Beginner's Body Scan

This is a guided body scan meditation for those who are relatively new to meditation practice. We go through the body slowly, simply tuning into what is present.

Transcript

Thank you for listening to One Mind Dharma's weekly guided meditation podcast.

Today we're going to do a body scan meditation,

A practice in simply investigating what's present in the body.

So I recommend finding a comfortable position in which to sit.

If you need to,

You may lie down or walk or move.

But if you're able to,

Sitting really is best as we're able to relax the muscles but also be energized.

So as you find a comfortable posture and allow the eyes to close,

You can bring some attention to the spine,

Keeping the back upright,

Bringing some energy to the body.

And at the same time letting the muscles relax around the spine.

I like to think of keeping the skeleton energized and the muscles relaxed.

And you can use the breath to help you with this.

As you breathe in,

Reaching the spine up and breathing some energy into the body.

As you exhale,

Letting go,

Both physically and mentally or emotionally.

Keeping the shoulders drop a little bit,

Allowing there to be some slack in the jaw.

And just letting go of any problems or worries or things that need to be done.

Leaving the thoughts be.

If they're important,

They'll probably still be there or come back up when you're done.

But just for now,

Resting in the body,

Inhaling some energy and exhaling,

Letting go.

And we'll start up at the crown of the head.

Just tuning into anything that's present,

The body's full of nerve endings.

So if we tune in,

We can actually feel these spots in the body that we often don't pay attention to.

Can you feel the skin of the scalp?

And dropping down into the forehead,

The brow.

Maybe noticing if the brow is scrunched up or relaxed.

Perhaps you can feel the temperature of the air on the skin.

And remembering as we move through the body like this,

Two things.

One,

You don't need to change or fix anything.

The practice here is just to tune into what's present.

To cultivate the ability to be with whatever's going on,

To bring awareness to our experience.

And two,

To look at the body with some gentleness.

You can tune into these spots in the body without straining or stressing,

But a relaxed awareness,

A kind awareness.

You can drop down into the eyes and the cheekbones.

Even with eyes closed,

You may notice some movement.

Down into the tip of the nose,

The upper lip.

Seeing the body to breathe naturally,

You can perhaps feel the breath coming in,

Tickling ever so slightly,

Coming out just a little bit warmer.

And into the mouth,

The jaw,

The lips,

The tongue.

Seeing if the jaw is clenched or relaxed.

The moisture in the mouth,

Where the tongue is resting.

And it's okay to notice something and adjust,

But remembering again that the practice is just to be aware.

What does it actually feel like?

Not what are your thoughts about it?

What's the actual physical experience like?

And you can drop down into the neck,

The throat,

The spot where many of us hold some tension.

So just noticing what's there.

Maybe some movement as the body breathes.

And out the tops of the shoulders,

The traps.

Down into the shoulder blades.

Seeing if you can feel the rising and falling or rocking of the body with the breath.

The sensation of the clothes on the body.

And moving out the shoulders into the upper arms and elbows.

What's present for you?

What can you actually feel?

From the forearms into the wrists.

Perhaps your arms are resting on your lap or the arms of a chair.

And noticing any points of contact where the forearms may be touching your legs or the chair.

If you're having a difficult time concentrating,

Knowing that that's normal,

This is a practice.

We have to return over and over.

So when the mind does wander,

Just coming back to the physical body.

I like to return to movement as it's a little more stimulating.

So if the mind wanders,

Just coming back to the spot in the body and seeing if there's anything changing or moving,

Maybe with the breath or a breeze.

Bringing the attention now to the hands.

The palm of the hand,

The fingers,

The back of the hand.

Again noticing any points of contact.

And you may notice that the temperature of the air feels slightly different on the palms than it does on the back of the hand.

And you can come back up now to the chest.

Bringing the awareness to the rising and falling,

The expansion and contraction of the lungs and rib cage.

You don't need to control the breath.

The body breathes itself all day long.

Letting the body breathe itself and just tuning in to the experience.

Can you feel the clothes against the body?

The chest moving in the center on the sides.

That slight moment between the inhale and exhale.

And you can drop down to the abdomen,

The stomach.

Feeling any sensations related to hunger or being full,

The body digesting.

And again tuning in to the body breathing here.

Is the belly slightly constricted?

Or is it relaxed,

Soft belly?

And dropping down into the hips,

The butt,

The pelvic area and groin.

You may notice how it feels just to be sitting.

The butt in the chair or cushion,

The points of contact in the weight.

And down into the thighs and knees.

Perhaps the arms or hands are resting here.

Perhaps they're touching each other.

Whatever it is that's present for you,

No right or wrong,

Good or bad.

Just for now just being with the actual experience of having a body.

This is mindfulness.

Coming into our direct experience without forming judgments,

Letting the thoughts go.

Down into the shins and calves,

The ankles,

Noticing any tension or any sense of restlessness.

And into the feet,

The heel,

The arch of the foot,

The ball of the foot,

The toes,

The tops of the feet.

However the feet are resting,

There's probably a point of contact where they're touching each other,

Another part of the body or the floor.

And we'll take a moment here at the end just to tune into the body as a whole.

From head to toe,

Just getting a sense of the body as it's sitting right here right now in your actual physical experience.

Tuning into the body breathing,

You can get a sense of that breath energy in the whole body,

The blood pumping,

The nerve endings.

Perhaps it's a more visual practice for you,

But you can get a sense of the body's posture,

How it's sitting right now.

And we'll just offer a couple phrases of meta for the body,

Something I like to do to wrap up my body scans as a practice of gratitude,

Something we often take for granted,

But is so important to us.

So as unhealthy as the body may be at times,

Or as much pain as it may bring you,

It does indeed allow you to move around,

To exist.

And just wishing well for our body,

May my body be at ease.

May my body be at ease.

Just setting this intention to care for the body.

May my body be at ease.

And may I be at ease with my body.

May I be at ease with my body.

May I be at ease with my body.

Reviews

Great to do with my 9 year old! Love it!

Wonderful thank you.

New to meditation and this session taught me to notice the condition of my body and help me relax areas of pain and discomfort.

Nice and easy body scan to follow

A wonderful introduction to body scanning meditation. Easy to follow, energizing, and relaxing at the same time. Thank you

Cslming, peaceful, insightful, and thought provoking. Thank you.

Good learning experience

Very helpful for a first time meditation

Very good, thank you !

Can't wait to come back to this one 🙂

I have been away from guided meditations for a while. Moving back to this practice, this is exactly what I needed. Thank you.

Helped me understand that there isn't a right or wrong way to meditate. Once you get that, you can voyage into whatever your preference is for the day.

Great intro to mindfulness !

I've never felt more relaxed and my back muscles to feel more at ease. This is a wonderful feeling. Thank you very much! I will definitely be doing this more often throughout my day.

Awesome. Brief Metta towards end. Found perfectly paced. Thanks!

Really loved this - simple and clear. Liked the effect of the final bell