Welcome to this body scan practice.
The body scan is a fundamental practice to learn to connect with your body,
To focus your attention and to be present.
You can do this body scan either laying down on your back with your arms along your side away from your body,
Your palms facing up,
Your feet wider apart than your hips,
Or you may also practice sitting upright on a chair or in any other comfortable position in which you may stay without moving for 10 minutes or so.
Adjust your posture so that you are comfortable.
There's nothing in the body scan that you can do right or wrong.
The purpose is to sense your own body from within.
So not to know your body or to see your body from the outside,
But to actually sense your body and its different parts moment by moment,
Part by part.
This requires an attitude of openness,
Of curiosity,
As you may sense parts of your body that are pleasant,
Sensations that are pleasant,
And parts of your body that are unpleasant,
Sensations that may be unpleasant.
What you do is you remain fully open and curious to how your body feels,
How the different parts of your body feel.
Moment by moment.
First,
Close your eyes if you have not closed them yet,
And if it feels comfortable.
You may even open your eyes in between if you feel you are falling asleep or your thoughts are drifting off.
You may open your eyes for a few seconds and then close them again.
First,
Allow your body,
Your full body,
To feel the way you feel.
Allow your body,
Your full body,
To soften.
The body scan is simply a space where you sense yourself,
Where you use your body and your bodily sensations as an anchor into the now,
Into presence.
So take deep in and out breaths,
And with each long out breath allow your body to soften,
To relax,
To really be here.
If you feel there are any tight spots in your body,
Such as your neck or your shoulders,
Or your chest,
Or even your hands,
With each out breath let them soften a little.
Feel your body as a whole in the pose in which your body is now breathing.
Know that you are safe in this environment,
That everything continues to be around you and yet you stay with your attention inside you,
Inside your body.
Now bring attention to your feet,
To your toes,
Your big toes,
The left and the right.
Which of your ten toes can you actually feel?
The small ones,
The ones in between.
You are,
Your body is completely still.
Just bring your awareness to your toes.
Is there temperature,
A tickling sensation?
And if they are numb,
If you cannot feel them,
That is a sensation as well.
Move on with your awareness to the soles of your feet,
The bottom of your feet.
What do you feel?
What do you sense there?
Move on to the sides of your feet and the upper part,
Into your ankles.
Sense your whole feet as your breath continues to flow naturally in and out.
And as you stay awake,
Alert,
With your attention in your body,
In your feet,
In your ankles,
And moving up your legs,
Your chin,
Your calves,
Into your knees.
Which sensations are there?
How can you know that your legs are really there?
Your knees,
As you move further up,
Your thighs,
The back of your thighs,
Into your buttocks,
Into your hips,
Your genitals.
Stay with your attention in your hips and feel your hips from the inside with curiosity,
Openness,
As you move further up into your lower back,
Your middle back,
Your upper back,
Your shoulder blades.
Sensing the whole back of your body.
Is there warmth?
Is there coolness?
What other sensations?
Is there numbness?
Is there movement?
Now bring attention to the front side of your torso,
Your lower belly,
Your middle belly,
All the way into your chest.
Sense your full ribcage from the inside,
Including the left and right parts of your torso,
As you move further up into your throat,
And there into your shoulders,
And slowly down your arms,
Into your elbows,
And slowly further down into your forearms,
And into your wrists,
Into your hands,
The palms of your hands,
The backsides of your hands,
And into your fingers,
Into every single finger,
The pinky,
All the way into the tip,
Your ring finger,
Your middle finger,
Your index finger,
And your thumbs.
Sense your whole hands.
What sensations are there,
As you're completely still,
Awake,
Your attention focused on your hands.
Your hands,
And as you move up,
Your arms again,
Through your elbows,
Into your shoulders,
Back into your throat,
The backside of your throat,
Your neck,
The front side,
And into the back of your head.
From the backside of your head,
Move to the left and right side,
Your ears,
And then,
Beginning with your jaw,
Slowly move up your face.
Sense your tongue,
Your lips,
Your nose,
Your cheekbones.
Sense your eyes,
And even the space behind your eyes,
Your temples,
Your eyebrows,
Your forehead.
Sense your whole face,
From behind your face,
With full openness,
Curiosity.
And then move on to the top of your head.
Sense your full head,
As your breath continues to flow naturally in and out.
Sense your head,
Your throat,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Down your arms,
The elbows,
Into your hands,
Your torso,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your back,
Into your hips,
Down your legs,
Into your knees,
And down your legs,
Into your feet,
All the way into the toes of your feet.
Now sense your entire body,
From toes,
Your legs,
Your torso,
Your arms,
Your head,
To the top of your head.
And as you maintain an awareness of your entire body,
Sense the breath in your body,
As your entire body is breathing in and out.
As your entire body is breathing in and out.
In and out.
Naturally.
In its own flow,
Its own timing.
Remain open to any sensations throughout your body.
To bring this practice to an end,
Open your awareness again to everything outside your body,
To your environment,
The space around you,
Perhaps sounds around you,
Movements,
And whenever you're ready,
You wake yourself up by taking a few really nice and deep,
Juicy in and out breaths,
As if you were waking up in the morning.
Very gentle.
As you also bring small movements back into your body,
Such as moving your fingers,
Wiggling your toes,
And whenever you're ready,
Larger movements as well,
Such as stretching your arms over your head,
Stretching your full body,
And in your own gentle time,
Open your eyes,
As you maintain an awareness of your body from the inside,
While also being open to everything around you.
