Welcome to this body scan meditation,
Which can be incredibly helpful and soothing at any time of day.
Either in the morning to gain greater clarity and awareness of how we're feeling,
Or at the end of the day to release tension and gain greater clarity over how you're really feeling.
So make sure that you're comfortable,
Ideally sitting up,
Not too rigid,
But if you're in any discomfort or pain,
Lying down is absolutely fine.
Just settling in to the chair that you're in,
Really rooting down and allowing gravity to hold you.
If you're lying down,
Really sensing the connection between your back legs and ground below.
Just really rooting down,
Really sensing the connection between body and ground,
Rooting into the earth beneath.
Just really enjoying that feeling of gravity,
Allowing gravity to root you down and sustain you here in this present moment.
And sensing into that connection between clothes and chair,
Clothes and ground,
Feet and floor.
Just sensing into that connection between body and the earth beneath,
Just for a moment.
Really sensing in to how it feels to be here in this present moment,
Connecting with the ground beneath.
Knowing that there's nothing to change or fix or do.
All you need is to listen to the sound of my voice.
Just taking a long breath in and a deep breath out,
Really coming into the body.
Just taking the temperature of the body right now.
How's the body feeling as you enter this meditation today?
And there's no right or wrong,
Just noticing.
Perhaps there's tiredness or pain or hunger.
Just really sensing into how the body's doing.
How does the body feel right now?
And now moving your attention to the area around your forehead.
Really allowing that area to ease and let go.
So many of us hold so much tension in the area around our forehead.
Just releasing those creases,
Frowns,
That sense of holding on,
Having to achieve,
Fix,
Change.
Seeing if you can just release that area a little,
Letting go.
Moving to the soft skin around your eyes,
Slackening,
Loosening,
Relaxing.
Noticing any tiredness.
Just sensing into how that feels.
How do your eyes feel right now?
Moving into the pillowy softness of the cheeks.
Sensing into the cheeks inside and out.
Softening,
Easing.
Just enjoying that pillowy softness.
Noticing the nostrils and perhaps the breath entering and leaving the nostrils.
Just sensing into that for a moment.
Moving down to the mouth.
Noticing the sensations inside the mouth.
Guns,
Tongue,
Teeth.
Sensing in.
Really noticing the sensations inside the mouth.
And now moving down to the jaw where so many of us hold so much tension.
Holding on,
Clinging on for dear life.
Just really letting go,
Allowing the muscles around the jaw to really let go.
Flackening and loosening the jaw.
Moving down the neck.
Coming to the shoulders again,
An area where we hold so much tension.
Sensing into the shoulders again from deep inside.
Left shoulder.
Right shoulder.
Seeing if with greater awareness you can sense a dissolving within the shoulders,
A real letting go and dissolving of tension.
Allowing it all to melt.
Muscles loosening,
Easing,
Dissolving your worries away.
So now moving your attention down the arms,
Into the hands,
Sensing the connection of your hands against your body,
Perhaps the floor.
Finger by finger sensing into the bones and muscles of the fingers,
One by one.
Really noticing the sensations within the fingers,
Perhaps tingling,
Pulsing or perhaps nothing at all.
Just really sensing in deep inside the hands.
Moving now to the area around the stomach.
Noticing any sensations there.
Perhaps breathing deeply into the area around the stomach to allow her to let go a little more.
Just breathing deeply into the stomach.
Easing,
Releasing,
Expanding.
And now moving down to the legs.
Really bringing your attention to the length of the legs.
All the way down to the feet.
And really sensing deep inside the feet.
Noticing any sensations there.
Allowing any pain or tension to dissolve.
Just sensing in.
Heel.
All the way to toes.
Really enjoying that sense of grounding yourself right here right now.
Allowing your feet to ground you down to the earth below.
Sustaining you,
Strengthening you,
Grounding you here.
Sensing into the feet.
And now bringing your attention to the whole body.
Really enjoying the body as a field of sensations.
Allowing it all to be just as it is.
Not changing or forcing anything,
Just allowing it all to be.
Just experiencing the here and now.
And the natural air and flow of sensations in the body.
Just sensing into that.
And as we come to the end of this practice.
Just taking the temperature again of the body.
Noticing how it's feeling right now.
What might have changed.
And really gathering up the greater awareness that you now have.
In just a short practice.
Just absorbing that sense of being grounded and aware right here right now.
And taking a deep breath in.
And a deep breath out.
And sealing this meditation by placing your hand against the area of your heart.
Thanking yourself for taking the time to meditate today.
Taking care of yourself.
And when you feel ready,
Gently wiggling the fingers,
Wiggling the toes.
Gently opening your eyes.
I'm Kate Mishkon.
And thank you for meditating with me today.
