The body scan practice.
Our intention in this practice is waking up from automatic pilot mode with kindness and love,
Befriending the body,
Getting reacquainted with it and the physical sensations as they show up.
We gather our scattered minds onto the senses with calm attention.
We come home to ourselves.
Our attention is focused on any sensations or lack of sensations in the body,
Simply noticing what is there.
Not what we think we should feel,
But what is already present.
Coming back to the present moment into our bodies as they are.
Gently turning towards and checking in with each area of the body,
Staying awhile and then noticing what it feels like to move on.
We bring an attitude of curiosity,
Openness,
Acceptance and kindness.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Lying on the floor.
You may also choose to do this practice sitting on a cushion or in a chair,
Depending on how you feel today.
Settling in.
Feeling the ground beneath you.
Allowing the arms and legs to just fall at a comfortable distance from the body.
Lengthening through the body.
Creating space,
Your space.
Noticing if the palms want to face up or down.
Noticing if there's any place of tension or resistance in the body.
What do you need to do in order to let go of that?
Maybe it feels better to keep the knees bent with the soles of the feet on the floor.
Just making a choice to allow yourself to be exactly as you are in this moment.
Settling in.
Remembering that the intention of this practice is to simply be present with the body without wanting or wanting to create anything at all.
Not even relaxation.
So of course we all want to relax.
It's great if that occurs.
But remembering that that is not the intention of the body scan.
The intention is to check in with the body.
Feeling what is actually there to feel.
Without trying to stir up any sensations or seek them,
Create them.
Just becoming more aware.
Waking up out of automatic pilot mode.
What happens when we look at the body in a new way?
So now I invite you to start opening the attention to include the entire body.
A wide awareness from the soles of the feet to the top of the head.
Remembering that intention to befriend and come home to our body.
Bringing awareness to how it feels to lie or sit here.
To the movement of the breath as it flows through the whole of the body.
The breath is such a natural and constant feature of our lives that it's easy to overlook it or take it for granted.
Spending some time with it now.
Feeling how it feels to be breathing.
Actually feeling the sensations of the breath entering the body and leaving the body of its own accord.
Don't have to do anything.
Just allowing it to move through its natural cycle of inhalation and exhalation without trying to control it.
Noticing the rise and the fall of the abdomen.
Feeling the movement,
The rhythm of the breath through the whole body.
Rolling in and rolling out.
Simply riding the waves of the breath from moment to moment.
The sensation of the breath recognizing this in itself is a sensation.
Maybe even feeling a sense of gratitude for this breath.
Grounding into each moment through the breath.
If at any time sensations in the body become too uncomfortable or any thoughts or emotions arise that are too difficult to just sit with.
Remembering we can always come back to this rhythm of our breath as a safe place until you're ready to venture back into the body scan.
As we move through the body you may notice that there are some parts where you may not feel anything at all.
That's completely normal.
It's okay.
Just checking in with that area with curiosity.
Allowing the experience to simply be what it is.
And when the mind wanders,
Which it will,
Because that's exactly what our minds do,
Just noticing.
Gently but firmly bringing the awareness back to the sensations of the body.
Back to the sense of the breath.
The breath rolling in and rolling out.
And when you're ready,
Moving your awareness to the top of the head.
Observing any sensations.
Starting to tune in.
Just noticing whatever is here.
Maybe there's tingling or itching.
A sense of pressure where the back of the head presses into the ground.
Or a sense of space if you're sitting.
Just checking in.
Allowing yourself to feel whatever you feel.
Moving the attention to the forehead.
Any sensations here?
Is there any tension that you weren't aware of before?
Just checking in.
Becoming aware of the eyes and the eyelids.
Noticing how you hold them.
How much or how little pressure is required to keep them closed.
Experiencing the eyes from the inside,
Behind the eyelids.
Are the eyes moving or still?
Can you see anything?
Is it dark or light?
Maybe some color?
Bringing your awareness to the cheeks.
Sensing the bone,
The muscle,
The skin.
Maybe the touch of the air,
Temperature.
Becoming aware of the nose.
The outside of the nose,
The inside of the nose.
Maybe feeling the breath in the nostrils as you inhale and exhale.
Moving the awareness to the jaw.
Becoming aware of any tightness or softness.
Maybe allowing the lower jaw to drop slightly.
Letting go just a little bit more.
Noticing any changes in sensations in the rest of the face.
The small movement was able to create.
Expanding the attention to include the lips and the mouth.
Maybe where there's that space between the lips and the nose.
Maybe you feel the air of your breath.
Inside the mouth.
Where is the tongue?
Maybe feeling the tongue against the teeth or the roof of the mouth.
What is there to notice?
Noticing the whole of your face.
Observing what's here.
Noticing if you get caught up in thinking about an area or picturing it in your mind's eye.
