40-Minute Body Scan Meditation - Grounding Embodiment

Welcome. Dr. Miller guides you in a 40-minute body scan practiced designed for all levels of meditation experience. This core mindfulness practice is a great way to cultivate body awareness, through focused attention and anchoring attention in the body. Take a journey through the body with present moment awareness and kindness.

Transcript

Welcome to this 40 minute body scan meditation.

Before beginning a practice it can be beneficial to form an intention.

Perhaps to allow yourself to be present with your experience of this meditation.

Honoring yourself and what was necessary for you to take this time away from the busyness of life and simply be where you are here and now.

Next finding a space relatively free from interruptions and choosing your posture for the body scan.

Lying down,

Seated or even standing.

Any position offering you relative comfort and stillness.

Positioning your arms at your sides,

Palms up,

Heels resting on the floor,

Feet gently falling outward.

Noticing the contact of clothing,

Adjusting anything binding or uncomfortable,

Loosening it,

Moving glasses and shoes if you choose.

Allowing your eyes to soften or close whichever is preferred.

Lying here bringing awareness to the sensations of the contact the body makes with the surface supporting it.

And of the body beginning to soften and connect with that surface.

Aware of points of contact as well as parts of the body that are barely touching or not in contact with the surface at all.

Allowing the body to soften and surrender to its own weight.

For the mind to attend to the ever changing landscape of the felt sense of the body moment by moment.

Letting the body be as it is,

Beginning to turn your attention to the feeling of the abdomen.

Rising with the in breath and falling with the out breath.

It can be helpful to place a hand on your belly to sense the movement of the breath.

It can also be helpful to adopt an attitude of generosity,

Acceptance,

Non judgment of the body in the breath.

Observing your breathing from moment to moment.

And whenever the mind wanders bringing your attention back to the breath,

The body,

My guidance to this present moment.

This taking this time to continue to settle in.

Lying here and becoming aware of the sensations of breathing.

Perhaps noting the flow of cool air as it moves past the nostrils.

And into the chest.

Rising and falling the belly as the air moves in and then back out.

Basically warmer air exiting the nostrils on the out breath.

And the cycle continues.

Reminding ourselves there's no goal.

We're not thinking about breathing or breathing in any particular fashion.

Basically practicing being aware of the physical sensations of the body breathing itself.

If in your practice you discover focusing on the breath is not suitable for you,

Your mind or your body was causing you to experience feelings of overwhelm.

Please offer yourself this kindness and this gentle reminder that you may also attend to body sensations,

The feet,

The back,

Hands on the belly.

To sounds,

My guidance or other sounds in your environment.

Or allowing the eyes to remain open and resting your gaze somewhere in the room.

Using this as your reminder to come back to your anchor.

Anytime the mind is caught wandering.

Reminding the attention to settle on the body as a whole.

Acknowledging that along the way relaxation or sleepiness may arise.

And again we gently remind ourselves of our intention to fall awake.

To be present to our moment to moment experience.

Relaxation is here noticing relaxation and sensing it in the body.

Noticing agitation or anxiety,

Discomfort or wanting things to be different from how they are.

Perhaps offering kindness,

Acceptance,

Non-judgment.

Self-compassion.

Finding where your attention is in this moment.

Beginning to narrow and guide your attention very deliberately down the body.

Down the left leg,

Into the left foot.

And finally into the left big toe.

Realizing an awareness of the left big toe.

Curious as to the sensations arising here.

Maybe warmth,

Coolness,

Tension,

Numbness.

Or no sensation at all.

And if none,

No matter.

Allowing yourself to experience not feeling anything.

Widening your attention now to include the rest of the toes on the left foot.

Bringing curiosity to the spaces between the toes,

The toenails,

The knuckles of the toes.

Not needing to move the body or engage the body in any way.

Simply tuning into the felt sense of the body as it is here in the toes.

Now broadening your focus to include the entire left foot.

The ball of the foot.

Arch.

The heel.

Sides.

The top of the foot.

Muscles.

Bones.

Sensing into this left foot in this moment.

From time to time as we practice our minds wander.

Drifting to thinking of other things,

Other times,

Other places.

And each time we notice,

We guide our attention back gently but firmly.

