Hello and welcome back to day four of the meditation for beginners series.
I'm so glad that you're here.
Today I'll be guiding us through a body scan practice and I'll be honest of all the practices I've had the most trouble with the body scan but over time I've really come to understand it and realize how useful it can be.
So if you're like me and you find this or any other practice more challenging than the others just know that that's okay and it's also okay to adapt the exercise in a way that works for you.
Different people will resonate with different practices at different times.
So if you're ready to begin let's start in the usual way coming to a comfortable seated position and for the body scan we also want to have some symmetry in the body.
So perhaps you uncross the legs and place your hands at your sides or in your lap.
Probably by now on day four you've found a place or a position that works best for you.
We want to be comfortable but not so comfortable that it's easy to fall asleep.
Closing the eyes whenever you're ready.
Bring your attention to your physical body and how it's interacting with the space that you're in.
Feel the soft pressure of the soles of your feet against the floor.
Feel how your legs and your lower back press against the seat which is holding you.
Notice how your head sits right above your neck and your shoulders which are extended long and tall.
And your skin.
Bring awareness to any sensations,
The softness or the roughness of clothing or of hair.
Maybe your lips are dry.
Maybe your socks feel warm.
Next bring your attention to your right foot.
What is the right foot experiencing right now?
There's the feeling of it against the floor.
There's also the top and the sides and the toes and the heel.
And almost certainly our bodies are not the same.
So as I walk us through the body feel free to adapt these suggestions to work for you however your body is right now in this moment.
Move your attention from your right foot to your lower right leg.
And then up again to the right knee.
And then the thigh and the back of the right leg.
Each time paying close attention to the sensations of that area of the body,
Not judging whatever we find.
Focus now on the right hip,
The pelvis and the right glute.
And now bring your attention to your left foot,
The toes,
The heel,
The ankle.
And perhaps you'll notice something new on the left side that's different from the right side.
Or maybe not.
Moving up to the lower left leg,
The left knee.
And up to the left thigh and the back of the left leg.
Feeling again the pressure of the leg against the chair.
And now your left hip,
The left side of the pelvis and the left glute.
And if you're getting distracted at all by a thought that may have crossed your mind,
Gently but firmly bring your attention back to the body,
Observing how it feels to be in your body right now.
Continuing with the body scan,
Bring your awareness to the stomach and the front of your chest,
The lower back and then the upper back.
And continue to breathe if you've forgotten to do so,
Noticing how your inhales and exhales cause your ribs to expand and contract front to back,
Side to side.
And now let's bring our attention down to the right hand.
And just as we did with the feet,
Notice the fingers,
The palm,
The back of the hand and the right wrist.
Move upwards to the right forearm,
The elbow,
The upper part of the right arm and the shoulder,
The right collarbone.
Keep breathing.
Now down to the left hand,
The fingers,
The palm,
The back of the hand and the left wrist.
How does the left forearm feel?
How about the left elbow,
The upper part of the left arm and the shoulder and the left collarbone?
Now coming to the neck,
What sensations can you observe there?
Perhaps there's an external sensation of the skin as well as an internal sensation of the bones of the spine and the throat.
And again,
Notice if your mind has started thinking and if it has,
Acknowledge the thought and come right back to your breath or the sound of my voice to bring you back to this body scan.
Next,
Let's focus on the lower jaw and the cheeks,
A place where we often find tension in the face.
You may drop the lower jaw slightly and separate the lips,
Which will help relax the small muscles of the face.
Notice your nose,
Where your breath enters and exits the body,
The ears,
Which help you to hear sound and relaxing also the tiny muscles under your eyebrows and around the eyes.
And now to the forehead,
The temples and the scalp of the head.
Scanning on your own now through the entire body from the top of your head to the very bottom of your feet and everything in between,
What does it feel like to be you right now?
Real question and I hope you'll answer with kindness and without judgment.
Thank you so much for showing up for yourself and meditating with me today.
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow for day 5.
