Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
This time of year tends to be so busy.
There are holidays coming up and many things to do and things to plan for.
There are gifts to buy and wrap.
There are meals to plan with friends and family.
And there's also travel involved.
And that requires even more time and more planning.
Probably more than at any other time of the year,
We have people to take care of.
But before we can truly take care of others,
We have to be able to show love and kindness to ourselves.
In order to let go and find peace,
In order to spend more time in the present moment,
We have to take time to care for ourselves.
Taking time to be kind to ourselves.
Part of showing love to yourself is taking time to care for yourself.
Taking time to tend to the needs of your body and your mind.
Taking time to be kind to yourself means taking time to take care of your body.
Taking time to do something for yourself.
Taking time to ease your mind.
With that in mind,
Today I want us to do a body scan as part of our goal of taking care of ourselves.
Please make sure that you're in a place where you won't be disturbed.
And make sure your other devices are silenced.
This is your time.
And you can go back to the world in just a little bit.
Close your eyes now,
And let's go in search of this moment together.
Just relax.
There's no pressure.
There's no place to go.
There's nowhere that we have to be.
We are just here,
Looking to find our quiet place.
Looking to take care of ourselves.
And remember,
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
What matters is that you're comfortable.
Keep in mind,
However,
That if you meditate standing up,
You don't want to get too relaxed or you might fall over.
There are an infinite number of ways to do a body scan meditation,
And this is just one.
The main purpose of a body scan is to get more in touch with what's going on in the present moment with our body and with our thoughts.
It helps us connect ourselves and the world around us.
So hopefully we have a better understanding of our thoughts and the sensations in this moment.
It can help us to be more focused and make better decisions,
And it will also help you be more calm and relaxed.
So the most important thing is that you're comfortable.
I've done meditations like this lying down,
Standing up,
And seated.
I've done them in my home and in a tent in the forest.
Do what makes you comfortable.
My hope is that each one of you comes to see meditation as something you can do anywhere and anytime,
Not restricted to a certain posture or a certain room or a certain place.
To begin,
Take in a long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
Breathe in fully and then exhale slowly.
Just breathe at your own pace so it's comfortable for you.
Remember that.
You're not breathing for me.
You're breathing for you.
Pay attention to your breath.
Feel your stomach expand when you inhale and feel it relax as you exhale.
Begin to let go of any noises that are in the room you're in.
And as you breathe,
Begin to shift your attention away from what's outside and focus more inside yourself.
If you're distracted by sounds in the room,
Simply take notice of the sound.
If you notice you're a bit distracted,
Then bring yourself back to focus on your breathing.
Now slowly bring your attention down to your feet.
Again,
Just notice any sensations in your feet.
You might want to wiggle your toes a little,
Feeling your toes against your socks or shoes.
Just notice without judgment any sensations in your feet.
They may be cold or warm or tingly,
But just observe.
Perhaps you don't feel anything at all.
Just allow yourself to feel the sensation of not feeling anything.
And when you're ready,
Allow your feet to slip away from your conscious thought and move your attention up to your legs,
Your thighs and your calves and ankles.
Observe the sensations that you might experience there.
And all the while,
Just breathe.
Just breathe.
Again,
If your mind begins to wander,
Just notice it without judging.
Gently bring your mind back to the task at hand.
Notice any sensations you have in your legs.
Notice how these might change from moment to moment or from one leg to the other.
You might notice that no sensation is permanent.
They ebb and flow like the current of a river.
Just observe what you feel with no judgment and allow the sensations to just be as they are.
And all the while,
We're just breathing.
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
On the next breath,
Just let the legs dissolve from your mind and move on to your lower back and pelvis.
Here again,
Just notice anything you might feel.
Take note of any and all sensations.
At this point,
No matter what position you might be in,
You might be noticing pressure where your body touches other surfaces.
Just let your awareness move up to your upper back and chest.
Perhaps you notice the feeling of clothing and your shoes or slippers.
And as you continue to breathe,
Bring your awareness to the chest and the heart region.
And just notice your heartbeat if you can feel it.
My heart beats so slowly that I can't feel mine anymore,
But you may be able to feel yours.
Notice the movement in your chest as you breathe.
Notice how it falls and rises.
Just feel any sensations again with no judgment.
Now move your attention to your arms and fingers.
Perhaps wiggle your fingers and note anything you feel because our fingers help us to explore the world.
Continue to breathe and shift your focus up to your neck and shoulders and throat.
This is an area where we tend to carry tension,
So you might notice this particularly in the neck.
Just try to let go of any tension you detect.
On the next breath,
Shift your focus to your head and face.
Notice all the sensations occurring there.
Notice the movement of the air as you breathe in and out of the nostrils or mouth.
And now let your attention expand out to include your entire body and bring it into your awareness from the top of your head to the tip of your feet.
And feel your breath as it moves through the body,
Bringing life and tranquility.
Just continue to follow your breath,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Your breath is a powerful tool that can help you deal with anxiety and stress and tension.
And you can use it with the body scan to survey your world and take care of yourself,
Especially during this busy holiday season.
Now as we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.
Taking a deep breath and let it out through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
You're ready to move back into your day,
A little calmer and a little more joyful than before.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session and I thank you so much for joining me.
Until next time.