Back onto this left foot.

Wherever we are in the body.

This is mindfulness.

Breathing in and breathing out,

Releasing the left foot.

Directing attention now up into the left ankle.

An area of the body we rarely attend to unless we're experiencing some discomfort,

Perhaps an injury.

Let's just explore it as it is right now.

Now to the left lower leg,

Calf resting on the floor,

Sides of the leg,

The shin.

Sensations of clothing,

Touching,

Internal sensations.

Now into the left knee.

Sensations coming and going.

Pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Neutral,

No sensation.

Slowly attending to the body moment by moment.

Being conscious of our bodies and their capacity to hold memories,

Feelings.

And in a way it's not unusual to experience thoughts or emotions,

Judgments or stories connected to the body.

And if these arise,

We simply acknowledge their presence with compassion and kindness.

Allowing them to wash up like waves as you sit on a beach.

Seeing them from a distance.

Allowing them to lap at your feet.

Even closer up,

Allowing them to wash over you and then recede back into the sea.

Coming and going.

If you find this is not possible or begin to sense,

Overwhelm.

Returning to your original intention and bringing attention back onto the breath,

Your chosen anchor,

Even opening the eyes and then rejoining the practice when you feel ready.

Taking a breath and releasing the knee and opening to the left upper leg.

Just noticing where you feel what you feel,

What it feels like.

Releasing the left leg.

Breathing in and guiding your attention across the hips and breathing out.

Allowing the attention to reach down that right leg into the right big toe.

Taking a moment to simply notice this right big toe.

You might be aware that the comparing mind is arising,

Noticing differences or similarities to the left big toe,

The left foot.

Just coming back to resting your attention in the right toes.

The bottom,

The sides,

The top,

The inside.

Breathing in and out,

Releasing the right foot and turning attention to the right ankle just as it is in this moment.

If you notice any striving or trying to feel a sensation in the body,

Seeing if it's possible to let go of any effort,

Any expectation of a particular experience.

Just allow playful curiosity to tune into the ankle and the right leg in this moment.

Allowing your beginner's mind to be the forefront,

Encountering things as if for the first time.

Releasing the right ankle and shifting attention to the right lower leg.

Temperature,

Contact.

Now to the right knee.

Noting the position of the knee.

A slight twist as the leg and foot fall outward.

Bringing attention now to the experience of this right upper leg.

Perhaps the mind has wandered into the past or the future.

So simply coming back again and again.

Breathing in and holding the feet and legs gently in your mind as you simply notice what's here.

As you exhale,

Releasing the legs and the feet.

Guiding attention to the hips and pelvis,

To the tailbone.

Muscles of the buttocks and the groin.

The internal organs of elimination and reproduction.

Into the root of the body as it is in this moment.

And again,

Sensation,

No sensation,

No problem.

Thoughts or emotions arise associated with this area where you notice some physical or emotional discomfort.

Returning to the breath,

Sounds in the room.

Opening your eyes.

Discontinuing the meditation if you need to.

Allowing kindness and compassion to be your guide.

Coming back.

Whenever you're ready.

Sensing now into the lower back.

An area that may harbor pain or discomfort.

If you find this to be so,

Seeing if you can be present to these sensations.

Opening to this entire lower back.

The pleasant,

The unpleasant,

The neutral.

And if you've labeled any sensation as painful,

Uncomfortable,

Might it be possible to attend to this particular sensation?

To note.

Is it sharp,

Tingly,

Hot,

Stabbing,

Numb,

Aching?

Allowing your attention to soften and to bring kindness to this discomfort.

Neither avoiding it or lasering in on it.

Or they're offering a spacious container within the back,

Within the entire body.

Allowing yourself to stay with it,

Even though it hurts.

Noting the sensations as they arise,

Linger,

Or even pass.

Noting any changes.

Experimenting and being with it as it comes and goes.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

And releasing the lower back.

Bringing your attention to the middle back,

The ribs,

The diaphragm,

To the upper back,

The shoulder blades.

Middle and upper spine.

Sensing into the movement of the breath at the back of the body,

Rising and falling,

Coming and going.

Taking a deep breath,

Breathing out,

Releasing the back,

And slowly wrapping your attention around the torso.

