(MBSR) Body Scan

A full length body scan by Mindfulness Northwest's teacher Karen Schwisow. Great practice to stabilizing attention and developing awareness of the body.

Transcript

Entering now into the practice of the body scan.

Finding a way of lying down or sitting so that you feel comfortable,

Supported.

Reminding yourself that there's nowhere to get to.

There's nothing to achieve,

No perfect way to experience the practice.

Letting go as best you can of judgments,

Evaluations.

Inviting yourself to be the impartial witness,

The watcher of your experience.

And if you've done the body scan a few times,

Encouraging a beginner's mind.

Letting go of preconceived ideas of how this will be based on how it was before.

And as you settle in and we begin,

Start with a breath.

An awareness of the coming and the going of the breath.

Let your attention come to the belly.

Feeling the rise and the fall of the belly as you breathe.

As it gently expands on the inhalation and empties out a bit on the exhalation.

And inviting a sense of heaviness.

Particularly on the exhalation.

Encouraging a feeling of releasing.

Perhaps relaxing.

Sinking down into the support that's underneath you.

And then bringing the awareness down into the left foot.

All the way down to the toes.

And without moving the toes or the foot,

See if you can be aware of your big toe on the left foot.

And maybe the little toe.

And is it possible to have a sense or a feel of the toes in between?

And you might imagine that you can breathe all the way down into your toes.

And exhale out from your toes.

The breath moving into and out of this region.

And then allowing the awareness to come to the sole of the foot,

The bottom of the foot.

Noticing what you feel here.

Sensing into the arch of the foot.

The ball of the foot.

Not so much that you're thinking about the foot as you are taking in whatever sensation might be here.

And it's also possible not to feel anything at all.

And then you just be with that.

Letting your awareness include the back of the heel.

Perhaps it's resting on the bed or the floor and there's a weight there.

Breathing into and out of this region of the foot.

And letting the attention shift to the top of the foot.

And then a sense of the whole entire left foot.

And then allow your awareness to dissolve from that part of the body and let it rest in the ankle.

Without moving the ankle,

Noticing what might be present,

Sensation in this part of the body.

And then allowing that to dissolve from your awareness and shifting your attention to the calf in the back of the lower leg.

And including the shin in front.

And the entire lower leg.

Just noticing,

Observing what you might feel in this part of the body.

And when you're ready,

Bringing the attention up into the left knee.

As if you could inhale and exhale from the left knee.

Feeling into the back of the knee,

The kneecap,

And the joint in between.

You might feel warm,

Tingling,

Achy.

Where there may not be much sensation at all.

Just noticing what's here in your left knee right now.

And then allowing that area to move out of your awareness and shifting your attention to the upper left leg,

The thigh.

Feeling the back of the thigh,

The front of the thigh.

Perhaps you can sense all the way into that long bone.

The muscles,

The flesh,

The skin in this part of the body.

And when the mind wanders away,

If you've become lost in thought of some kind,

Simply notice where it's gone.

And gently,

Kindly,

But firmly bring the attention back,

In this case,

To the left thigh.

Taking in whatever is here in the left thigh.

All the way up into the groin and the hip.

Sensing in to where the leg connects with the pelvis.

And then when you're ready,

On an exhalation,

Release the left leg from your awareness and bring your attention down into the right foot,

The right toes.

And again,

Without moving them or looking at them,

See if you can feel,

Sense into your right big toe,

The right little toe,

Maybe the toes in between.

Imagining that you can breathe into and out of the right toes.

And feeling the sole of the right foot,

The ball of the foot,

The arch of the foot,

The bottom of the heel.

Maybe you can sense heat or cold,

Tingling or numbness.

It's allowing whatever you find to be there.

Not trying to fix it or get rid of it or make it better.

Simply to pay attention to whatever is here.

And let your awareness include the top of the foot.

And the base of the heel,

The back of the heel.

Feeling your foot as a whole.

Letting your attention now include the right ankle.

Breathing into and out of the whole right foot and ankle.

And then on an exhalation,

Letting that part of the body go.

Bringing a sense of curiosity to the lower right leg,

The calf and back,

The shin and front.

What's here to be felt,

To be experienced in the right lower leg?

