carries so much for us each day.
This can be a big area of buildup.
What is your body telling you here?
Where can you give it some extra love and permission to relax and let go?
What can you release with your exhale?
Seeing that light make its way down over your chest,
Shoulders,
Torso,
And your back.
Really noticing where things feel good and giving gratitude for all of that.
Also noticing where you could use some extra attention.
Send your breath to anywhere in your body that's asking for some love.
Continuing with the light making its way down to your belly,
Hips,
Seat,
And thighs.
What experiences might have made your belly upset today that you can let go of right now?
Perhaps you want to even give yourself a slight rub or a gentle stretch to honor whatever you're noticing.
Now seeing that light make its way down the legs to your ankles.
These powerful muscles help us to get from one place to the next.
What a gift they are.
Perhaps you want to give your ankles a gentle roll.
Just notice how they respond.
Continuing to use the breath as a tool for your alignment.
Releasing anything here that's not serving you one exhale at a time.
And finally all the way down through your feet into your toes.
This part of us that literally holds all our weight every single day.
See if you're able to notice each one of your toes.
Starting at the pinky and making your way over to the big toe.
Giving them a wiggle if it feels good.
Now that the light has completed its scan,
See it in front of you as a bright ball.
Like the sun shining just for you.
Notice which part of your body was asking for the most support.
Which part of your vessel could use some extra attention.
Once you've identified that area,
See that big beautiful light now entering your body in that exact location.
Allowing it to make a home there and support your mind and body in this opportunity to rest,
Relax and be well.
What a gift.
On your next inhale,
Bring your hands up to your heart and connect with your heartbeat.
Really feel it in the palm of your hand.
And simply give it gratitude for keeping you going and serving you in this life.
Let's take one big inhale together.
And exhale.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly begin to bring yourself back from this guided practice and into the room.
Maybe you want to wiggle your fingers and toes.
What are your eyelids?
Or perhaps you want to stay rested.
Your choice.
Whatever you choose,
Take a moment to give yourself some gratitude.
Gratitude for choosing to help yourself by listening to your body's whispers.
They always carry wisdom when you make space to hear the messages they have for you.
This is Mary Beth Highland reminding you to do a body scan so that you can give yourself and others permission to be human.
