Body Scan MBSR

This is the practice of the Body Scan based on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program.

Transcript

I invite you now to find a space where you can lie comfortably.

Whether it is lying on your bed or on the floor with enough cushion to allow yourself to feel comfortable.

Knowing that the knees could bend or if comfortable the legs are extended out.

Letting the legs be relaxed and the feet fall open.

Allowing the arms to rest down about a foot away from the body.

Preferably palms facing upwards,

Maybe shoulders wiggling a little downwards.

But if any of this does not feel comfortable for you,

Simply find that which does feel comfortable.

Now allowing the eyes to softly close.

If at any point you feel really tired,

Simply allow the eyes to open but not fixing the gaze on anything specifically.

So now,

Guiding your awareness to the fact that you are breathing.

Not trying to change anything at all but we're just observing right now our breath.

Notice if your breath feels tight or light.

If it feels deep or shallow.

Smooth or staggered.

If it feels forced or if it's maybe free flowing.

Now see if you can guide the awareness of the breath down into the belly.

So maybe you feel the belly expand with each in-breath and fall with each out-breath.

At any point your mind starts to drift away,

Gently guide it back to the breath and to what we're doing.

Knowing that the natural state,

The true natural state of the mind is to think.

You're not punishing yourself for thinking,

Not punishing the mind for thinking,

But just allowing ourselves to start to build and strengthen our awareness muscle.

Whenever the mind is drifting away into maybe a thought or feeling or any other distractions,

Simply guide the awareness back.

And doing so as if your awareness is your best friend,

You're guiding them back in.

Without speeding yourself up.

Each and every time the mind wanders,

Simply guide the awareness back.

So now start to guide the awareness down the body,

All the way down the entire left leg,

All the way down to the tips of the toes.

And try to breathe in and out of the tips of the toes on your left foot.

This may feel kind of awkward or strange,

But trying to simply just breathe in and out of the toes,

The tips of your toes.

We're going to go through different parts of the body and as we do so,

Just guide your awareness to each part.

Like we were doing with the breath and the belly,

Breathing in and out of the belly.

Trying to breathe in and out of each part of the body that we go through.

So now I invite you to guide the awareness to the toes,

Mainly the left big toe and over to the left little toe.

And now all of the toes in between.

Trying to breathe in and out of all of your toes.

So the toes aren't trying to be anything else than what they are right now.

Now I invite you to guide the awareness to the top of the left foot,

Wrapping the awareness to the sole of the left foot.

And into the left heel.

Allowing your awareness to rest now in the left foot.

Breathing in and out of the entire left foot.

Now guiding the awareness to the left ankle.

Breathing in and out of the left ankle.

And up the left shin.

As well as the back of the lower left leg,

The left calf.

Bringing the awareness to the entire lower part of the left leg.

From the ankle all the way up to the knee.

Allowing the awareness to reside in the left knee.

The sides of the knee,

The front of the knee,

The back of the knee,

The entire left knee.

So not trying to move the leg or anything at all like that.

Just letting the awareness rest in the left knee as it is right now.

Not trying to do anything,

Not trying to be anywhere else.

Now I invite you to guide the awareness of the left thigh.

Front of the thigh,

Back of the thigh.

The entire left thigh.

Breathing in and out of the left thigh.

Now allowing the awareness to rest in the left hip as it is right now.

Also not trying to change the breath at all.

But simply breathing in and out with full awareness in the left hip.

Now guiding the awareness over to the right leg and all the way down the right leg and to the tips of the toes of the right foot.

Breathing in and out of the toes,

The tips of the toes of the right foot.

Allowing the tips of the toes again to just be as they are.

And now guiding the awareness to the big toe,

The right foot,

As well as the little toe of the right foot.

And all of the toes in between.

Breathing in and out of all of the toes on the right foot.

The awareness move to the top of the right foot.

The sole of the right foot,

The right heel.

And now into the right ankle.

Breathing in and out of each area.

Full awareness.

Getting attention on purpose as if it is your job to do so.