And on an exhalation,

Letting that part of the body move out of your awareness and bring it to your right knee.

Feeling the back of the knee,

The front of the knee,

The kneecap,

The joint where the lower leg and the upper leg connect.

Is there something to feel,

To experience here in this part of the body?

Knowing,

Accepting that the mind may lose its concentration,

May wander off,

Might even have a sense of sleepiness,

Of dullness of mind.

And not judging or condemning yourself for that.

Simply noticing and as best as possible bringing your attention back again and again.

In this case to the right knee.

And then on an exhalation,

Allow that region to move out of your awareness and bring your attention to the upper right leg,

The thigh,

The back of the thigh,

The sides of the thigh,

The front.

The sense of the skin,

The flesh,

The muscle,

Maybe all the way down to the bone.

Just noticing what's here.

Breathing into and out of this part of the body.

And on an exhalation,

Leaving the whole of the right upper leg and moving into the pelvis.

The right hip and left hip on either side.

The buttocks,

The back.

The sense of the bowl that is the pelvis.

These bones that hold organs of elimination,

Reproduction,

Sexuality.

Breathing into and out of this important region of the body.

And allowing whatever thoughts,

Emotions,

Sensations that arise to simply be there.

And on an exhalation,

Encouraging a feeling of sinking.

Going even deeper into a state of stillness,

Of being present to each moment as it unfolds.

Maybe a willingness to be content.

To just be.

And if you find the opposite,

If you find agitation,

Restlessness,

Frustration.

As best you can,

Allow that to be here as part of your present moment experience.

No need to fight it,

To judge yourself.

Maybe there's even a curiosity.

So this is restlessness.

This is what it feels like in my body to be restless.

Inviting it in to be examined,

Observed.

Not so much thinking about or evaluating what's here,

But simply noticing,

Witnessing it.

And when you're ready,

Bringing the awareness,

The attention to the low back.

Noticing whatever is here to be experienced.

This is a place where there's sometimes intense sensation.

And if that's true for you,

Observing the qualities of that.

Is it sharp,

Dull?

Does it move,

Pulse?

Is it heavy,

Hot?

Simply being with this region of the body and breathing into and out from the low back.

And if breathing in this area encourages some letting go,

Some releasing,

Then notice that.

And when you're ready,

Moving the attention up the spine into the upper back.

Noticing what's here to be felt.

To be observed.

Sensing into the shoulder blades on either side of the spine.

All the way up to the top of the back that meets with the shoulders.

Areas that might accumulate tension from our day,

From our life.

Feeling into this region and breathing into and out of it.

And letting the awareness include now all the way around to the sides of the torso.

To the front of the body.

And coming back to the breath and the belly.

Perhaps feeling the rise and the fall of the belly.

The freedom that the diaphragm has to move.

We might as well feel movement in the chest as the breath enters and exits the body.

The sense of the rib cage expanding.

Not just up,

But out to the side as you breathe in.

And it all draws gently back towards the spine as you breathe out.

Can you sense into the chest?

Maybe tuning into the beat of your heart.

Feeling this important organ that serves to help nourish the rest of the body.

Sensing into the lungs on either side of the heart.

Taking in the breath.

Expelling out the breath.

When you're ready,

On an exhalation,

Releasing this region of the body and traveling all the way down the left arm to the left fingers.

And then doing the same with the right so that you can hold both hands in your awareness.

Feeling fingertips.

Maybe tingling or pulsing a sense of life in the fingers without moving the hand or the fingers.

Sensing the aliveness in the palm of the hand.

The back of the hands.

The entirety of both hands.

Attempting to feel them both.

The thinking mind can only focus,

Think about one at a time,

But awareness can hold both hands simultaneously.

And on an exhalation,

Invite the awareness to travel up to the wrists.

And then up to the lower arms.

Across the elbows.

Traveling all the way up the upper arms.

And then feeling both arms as a whole.

The weight of both arms.

The simple awareness of the arms resting.

Breathing into and out of both arms.

Feeling into where the arms connect with the shoulders.

And allowing whatever arises in your experience to be witnessed and let go of.

Be welcomed.

And released.

As your attention,

Your awareness moves now to the neck.

And feeling the throat in front.

