In this practice,
We will be doing a healing body scan meditation.
In a moment,
I will invite you to pay attention to your body sensations,
Starting from the tip of the toes to the top of the head.
Before we begin,
Just taking a moment to let yourself find a position that's comfortable for you.
You can be sitting in your chair,
Sitting on your cushion,
Or lying down.
Just finding a position where you can feel awake,
Alert,
And relaxed,
But not so relaxed that you might get sleepy.
We will begin with the sound of the bell.
Let's begin by taking in three deep breaths in through the nostrils and out through the mouth.
If it feels comfortable,
You can let the eyes close,
Or just gaze softly in front of you.
Inhaling again through the nose,
And then exhaling fully out of the mouth.
Afterwards you can let the breath take on a more natural pace.
Taking a moment to also feel the touch of your hands and your lap,
The seat beneath you,
Your feet on the ground if you're sitting in a chair.
Just noticing what is holding your body right now.
Inviting you to shift your attention to the sensation of breath at the base of your nostrils.
Just resting your attention here as best you can.
Noticing the slight touch of breath as it enters.
The different sensation when the breath starts to go out.
It's okay if the mind wanders.
It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.
It just means that you're human.
Just coming back to the breath every time you've noticed that your mind has wandered off to the past or the future.
Coming back to now,
To breathing,
To just being.
Knowing that you can return to this resting state at any point in the body scan.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to the tips of your toes.
Seeing what you notice.
Perhaps the touch of your socks,
The touch of the ground.
Are your toes feeling cold?
Or are they warm?
Not looking for any sensation in particular.
Just being curious and open.
If you notice any sensations,
Just observing them.
And if you don't,
That's okay too.
Entering to breathe in and out.
Then moving your attention to the soles of the feet,
To the heels.
Moving on up again towards your ankles.
Just taking in whatever you notice there.
Perhaps there's soreness.
Perhaps the touch of your pants.
Moving on up again to the shins,
The calves.
And then finally up to the knees.
Continuing to observe.
Not needing to do anything with those sensations.
No need to change your experience.
Letting the breathing become naturally a part of this practice.
Moving again up to the thighs.
Seeing the hips and your sitting bones.
What sensations arise here?
And again if you don't feel any sensation,
That's okay too.
Seeing what happens when you stay here a little longer.
Perhaps sensation starts to arise.
Perhaps it starts to change.
Something subtle becomes more pronounced.
Or something that was calling your attention starts to fade away.
Just noticing.
Moving in and out.
And then moving on up to your stomach,
To your abdomen area.
Seeing how the sensations show up here.
Perhaps there's hunger.
Perhaps there's fullness.
Maybe pain,
Cramping.
Or maybe warmth and expansion.
There's no right or wrong sensation.
It's simply what you're feeling right now.
Wrapping your attention around to the back,
To the lower back.
Moving on up the spine to the middle back.
Then to the upper back.
Curious to see what crops up here.
Perhaps there's soreness.
Perhaps some muscles or some bones are aching.
Perhaps you notice tension in different parts of the spine.
Just breathing as you observe.
Then inviting you to move your attention to the chest area.
Noticing how the chest expands as you inhale.
And shrinks as you exhale.
Perhaps you feel your heart.
Perhaps you can feel your ribs moving with the breath.
Also noticing any touch of clothing.
Moving on up to the shoulders,
The clavicles.
Watching as the sensations shift.
A different landscape here.
Then moving on down the arms,
The upper arm,
The elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists,
Palms,
And fingertips.
Perhaps you feel the warmth of your hands.
And noticing what your hands are touching.
Feeling the entirety of your arms.
Moving on up the arms,
Back towards the shoulders,
And this time taking in the neck.
Watching the sensations in the throat as you swallow.
Watching the sensations in the back of the neck,
Where it connects to the shoulders,
Where it connects to the skull.
Perhaps even feeling the heaviness of the head.
There may be tension,
There may not be tension.
Whatever it is,
It's your experience right now.
Understanding that this experience will change.
Moving on up to the head.
Seeing the chin,
The jaws,
Your lips,
Nose,
Eyes,
Forehead,
And then wrapping around to the back of the skull.
Just taking in whatever sensations arise there.
Prickling sensation,
Tingling sensation.
Perhaps pressure or fullness,
Heaviness or lightness.
And then finding your way to the top of the head.
Breathing in and out as you rest here.
Having scanned your entire body.
See what sensations are arising here.
Now inviting you to expand your awareness to take in the entirety of your body.
Dropping from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.
Feeling your body as a whole right now.
The feeling of life in each part of you.
Manifesting as different sensations that change,
That move,
That shift.
And just breathing in to your entire body.
And then breathing out whatever you no longer need.
Breathing out tension.
Breathing out stiffness,
Negativity.
And just noticing what happens.
As we prepare to end this practice,
Just bringing your attention back to the sensation of breath at the base of your nostrils.
Becoming aware again of the touch of the seat beneath you,
The ground at your feet.
Breathing in three deep breaths in through the nostrils,
Out through the mouth.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
And we will end with the sound of the bell.