And bringing it to rest on the abdomen.

Noting the sensations at the surface of the skin,

Making contact with clothing.

Perhaps sensing activity of the internal organs,

Hunger or fullness.

Perhaps sensing more directly the movement of the breath,

Rising and falling of the diaphragm,

Chest,

The belly.

Noting the expansion and contraction of the chest,

Rising and falling.

Turning into the cooperative efforts of your heart and lungs,

Sending nourishment throughout the entire body.

Moving in and out.

Releasing the attention from the torso,

And guiding your attention down the left arm and into the left hand,

Noting the sensations in this left hand.

The palm of the hand,

The back,

The fingers,

The whole hand.

Now to the wrist.

Lower arm and the elbow.

The upper arm.

Sensing into the entire arm just as it is in this moment.

Releasing that left arm and guiding your attention across the chest and down into the right hand.

Noting sensations here.

The experience of this right hand.

The lower arm,

The upper arm,

Into the entire right arm.

The arms and bringing your attention to rest on the shoulders.

Into the entire shoulder girdle,

The front,

The back,

The sides.

Noting ease or tension.

And if tension is here,

Perhaps offering a deeper breath or two,

Inviting this tension to soften,

To make space,

Including these sensations in your experience of the body as a whole.

Guiding attention into the neck.

Instantly changing landscape of sensations that pass through this area of the body.

And again,

If you've found that your mind has wandered or you've lost the thread of this practice,

Releasing judgment,

Simply being aware,

Nothing to do,

No need to change anything.

Coming back to the breath,

Coming back to the body.

Breathing in and breathing out,

Releasing the neck and bringing attention to the back of the head.

Sensing the weight of the head,

Its contact with the surface.

Noting the sensations of scalp or hair.

The experience of the ears,

The physical sensation of the ears.

Sensing of my voice or sounds in the room.

Coming into the ears.

Sensations of the temples,

The forehead.

Perhaps inviting the forehead or the brow to soften if tension is here.

Noting the eyes,

The eyelids,

Muscles around the eyes.

Again,

Inviting a softening,

Releasing,

Letting go.

Bringing attention now to the cheeks,

The nose.

Sensation of breath at the nostrils.

Cool breath in,

Warm breath out.

Into the lips,

To the mouth,

The gums,

The teeth,

The tongue.

Noting the chin,

The jaw.

Noting any tension here.

Offering the release of any tension.

Taking a breath in and out.

Sensing the face and the head as a whole.

Again,

Breathing in and breathing out and releasing the face and the head.

Beginning to expand your attention slowly to encompass your entire body.

From the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and to the tips of your toes.

Allowing your attention to open to a broader awareness of the body.

The changing landscape of sensations arising and passing moment by moment.

Continuing to offer this friendly,

Curious,

Compassionate,

Non-judgment to this living,

Breathing body.

Sensing,

Feeling,

Thinking,

Imagining and remembering.

Coming back again and again.

Taking a deep breath in,

Sensing the breath as it makes its way through your entire body.

Breathing out,

The breath leaving the body.

Again,

Taking a deep breath in and out.

One more time,

Breathing in,

Breathing into this entire body.

And releasing,

Releasing this breath and emptying.

Preparing for the next.

Just gently allowing the breath to return to its own normal and natural rhythm.

Perhaps offering gratitude to yourself,

Appreciation for this body,

This time to simply be.

Perhaps if you'd like,

Offering a thank you.

Bringing a very gentle curl to the sides of the mouth.

And as we begin to release this practice,

Gently bringing movement into your fingers and toes.

Wiggling,

Stretching,

Gently opening your eyes.

You may want to roll onto one side if you've been lying down.

Gently coming to seated.

Gently bringing your attention to your surroundings and to the activities of your day.

And recognizing that this experience of present moment focus and awareness is as close as the next breath.

As close as the next moment.

And as we begin to release this practice,

Gently bringing movement into your fingers and toes.

Reviews

Jennifer, with all my thanks for such a wonderful scan. You hit every body part and your voice and words made this so special, peaceful and calming.

Very nice gently guided practice. Slowly moves through the whole body. Many thanks. ☮️💖🙏