Welcome.
I am so glad you're here.
This practice is for you if you are living with chronic pain,
Illness,
Or simply navigating a body that hurts.
Your whole experience is welcome.
Before we begin,
Please know that this is not a practice that insists on positive thinking,
Pushing through,
Or pretending things are different in your body than they are.
Pain and illness are challenging.
And in this practice,
I invite you to meet your body exactly as it is today,
With tenderness and curiosity.
Begin by getting as comfortable as possible.
If you are lying down,
Allow your body to be fully supported.
Put a pillow under your knees or behind your head,
Or support your arms if that helps.
If you tend to get cold.
Get a blanket.
If you are seated,
Let your back be supported and your feet rest on the ground beneath you.
Be particular in giving your body the support that it needs to find ease.
As we move into the body scan,
I invite you to take stock of the body you are bringing to this practice today,
Exercising both curiosity and compassion.
On a scale of one to five,
One being no discomfort,
And five being significant pain or distress.
How are you arriving today?
Simply notice.
An honest acknowledgement of where you are.
However your body is arriving to this practice,
All is welcome.
And now,
If it feels good,
Allow your eyes to close gently,
Or you can simply soften your gaze and look downward.
Sense the weight of your body being held.
By the surface beneath you,
By gravity,
By the Earth herself.
You don't have to hold yourself up right now.
Release all effort for the duration of this meditation.
Move your attention now to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Without changing it,
Simply noticing the ebb and the flow of your natural breath.
And notice how the body breathes itself.
As you continue to follow the rhythm of your breath.
Invite the body to soften 5% more.
Bring your attention now to the belly.
And allow the abdomen to soften.
Letting go of any holding or tension.
Move your attention to your hands.
And allow them to unfurl.
And release any tension that the hands might be holding.
Allow your attention to move to your jaw.
And can you let the jaw soften?
And invite the root of the tongue to release.
Moving your attention now to the forehead.
And let the skin of the forehead be smooth.
And the muscles around the eyes to let go.
As you rest in this heightened sensation of softening and relaxation,
Please know that we are not going toward the pain to fix it or to fight it.
We're going toward the pain the way you might approach a friend who's suffering,
With presence and the willingness to be with.
Now gently bring a tender and very light attention to an area of the body that's holding pain or discomfort today.
Without trying to change anything.
Allow your awareness to be spacious.
Rest there.
Allow your attention to be like a warm hand placed gently on the skin.
Awareness and presence.
And if it's too much to bring your attention into the pain,
Consider coming to the space around it,
At the edges of the sensation.
And notice the quality of that sensation.
Is the discomfort sharp or dull?
Is it constant or shifting?
Doesn't have a color,
A size,
Or a shape.
Or even a temperature.
Let your awareness be with the sensation.
With compassion and curiosity.
If you notice yourself bracing or tightening around the pain,
That is so normal.
And you might try to bring some softening by inviting the breath to the edges of the sensation.
Notice if the pain shifts or changes with this spacious attention.
And now with soft eyes and a curious heart,
Please move your attention through the rest of the body and look for a place that feels neutral,
Maybe even comfortable.
Or perhaps a place that simply feels quiet.
It could be as benign as your left hand,
The softness behind your knee.
The rise and fall of your belly.
A place that,
Right now,
In this moment,
Is at ease.
Take your time finding a place in the body that is at ease in this moment,
No matter how small it might be.
When you find that place of ease in the body,
No matter how small or subtle.
Allow your attention to rest there.
Notice what neutral or ease feels like in your body.
The texture of it.
The quality.
And now,
I invite you to slowly Slowly,
Let that sensation of ease or neutrality expand.
The way sunlight expands when a cloud moves.
Away.
From our view of the sun.
Naturally and without effort.
Let your awareness rest in this expansion of ease and neutrality in the body.
Breathe with it.
And can you invite the ease?
To support the parts of your body that are in pain.
Notice what is happening in your body.
Be with the experience.
Gently now,
Begin to deepen your breath.
Bringing soft movement into the fingers and the toes.
And if it feels available to you,
A gentle stretch.
And the rest of the body.
Take a moment once again to take stock of the body.
Exercising your curiosity and compassion.
On a scale of one to five.
Again,
One being no discomfort and five being significant pain or distress.
How are you leaving this practice?
Simply notice.
Without expectation,
Simply acknowledging where you are.
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for engaging with this practice.
I know your body is asking a lot of you right now.
Choosing rest and gentleness is an act of profound self-respect.
When you're ready,
Slowly blink your eyes open.
Thank you for being here.
