Body Scan Relaxation

This is a gentle 30-minute guided body scan. To skip the intro, start at 3mins 20secs. This practice involves mindfully scanning your body starting at your toes up to your head. It helps you to connect more deeply to your body so that you are more in tune with your physical self. It also invites you to meet yourself as you are with warmth and kindness. Enjoy!

Transcript

Welcome to the body scan.

This meditation is intended to help you develop greater awareness and connection to your body.

Before we begin,

Take time to make yourself comfortable,

Ideally lying flat on the floor or a bed,

Perhaps with a pillow under your knees and another one under your head.

Allow your arms to rest alongside the body with your palms open to the sky if that feels comfortable,

And with your feet falling away from each other.

Ensure that you are warm,

Dressed in loose comfortable clothing,

And you might like to cover yourself in a blanket.

If lying on your back is difficult,

Then feel free to lie or sit in whatever posture is comfortable for you.

It is best if you can manage to stay awake throughout this entire exercise.

If any feelings of drowsiness arise,

It may be helpful to practice with your eyes open from time to time.

Keep in mind that while this is a lying down practice,

The intention is to fall awake rather than to fall asleep.

This body scan is an invitation to step out of clock time and be present in this very moment with an open mind and an open heart,

Following along with the instructions as best you can.

But keep in mind that what's most important is not what I am saying as such,

But your awareness of what you are experiencing in any given moment.

I'll guide you in a meditation bringing awareness through the body,

From the feet to various regions of the body,

Right up to the top of the head.

If during the meditation you find that you touch areas of tension or anxiety that you would rather not stay with right now,

Simply move your attention to your breathing and return to the body scan when it feels comfortable to do so.

This body scan is a process of exploration.

It's not about doing it in a certain way,

There is no right or wrong.

As you become aware of something,

Just observe it gently.

For example,

If you notice an area of tightness,

Become aware of this,

But in a curious and kind way.

You'll also notice the activity of the mind as we go along.

When this happens,

Simply notice that the mind is active and without being judgemental or critical,

Bring yourself back to the body by listening to the words and picking up again.

It doesn't matter if your mind wanders off hundreds of times,

The art of mindfulness is bringing your attention back to the present moment again and again.

If you can,

Give yourself the space to be just as you are right now and allow an attitude of kindness towards yourself.

See if you can avoid any tendency to try to relax too hard,

As this will just create tension.

The main instruction is simply to be with what is,

Letting go of any wanting things to be different from how they are right now.

As you practice the body scan again and again,

See if you can bring a beginner's mind to each practice,

Recognising that each experience is unique in its own right.

So,

As you lie or sit here,

Bring your attention to your breathing.

Simply notice the fact that you are breathing.

No need to control it or change it in any way.

Let it be just the way it is.

Gently let your attention settle on your belly,

Feeling the rising and falling of your belly as you breathe in and breathe out,

As though you are riding the waves of your own breathing,

Receiving each breath just as it is.

If you become lost or distracted,

Just gently notice this and then bring your attention back to your breathing,

Experiencing your belly rise and fall as you breathe.

Now,

Tuning into your body as a whole,

Feeling it from head to toe,

Sensing the back of the body,

The areas which are in contact with the bed or floor,

Sensing the areas which aren't in contact with anything,

Sensing the front of the body,

Noticing any movements in the body as you breathe,

Feeling the weight of the body,

The weight of the head,

The weight of the torso,

The hips,

The legs,

The arms.

And for the next few breaths,

See if you can allow a sense of letting go as the body sinks more deeply into the surface beneath you.

On your next breath,

Narrow the focus of your attention towards the left foot and rest it on the left big toe,

Simply noticing any sensations here,

Coolness,

Warmth,

Tingling,

Feeling of the sock against the toe,

Perhaps feeling nothing at all.

If so,

Just noticing this feeling of feeling nothing,

Being with whatever is happening or not happening in the left toe right now.

Moving your attention to the rest of the toes on your left foot,

The spaces between the toes,

Moving to the ball of the left foot,

The sole,

The arch,

The heel,

Feeling the contact point against the floor,

Moving around to the top of the left foot,

And as you breathe,

Expand your attention to the whole of the left foot.

And breathing in and out as you rest your awareness on the left foot.

Allowing your attention on the left foot to dissolve,

Turn your attention to your left ankle,

Left lower leg,

The shin bone,

The calf muscle,

Feeling any contact points with the floor or clothing,

Bringing attention to the left knee,

The kneecap,

The sides of the knee,

The crease of the back of the knee,

Moving into the left thigh,

A large area,

The front of the left thigh,

The back,

Feeling the weight of this body part,

Just experiencing the whole of the left thigh area.

And taking a breath in,

Allowing your attention to flow through the left leg,

Experiencing the whole of the left leg.

And noticing how the leg feels now that you've given it attention,

Perhaps noticing how it feels in comparison to the right leg.

And on the next breath,

Direct your attention down your right leg and rest it on the right big toe,

Moving your attention to the other toes on the right foot,

The spaces between the toes,

Moving into the ball of the right foot,

The arch,

The sole,

The heel,

The top of the right foot,

Experiencing the whole of the right foot as you breathe in and breathe out.