You may notice yourself swallowing or the passage of the breath through the neck.

And then letting the attention travel up into the jaw and the mouth.

And on an exhalation,

Encouraging,

Inviting a sense of relaxation,

Of release through the jaw.

Let the tongue fall to the bottom of the mouth.

The lips may part or you may feel that connection between the lips.

Feeling the gums inside the mouth and the teeth.

The roof of the mouth.

Sensing up into the sinus cavity.

Feel the breath as it enters and exits the nostrils.

Feeling into the ears.

You can release any pressure in the inner ear.

Moving up behind the eyes.

Inviting a sense of the eyeballs sinking deep into their sockets.

Perhaps even the weight of the eyeballs can be felt.

Feeling into the eyebrows,

The space between the eyebrows,

The forehead.

Imagine the forehead smooth.

The temples released.

The cheeks hanging from the bone.

The whole face relaxed,

Still,

Quiet.

No need to project anything.

A sense of your face being felt from underneath,

From the inside.

Very heavy,

Relaxed.

Imagine at the very top of the head,

Crown of the head,

There's an opening about the size of a quarter.

And as you inhale,

The breath comes in through this opening and travels down the body,

All the way out the toes.

And then the breath comes in through the toes,

All the way out through the hole at the top of the head.

Inhaling and exhaling from the top of the head out through the toes,

In through the toes,

And out through the head.

As it travels unimpeded through the entire body,

The body open,

Soft.

Feeling this wave of breath.

Feeling a sense of the body as a whole.

As the wave of breath flows through.

A sense of the body being breathed.

Enriching a sense of wholeness as you are right now.

Inviting a feeling of well-being.

Into a place of stillness.

Silence.

Perhaps peace.

A sense of calm.

Where our limitations are not confining.

Where we allow ourselves to be as we are.

We allow the world to be as it is.

Open and awake to what's here.

And acknowledging the healing aspect of that kind of presence.

A presence that says,

I am enough.

As I am right now.

I am whole and complete.

And there is a fullness of life right here.

The ability to be awake,

To feel,

To care,

To love right now.

Silence.

Take a slightly deeper breath.

As you feel a sense of your body as a whole.

Inviting an awareness of where you are in the room.

Feeling the toes a bit.

Having a sense of curiosity as you wiggle the fingers.

What does it feel like now?

To invite movement.

Little movements.

And then you decide that you're going to maintain this awareness.

That you've cultivated as you invite bigger movements.

Perhaps stretching the arms and the legs.

Maybe what the body wants is to bring the knees into the chest.

Curl a bit.

Deciding that you can return to the body and the breath.

Again and again throughout the day.

To invite the sense of balance and well-being.

That the feeling of being present can bring.

Reviews

Beautiful! I find your voice so relaxing. I'll return to this body scan 🙏

So much thanks for a perfectly perfect body scan meditation Wonderful calming voice

Well since I fell asleep somewhere above the foot, this was great. I like her voice.

Incredibly relaxing and detailed. I relaxed every part of my body thoroughly. Excellent! Thank you so much.

I've been doing MBSR body scans for 2 years and this recording is outstanding and among the very best. Thank you for allowing me/us to experience and enjoy the journey thereby.
Namaste my fellow travelers.

such a great practice.... many thanks🙏

Fantastic Body Scan! Thank you, Karen! I'm ferling refreshed and alive!

Great pacing, calm voice, my favorite body scan I've found so far!

Nice pace and gentle voice. Very nice to feel into the body.

Great body scan!

Focused and very helpful

I always fall back to this scam when I’m particularly stressed or upset. Thank you! I’ve revisited it many times.

Thank you Karen. I am so grateful to have you as a teacher. Your voice brings me back to YTT and our kula every time I get to practice with you. ❤️ 🌲 🌲 🌲

Excellent ! Great deep insight. Thanks.

So lucky to have Karen as a teacher!

Beautiful bodyscan. Thank you. The description said there would be a sound at the end but it stopped suddenly and there was no bell or sound.

Great meditation. Thank you

So relaxing that I fell asleep!

Great mediation. Thanks

What a blessing! Had an amazing experience just truly feeling deep into the felt sense of the body. Thank you!