Week 4.
Body Scan with Difficult Sensations.
Welcome back.
I'm Dr Ed.
This is a body scan with difficult sensations.
15 minutes of learning to turn toward discomfort instead of away from it.
We spend so much energy avoiding pain that we often make it worse.
This practice is not about making discomfort going away.
It's about changing your relationship with it.
So,
Find a comfortable position,
Lying down,
Sitting,
Whatever works for you.
Now to lower your eyes.
The intention here is to be aware,
Dignified,
Here and now.
So,
Let's begin with three deeper breaths.
In and out through your nose.
Breathe in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Now just let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Just notice you're here now,
In this moment.
Nothing to fix.
Nothing to achieve.
Just being here with whatever there is.
Now,
Start by bringing your attention to where your body makes contact with the surface supporting you.
The pressure,
The support,
The weight.
See it in your mind's eye.
Now expand the awareness to the whole body.
Just a general sense of your body as a whole.
Are there any areas that feel pleasant right now?
Any areas of ease or discomfort?
Just notice them.
There's no need to label.
Are there any areas that feel unpleasant?
Tension,
Tightness,
Discomfort,
Pain?
Just notice them for now.
We'll come back to these later.
Now,
Bring your attention to your feet.
And notice whatever sensations are present here.
Or indeed,
The absence of any sensation.
If you find discomfort here,
Tension,
Aching,
Tightness,
Don't try to fix it or change it.
Just acknowledge that it's there.
Now,
Let's try something.
Breathe into that area.
Imagine your breath traveling down through your body,
Into your feet,
Into any discomfort that might be there.
As you breathe out,
Imagine softening around the sensation.
Not making it go away.
Just softening the edges.
Now,
The same for your ankles or calves or shins.
Any tightness or discomfort there,
Try breathing into it.
You're not going to fix it with your breath.
You're just bringing awareness and your breath to the area.
Now,
Let's move up again to your knees and your thighs.
What are the sensations here?
Is there any tightness,
Any holding on?
Breathe into it and soften around it.
Now,
Let's move up again to your pelvis and lower back.
Many men hold chronic tension here.
If you notice discomfort,
Don't brace it,
Don't fight it,
Don't push through.
That's what we usually do.
We tense around pain.
Instead,
Try softening.
Breathe into your lower back.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine the muscles softening slightly.
Not forcing,
Just inviting.
Now,
Your abdomen and belly.
Notice any tension here,
Any tightness.
Stress often lives here,
Anxiety too.
If there's a knot in your stomach,
Breathe gently into it.
You might notice your mind wants to know why it's there.
Your mind wants to solve and fix and make it go away.
That is normal.
Just notice the impulse and then bring your attention back to breathing into the sensation.
We'll move up again to your chest and upper back.
Many men have tightness here.
If you notice some,
Breathe gently into it.
It could be uncomfortable breathing into the chest tension.
You may feel more anxious or stressed or grief may appear.
They're all okay.
You can handle it.
You're not trying to make it worse or trying to make it better.
You're just being with it.
Let's move up again to the shoulders.
This is where many men carry the weight of the world.
If you're like most guys,
Your shoulders are tense.
Just notice what that feels like.
Hard,
Tight,
Heavy,
Painful.
Breathe into your shoulders.
And as you breathe out,
Just let them drop slightly.
Just a millimeter.
That's enough.
If they immediately tense up again,
That's fine.
Just notice.
That's your pattern.
You've been holding tension for so long now.
Your body doesn't remember how to let go.
That's okay.
You're just starting to notice.
Let's move up again to your neck.
The front,
Back and sides.
If you feel tension here,
Gently breathe into it.
Your jaw.
Many men hold tension here without realizing.
Is it clenched now?
Ever so slimy?
If it is,
Just allow it to soften.
Let your teeth separate slightly.
And let your tongue rest in your mouth.
Let's move up again.
Your face,
Your forehead.
Are you furrowing your brow?
Tightening around your eyes?
These muscles work hard all day.
See if you can let them rest.
Breathe into any tension in your face.
And soften the muscles as you breathe out.
Now,
Bring your awareness to your whole body.
Notice,
Where is the discomfort most right now?
Focus on that one area that's calling for your attention.
And like before,
Just imagine breathing in and out gently into that area.
Breathe into the discomfort.
Does this discomfort actually feel like to you?
Sharp,
Dull,
Burning,
Tight,
Heavy,
Numb?
Just be curious about that sensation.
Is it constant?
Does it change?
Does it pulse or spread or shrink?
Does it ease if you breathe into it?
Often,
When we pay attention to discomfort,
We find it's not as solid as we thought.
It shifts.
It changes.
It has edges and textures.
Keep breathing into it.
Softening around it with each breath.
Let's begin to draw this practice to a close.
Expand your awareness to your whole body once more.
All of the areas of ease.
All of the areas of discomfort.
All of it and all of you.
You've practiced something important.
Turning towards difficulty instead of away.
It might make pain disappear,
But it can change your relationship with it.
When you stop bracing against discomfort,
Often,
Not always,
But often,
It softens.
The tension around the pain is often worse than the pain itself.
Let's start to come back now to this space around you.
Just pick up any sounds,
Temperature,
Noises.
Anything just to bring you back into the world.
Take your time.
Be gentle with yourself.
There's no rush.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing today.
