We're going to do a brief body scan.
So I invite you to get comfortable.
Often a body scan is done laying down.
So if you want to take a moment to lay down on a rug or a yoga mat,
You could do it seated.
You can even do it standing.
So whatever position is most comfortable for you.
And you can always put a pillow under your head if you're laying down,
Cover yourself with a blanket,
If you're sitting in a chair,
Maybe uncrossing your legs,
Resting your hands comfortably in your lap.
And feel free to close your eyes if you want,
But you don't have to.
And if you keep your eyes open,
Think about having a soft gaze.
So eyes about halfway open,
Maybe softly gazing at the ceiling or gazing down rather than looking at the screen.
So what we're going to do is I'm going to systematically move your awareness through different parts of your body.
We're going to go fairly quickly so we're not going to linger too long in any one area.
And it helps people reconnect with their body in all the different areas of it.
Because if we're dealing with pain,
We might get stuck in that one area with the strong sensation.
So it's helping people to see,
Hey,
You know,
If I have horrible neck pain,
Oh wait,
Bringing my awareness to my feet and my feet actually are not feeling any pain or to my fingers.
So it's moving through all the different areas of the body.
And so if an area of the body just gets too intense,
Like it's totally overwhelming,
You can move your attention somewhere else,
You could come back to your breath,
Focus on your breath.
You don't have to stay with that painful or overwhelming area.
But we won't stay too long for that very reason.
And it might be,
You know,
With practice of just kind of exploring,
Can I take one breath staying focused on this area that might be difficult?
Or if that's too much,
Maybe half a breath and then I move my attention elsewhere.
And you can always pause this at any time.
Do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable.
So taking a few more moments,
Getting settled,
Finding stillness,
Eyes open,
Softly or closed.
And we are going to begin to bring our awareness to the top of your head.
And there's nothing that you need to do here.
You don't need to try to relax these areas.
But we're just going to bring observation to each area.
Just notice what is there,
Any sensation or lack of sensation.
So knowing if it's hard to feel anything in that area,
That is a valid understanding and that's a valid observation.
So now bringing your awareness to the back of your head and the left side of your head and your left ear and the right side of your head and your right ear.
Now bringing your awareness to your face and your forehead,
Your eyes and your temples,
Your nose and your cheeks,
Your mouth and your chin.
Just noticing whatever sensation you're feeling in your face is valid.
Bringing your awareness to the back of your neck and to your throat,
The backs of your shoulders,
The tops of your shoulders.
Notice your upper arms and your elbows,
Your forearms,
Your wrists and your hands.
Notice all of your fingers.
What do you feel?
What do you observe?
Coming back up the arms to the shoulders and the back.
Notice your upper back,
Your mid back and your low back.
Just observing any sensation in these areas,
There's no right or wrong.
Noticing the right side of your torso and the left side of your torso.
Noticing your chest and your abdomen.
Noticing your lower belly,
Your pelvis and your hips.
Noticing your buttocks and your thighs and your knees.
Bringing your awareness now to your lower legs and to your ankles,
To your feet,
To all of your toes.
Taking a moment now to feel your whole body.
Front to end.
Just take a few breaths.
Notice how that sensation of the breath feels in your body.
When you're ready,
If your eyes are closed,
Very gently blinking them open.
Begin to move your body,
Maybe do some shoulder rolls or gentle neck rotations,
Whatever feels good for you.
Thank you for trying this brief body scan with me.
