Listen to your body,
Because if you don't,
Who will?
If you're like most people,
You probably spend a lot of time living outside your body,
Stuck in either the future or the past,
Imagining,
Contemplating,
Comparing,
Abstracting,
Or otherwise being preoccupied with your thoughts.
Today's meditation is a mental exercise designed to release tension and cultivate awareness of the moment-to-moment experiences of the body using a technique called a body scan.
I will guide you through a methodical approach to bring awareness to all parts of the body with the intention of helping you have a fully realized inner body experience.
I recommend laying down for this meditation to better guide your sense of awareness throughout your body.
During the exercise,
You might notice a wide range of physical sensations.
Itching,
Tingling,
Maybe some pain or discomfort,
Lightness,
Heaviness,
Warmth or cold,
Maybe even nothingness.
Some of these sensations might surface with a layer of thought and emotion,
And that's okay.
As they come and go,
Avoid the urge to judge or become too attached.
I recommend you simply note what you feel as pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral,
And come back to the body to find relief and inner freedom.
Before we begin our body scan,
Just take a minute to find a place of stillness and thank yourself for taking this time to connect with yourself today.
Perhaps it's been a busy day,
And this is the first time you've actually been able to stop and maybe slow down.
Notice the waves of thoughts,
Emotions,
And any physical sensations as they come and go on the surface of your mind.
Simply acknowledge them and let them be.
No need to stop them,
No need to judge,
No need to analyze or figure them out.
Just allow yourself to be in the moment with all that comes up and passes by,
Like watching a gentle stream flow by from the edge of a riverbank.
And when you feel ready,
Gently shift your attention to the breath and become aware of your breathing.
Breathe normally and naturally,
Bringing your focus to either the tip of your nose or the abdomen.
Breathing in,
Know that you are breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know that you are breathing out.
And just take a few breaths.
At times,
Your mind may wander from your breath.
Don't be discouraged when this happens.
Recognize it,
Acknowledge wherever your mind may have went,
And simply come back to your breath.
Continue breathing in and out with awareness.
And now gently begin to withdraw awareness from the breath as we shift our attention to the body.
As you move through various areas of the body,
You may come across areas that are tight or tense.
If you can allow them to soften,
Let it happen.
And if you can't,
Just let the sensation be as it ripples away in whatever direction it needs to go.
This applies not only to physical sensations that might come up in the body,
Like itches and tingles,
But also any pleasant or unpleasant emotions and thoughts that may come up in the mind.
Let's begin by bringing awareness to the bottom of the left foot,
And notice what is being felt.
It might be the heel of your foot if you're lying down,
Or maybe the sole of your foot if you're seated.
Begin to explore and feel the sensation of your toes.
No need to analyze or manipulate your body.
Just feel and acknowledge whatever sensation is present.
From your toes,
Move your awareness to the top of your left foot,
And have it travel back towards your Achilles and up into your left ankle.
Now gently move your awareness up your lower left leg,
Feeling into the calf and shin and how they connect up towards your left knee,
Being present and noticing any sensation that might arise.
Let awareness now travel up to the thigh,
Feeling your upper leg and its connection above into the left hip.
Take a moment,
And now withdraw awareness from your left hip down to the left foot,
And shift your attention into the right foot,
Once again bringing awareness to where you feel contact on the floor.
Noticing how this side might feel different,
Sensing the heel of your foot,
Maybe the ball or the sole of your right foot,
And feeling into your toes,
And once again the top of your foot,
Back down towards your Achilles as you move up your right ankle.
Now slowly move your awareness up your lower right leg,
Feeling the calf and shin and their connection to the right knee.
Breathe,
Stay present.
Allow awareness to continue traveling up the right thigh,
And feel your upper leg and its connection into the right hip.
Before we continue up our body,
Just take a few breaths to be present with your legs,
Observing how they might feel in this moment of stillness,
And allowing yourself to let go of whatever does not serve you at this time.
Now begin to withdraw attention from your legs and hips,
And shift awareness towards the pelvic region of your body at the base of the spine,
Acknowledging and feeling into our systems of elimination and reproduction,
And being mindful of any sensation,
Thought,
Or emotion that might arise in this area.
Once again,
Not judging,
Simply noticing.
Continue to feel.
Now allow awareness to travel up your abdomen and into your belly,
Home to our digestion and absorption system.
Notice if you can feel into your gut and the inner workings of your body,
And simply be present with whatever sensation comes up.
Now slowly shift your awareness from your belly to your tailbone,
Beginning to sense and feel into your lower,
Middle,
And upper parts of your back,
Noticing any areas of tightness,
And allowing them to soften,
And letting be whatever can't soften today.
From the back,
Let awareness now move into the chest,
Shifting into the heart and lungs,
Feeling into the ribcage and sternum as we remain present with any sensations arising within the body,
Continuing to breathe,
Continuing to feel,
Continuing to rest.
Now gently withdraw attention from your chest and back,
And let awareness travel into the fingertips of your left hand,
Feeling into the fingers and palm,
And then the back of your hand and into the left wrist,
Observing any sensations as you continue moving up into the forearm,
The elbow,
And the upper left arm.
Now shift awareness over to the fingertips of your right hand,
Once again feeling into your fingers and palms,
To the back of the hand,
And into the right wrist,
Slowly moving up towards the forearm,
The elbow,
And the upper right arm.
Notice if this side feels differently,
Continuing to breathe,
Continuing to feel.
Now let the awareness you've cultivated in your torso move into both shoulders and armpits,
And slowly upwards into the neck and throat.
Allow yourself to remain present with any sensation,
Thought,
Or emotion that might begin to surface in this area of the body.
As we bring awareness to our head,
Begin with your jaw,
Noticing the teeth,
The tongue,
Mouth and lips,
Allowing any sensations to go wherever they need to go,
Feeling into the cheeks,
The nasal passages,
The ears,
The eyes,
And maybe even the muscles around the eyes.
Feel your forehead and your temples,
Staying present and noticing if you're holding any tension in your face as you continue to observe.
See if you can soften.
Finally,
Let your awareness move towards the top and back of your head,
Maybe even feeling into the inside of your head and into your brain,
Allowing any sensation to rise and remaining present without judgment.
Whatever you feel is okay.
It's not right or wrong.
It's not good or bad.
It simply is.
Now see if you can expand your sense of awareness to the entire body from head to toe,
Connecting from the top of your head through the neck to the shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
Chest,
Back,
Belly,
Hips,
Pelvic region,
Legs,
And feet.
Feel the body as a whole organism,
With its countless physical sensations,
Thoughts,
And emotions,
Being present to whatever is being felt and just letting it be.
As you breathe in,
Feel the whole body rising and expanding on an inhalation.
As you breathe out,
Feel the whole body falling and softening on an exhalation.
Remain present with your breath as you feel your body in its entirety.
Just take a few breaths to simply be.
And as we come to the end of this body scan,
Invite some gentle movement into your body,
Maybe wiggling your toes or stretching out your fingers.
And as you slowly come back to your senses,
Bring awareness to any sensations that might be in the room with you.
And just before you move on with your day,
Just take a moment to congratulate yourself on completing your very first body scan,
And express gratitude for taking the time to give yourself the opportunity to be present with your body.
I encourage you to try this body scan once again,
On your own time,
But do so as if it were being done for the very first time all over again.
Our body is a dynamic organism that is always changing,
Which means that no two body scans will ever be completely alike.
So until next time,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be free from all pain and suffering,
And I look forward to our next session.