Now guiding the awareness up the right shin as well as the back of the right lower leg,

The calf,

The Achilles tendon.

And now up into the right knee,

Sides of the knee,

Front of the knee,

Back of the knee.

And inside that right knee.

Now into the entire right thigh.

Just as it is.

Breathing in and out,

Full awareness on the right thigh.

Let the awareness take up residency in the right hip.

And each time that your mind starts to wander elsewhere,

Simply guide it back to what you are doing right now.

Simply breathing in and out with the right hip with full awareness.

Many sensations in that right hip.

And knowing that no matter what else may be going on,

What else that you may feel could be wrong.

If you can breathe,

There's more right with you than wrong with you.

Guiding the awareness up into the pelvis,

The belly,

The buttocks,

The groin,

The pelvic region as a whole.

Up into the torso,

The front of the ribs,

Wrapping around to the back of the ribs,

The entire back,

Lower middle,

Upper back.

You can notice any sensations,

Not judging them.

Simply just bringing full awareness.

And if things get to be a little too much physically,

You have two options.

One,

You can adjust your body.

You can adjust yourself.

But doing so mindfully,

So not just moving the arm,

The leg,

The body,

Just anywhere.

But doing so on purpose.

So the second option is to just be where you are.

Maybe sit with a little discomfort.

Maybe notice whatever arises.

Allowing the awareness to go a little deeper.

Or into the torso,

Maybe you can bring full awareness to the intestines,

The stomach,

The lungs,

Diaphragm,

Kidneys,

Gallbladder,

Appendix,

Reproductive organs.

Shifting the awareness up.

Maybe you can start to feel and sense into the heart.

All these organs working mindlessly,

Allowing us to function,

Allowing us to live in this body.

Bringing up resonance in this body right now.

Now guiding the awareness up into the chest and doing both arms at once,

Guiding the awareness all the way down the arms and to the tips of all of the fingers,

The thumbs,

The pinkies,

And all the fingers in between.

Palms of the hands,

Tops of the hands,

The wrists,

Forearms,

Elbows,

Biceps,

Triceps,

Armpits,

And shoulders.

Just as they are right now.

Not needing to do anything,

Not needing to be anywhere.

Just right here,

Right now.

As we lie here,

Breathing.

Bringing the awareness now up into the neck and the head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyelids,

Face resting in their eye sockets,

Temples,

Ears,

Nostrils,

Lips,

Tongue,

Jaw,

Right arm,

Left leg,

Left arm,

Right leg,

Both arms,

Both legs,

Torso,

And head.

The entire body together as a whole.

The entire body together as a whole.

Now imagine as though there's a hole in the crown of the head,

About the size of a quarter.

Whenever you breathe in,

Imagine as though the breath is being pulled in through the crown of the head and it's traveling down the entire body,

All the way down and out the tips of the fingers and tips of the toes.

And whenever you exhale,

The air travels all the way back up from the tips of the toes,

All the way up the entire body and back out the crown of the head.

Just allow yourself to breathe in this manner.

Allowing the whole entire body to bathe in the breath.

Right here,

Right now.

Noticing,

Feeling,

And sensing the entire body as you lie here breathing.

Just for this next couple moments,

Allow yourself to rest.

Just rest where you are.

Feeling the intention to continue to practice.

Even in the times you feel you aren't able to,

Allow yourself the gift of being present.

The gift of being mindful and being in the body as it is right now.

Simply paying attention on purpose.

Allowing the breath to deepen,

Begin to wiggle fingers and toes.

Yawn or stretch or move in any direction.

Remember to blink the eyes open and begin to notice light and dark shapes and maybe colors.

Just take a moment and thank yourself for doing something positive for yourself.

May this peace continue to spill out through the rest of your day and into the next.

Reviews

Excellent session to calm and recharge my mind

Great quick body scan. Soothing

Really lovely. Great pace. 🙏🏻 Thank you

I am on vacation and​ needed to takes.e time to refocus. This did wonders. Thank you Maureen.