If you notice your mind wandering off,

Gently bring it back to the right foot,

Letting go of the right foot,

Move into the right ankle,

Being aware of the bony parts of the right ankle,

The right lower leg,

The shin area,

The calf muscle,

The right knee,

The kneecap,

The sides of the knee,

The crease at the back of the knee,

Moving into the right thigh,

The front area,

The back area,

The top of the thigh.

And breathing in and breathing out,

Expanding your awareness to the whole of the right leg,

Allowing your breath to flow up and down the whole of the right leg,

To also include the left leg.

Now bringing attention to the pelvic area,

The hips,

The hip bones,

The genital area,

The back of the pelvis,

The buttocks,

Feeling the contact against the floor,

Simply observing any sensations or lack of sensations,

And moving into the back area,

The lower back,

The middle back,

Perhaps being aware of any organs and muscles in this area,

The upper back,

The rib cage at the back,

Maybe feeling a move with each breath,

The shoulder blades,

The left shoulder blade and the right shoulder blade,

The spine,

Allowing the breath to flow up and down the spine,

From the lower back,

All the way up to the base of the neck,

And back down again.

And from here,

Extending the breath as you focus your attention on the entire back,

And feeling the weight of the back as it is supported by the floor or chair.

On the next breath,

Letting go of the back and bringing the attention around to the belly area,

Perhaps noticing any sensations of digestion,

And feeling the belly rise and fall with each breath,

Moving into the chest area,

Feeling the expansion of the rib cage at the front and at the side,

And if you can,

Tuning into the rhythmic beating of the heart within the chest,

Or simply being aware that the heart is beating within the chest area,

Aware of the lungs,

Aware of the muscles of the chest,

The chest bone,

The left collarbone,

The right collarbone,

The tops of the shoulders,

And from here,

Breathing into the entire chest area,

Aware of any sensations or emotions that may be present in this part of the body.

Moving from the chest region,

Drawing attention down both of the arms to the fingertips of both hands,

And from the fingertips,

Moving into the fingers and thumbs,

The palms of the hands,

Feeling any sensations,

Perhaps moisture or clamminess,

Or maybe dryness,

Noticing the knuckles spanning across the hands,

The backs of the hands,

Breathing in and out as you rest your attention on the hands,

The wrists,

The lower arms,

The elbows,

The rougher outer skin of the elbows,

And the delicate skin on the inside of the elbows,

The upper arms,

The armpits,

And with your breath,

Allow your attention to flow up and down the arms,

All the way down into the fingertips,

And back up again.

Now moving your attention to the shoulders,

The tops of the shoulders,

Noticing any sensations,

The neck,

The throat,

Being aware of the ability to swallow,

Noticing any sensations of breathing,

The back of the head,

The weight of the head against the floor,

The skull,

The scalp,

The area between the skull and the scalp,

The hair,

The hairline,

The crown of the head,

The forehead,

Noticing any tension here,

The eyebrows,

The area between the eyebrows,

The eyes,

The left eye,

The right eye,

The eyeballs,

Feeling any subtle movements,

The eyelids,

The eyelashes,

Moving into the nose,

The bridge of the nose,

The nostrils,

The left nostril,

The right nostril,

The tip of the nose,

And taking a breath through the nose,

Sensing any feeling of air coming in and going out,

Noticing any sounds in the nose as you breathe,

Moving into the cheekbones,

The skin of the cheeks,

And without changing anything,

Being aware of the expression on the face,

Sensing the ears,

The left ear,

The right ear,

The areas where the ears meet the head,

Aware of the jaw,

The hinge joint at the left side and the right side of the face,

The chin,

The mouth,

The lips,

The top lip,

The bottom lip,

The line where the lips meet,

The inside area of the mouth,

The top teeth,

The bottom teeth,

The gums,

The feelings of saliva,

The tongue,

And breathing in and out as you rest your attention on the mouth,

And from here,

Expanding your awareness to the entire area of the face and the head.

And bringing your attention back to the crown of the head,

Imagining that you're breathing in and out of a small area at the crown of your head,

About the size of a fifty cent coin.

And as you breathe in,

Allowing the breath flow all the way through and down the body,

Through the head,

Neck,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Chest,

Back,

Tummy,

Pelvis,

Legs,

Right down into the toes and out of the soles of the feet.

And breathing in from the soles,

Filling the feet,

The ankles,

The legs,

Hips,

Tummy,

Chest,

Back,

Arms,

Shoulders,

Neck,

And head,

And breathing out again at the crown of the head.

Breathing in newness and freshness,

And breathing out any energy that's no longer needed.

Developing the capacity to be in the present with the body as it is,

To be with feelings as they are,

And recognising that this acceptance is healing in of itself.

And for the final few minutes of this meditation,

Allow the breath to flow naturally throughout the whole of the body,

As you connect with your true self in a space of stillness and restfulness.

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And coming back to the body,

Beginning to move the fingers and toes,

And moving and stretching in any way that feels comfortable.

When you feel ready,

Open your eyes,

And allow the calmness and centeredness to stay with you as you move,

Allowing everything to be just the way it is,

Seeing yourself as complete right now,

Just as you are.

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Reviews

Thank you 🙏

Excellent practice but found myself drifting away from practice a lot but came back as quick.