Note that these are different from actually feeling it.
So what does it feel like to be curious about the sensations of the body?
To just feel?
Which comes from thinking about a place as opposed to feeling it?
The awareness on the entire face.
Not a picture of your face in your mind,
But really feeling the sensations.
Noticing that some sensations may stay for a while.
Others might pass quickly.
Noticing how the intensity may change one way or the other when you bring your awareness to them.
Just noticing what's here.
Aware of any thoughts and emotions that may arise as well.
Without getting caught up in them.
Just allowing them to simply come into your awareness and then pass away like clouds in the sky.
Shifting your attention to your neck.
Any sensations here?
Moving to the shoulders.
Checking in with their condition in this moment.
Any tension or softness?
Recognizing that this is the condition right now.
As best you can,
Opening and accepting it.
Knowing that it doesn't need to be any other way.
Also knowing that conditions change.
Noticing if there's a sense of breath in the shoulders.
Becoming aware of how much of the body does breathing affect.
Not allowing the attention to travel to the upper and middle back.
Sensing the muscles.
Becoming aware of the weight of the body.
Maybe the pressure against the floor.
How the breath moves in this area.
If you notice your mind has wandered.
Just gently and kindly coming back to where we are.
To the back.
Or if you notice yourself becoming sleepy.
Taking a few deep breaths to come back to the present moment.
Becoming aware of the lower back.
Maybe a sense of contact or lack of contact with the floor.
A sense of gravity.
Or maybe resistance.
Any tightness,
Softness.
Maybe noticing if there's any tendency to move away from or towards any sensations or thoughts.
Recognizing that this is a choice.
Noticing any judgments that may arise.
Remembering that this is simply how the lower back is in this moment.
Softening towards accepting as it is.
Now experiencing the whole of the back.
From the shoulders to the base of the spine.
Aware of the subtle movements of the back as you breathe.
Sitting with the sensations rather than the thoughts about the sensations.
And shifting the attention to the arms.
The upper arm,
Fore arm.
And seeing the pull of gravity.
Expanding to the wrists,
The hands,
The whole of the arm.
Any sensations.
Just being with whatever's here in this moment.
When you're ready,
Moving your attention to the chest.
Aware of the lungs and the heart in this space.
Maybe noticing the heartbeat,
The rhythm of the heart,
Breath together.
Just becoming fully present to these sensations of life.
Extending the awareness down to the navel region.
That place where we have our gut feelings.
Our center.
Feeling the motion of the breath.
When it feels right,
Moving the attention to the pelvic region.
The hips,
Lower abdomen,
Groin.
Tuning into the sense of breath here.
Noticing any thoughts or feelings that may arise.
Becoming aware of any judgments as they arise.
And however possible,
Just letting them go.
Putting them aside as you return to the sensation.
To the rhythm of the breath.
The sound of my voice.
And if the mind has wandered off with kindness,
Just bringing it back to wherever we are in this moment.
Taking a breath.
Starting again without judging.
Maybe even congratulating yourself for noticing when your attention has wandered away.
Shifting the attention to the upper legs.
The thighs.
Any sensations here.
Or not.
Just being curious.
Tuning in.
Extending the awareness to the lower legs.
The calves and the shins.
Is there anything to feel here in this moment?
Is there anything unexpected?
Exploring onward to the feet.
Feeling where they are.
Maybe the areas where they are touching the ground.
Maybe feeling the toes.
Maybe a sense of tingling.
Or the space between the toes.
Just noticing what's there.
And expanding the attention to include the entire body.
From the soles of the feet to the top of the head.
And present to the totality of the experience of lying or sitting here in this moment.
Bringing the awareness back to the breath.
Gentle rolling in and rolling out of the breath.
Noticing how the breath has been a constant companion.
How it moves through the whole of the body.
Brings the whole body together.
Dwelling in what the body feels.
And what the body knows.
Noticing all the sensations of the body.
Holding them all in our awareness.
And allowing them to be just as they are in this moment.
Accepting them as they are.
Which in itself is an act of kindness.
And as we start to draw this practice to a close,
I invite you to just reflect upon the experience in this body scan.
Just becoming aware if there was anything unexpected.
What you learned.
Drawing insight from the wisdom of the body and our ability to be curious about it.
And when you're ready,
Slowly starting to bring some gentle movements back into the body.
Whatever feels good.
Stretching in any way that it wants.
Maybe taking a moment to congratulate yourself for spending the time and the energy to reconnect and nourish yourself in this way.
Knowing that you can carry this awareness of your body's deep wisdom beyond this practice.
And into each moment of the day.
Wherever you may find yourself.
And when you're ready,
Starting to bring the awareness back to the room.
To the space around you.
To the sounds around you.
Whenever it feels right,
Gently opening the eyes and coming back.
The body scan is now complete.
