Welcome everybody.
I'm going to offer you a body scan meditation.
Body scan is a really effective way to become very present in the body,
To be aware of this alive breathing multifaceted body.
To become aware of parts of the body that maybe you never even think about.
And most of us don't.
We just go about our lives and the body comes with us.
And we're very aware of the body when there's discomfort or pain.
And this is a way of becoming more familiar with this beautiful,
Alive,
Amazing body.
This is not to come into any story about any problems with the body or any judgment.
This is really a beautiful,
You kind,
Calming meditation that just brings you more into your own experience of being alive.
So find a posture that is thoroughly comfortable.
Either seated or reclining.
Make sure you're cozy.
If you need a wrap,
Get a wrap.
You want socks on,
Put socks on.
If you're reclining,
Have a pillow under your head and maybe one under your knees.
And if you're in a chair,
Be fully supported.
And for this meditation,
Letting the eyes close,
If that's comfortable.
Otherwise,
A gentle,
Soft gaze downward.
And begin by becoming aware fully of the body in the posture that you're in.
All of the touch points of the body.
From the bottom to the back or the backs of the legs.
Aware of the feet.
And the hands,
Whether the hands are in the lap or clasped,
Just notice.
If your eyes are closed,
Noticing the touch of the eyelids,
The touch of the lips,
The tongue and the mouth.
You may even notice the touch of your clothing on your skin.
And becoming aware of how the spine grows tall out of the deep low back.
All the way to the crown of the head.
Maybe tuck the chin just a little bit to open up the back of the neck.
Letting the shoulder blades melt down the spine.
And with that sense of the whole spine from the tail to the crown of the head,
The back of the body.
Now coming to the front of the body.
Letting the whole front be soft.
The face,
The throat.
Chest and the belly.
In this way,
Having a strong back and a soft front.
And the heart in between.
The heart can be freely open and alive.
Breathing and knowing you're breathing.
Arriving here.
And then as you're ready,
Bringing the awareness to the crown of the head.
Very top of the head,
Maybe thinking about the soft spot that was there when you were born.
A tender soft spot at the crown before the plates of the skull came together.
And that soft spot is still there.
It's a place where sometimes there's some sensation.
You might even notice as you bring your awareness to the crown of the head,
Is there some sensation there?
That's noticeable.
Maybe a little pressure.
Or pulsing.
Maybe some tingling or vibration.
Or maybe nothing at all.
Just know there's the crown of the head.
And with your next exhale,
Moving the awareness down the forehead.
Around the sides of the head and the back.
That space where a crown would fit on your head.
And now becoming aware of the eyes,
The eyelids.
The eyeballs,
Even the space behind the eyes.
Remembering to breathe.
And coming down the bridge of the nose and the cheeks.
Becoming aware of the mouth.
The lips and the jaw.
Letting the jaw unhinge any amount.
Softening.
Breathing.
And then coming to the sides of the head and becoming aware of the ears.
Maybe even deep down inside of the ears.
The space behind the ears.
Moving to the back of the head.
Take a breath.
Moving down the back of the neck.
The sides of the neck and the throat area.
Maybe even moving the head a little bit.
Around and up and down,
Just to become aware of what does that actually feel like,
What are the sensations of moving the neck.
And breathing.
And now placing the awareness in the tops of the shoulders.
And with your next exhale,
Moving the awareness down your back.
Down past the upper back.
The mid-back.
The low back.
And as you breathe in,
Drawing the awareness back up.
The whole length of the spine to the shoulders.
And as you exhale,
Moving the awareness back down the back as imagining Soothing the back with your awareness and your breath up and down as you breathe.
Each exhale,
The muscles of the back soften a little bit more.
You might come to the sides of the body and go up and down from the hips to the armpits,
Up and down,
Becoming aware of the sides of the body.
And with your next inhale,
Bringing the attention back to the tops of the shoulders.
And as you exhale,
Moving the awareness down the front of the body.
The chest,
The belly.
Below belly.
Might notice how the chest and belly rise and fall with the breath.
And as we do this body scan,
If you come across anywhere,
That's uncomfortable in any way.
Linger there.
Take an extra breath or two.
Bringing a little softness to the area.
And you can always come back and join in the guidance.
When you're ready.
Once again,
Inhaling the awareness to the tops of the shoulders.
And this time as you exhale,
Moving down the arms.
Letting the arms relax.
Just noticing,
Oh,
There are arms,
Skin and muscle and bones.
Down the upper arms,
Into the elbows.
Down the forearms.
Into the wrists,
Hands,
And fingers.
You may even notice a sense of temperature.
Cool or warm,
Anywhere in between.
Breathing.
Softening.
Being here in the body drawing the awareness back to the tops of the shoulders.
And this time,
As you exhale.
Imagine going inside the body.
Down through the lungs.
And there's the heart.
Beating,
The lungs expanding and contracting.
Imagining all of the internal organs of digestion.
The stomach and liver.
Pancreas.
All of the intestines.
And there's also the kidneys and the adrenal glands.
The bladder.
Any organs of the deep pelvic bowl.
Sending some caring energy down through the inside of the body,
Breathing.
And now coming back to the outside of the body and noticing the hips.
The deep low back and the buttocks,
Maybe sensing the sit bones.
Pressing into the chair or the back of the body,
Touching.
If you're reclining.
Becoming aware of the pelvic floor.
And softening so much tension.
Is held in the pelvic floor.
See if you can release any amount,
Especially with the exhale.
And then becoming aware of right where the femur bones,
The big thigh bones come into the pelvis,
Creating the hips.
Becoming aware of the upper legs,
Fronts and backs,
The quadriceps and the hamstrings.
Insides and outsides of the thighs.
Letting the legs be soft and relaxed.
Breathing.
Becoming aware of the knees.
This bridge between the upper legs and the lower legs.
And as you exhale,
Moving down the lower legs.
The fronts,
The shins.
Back to the lower legs,
The calves.
Insides and outsides.
Knowing you have legs,
Upper and lower legs and knees.
There is this body.
Moving down into the ankles.
The sensing the ankles from the inside out.
What are those sensations?
And then coming down into the feet.
Becoming aware of the tops of the feet and the bottoms of the feet.
Toes,
Tops and bottoms.
The whole soles of the feet,
The heels.
Now getting a sense of your whole body.
There's the skeleton,
All of the bones.
How the tendons and the ligaments connect the muscles.
That allows this body to move.
All the organ systems.
Circulation,
Digestion,
The endocrine system,
The nervous system.
Everything that is in this body.
That keeps you alive,
To be aware there is a body.
And it is amazing.
As we continue to sit quietly,
Whether the eyes are open or closed,
The breath is coming and going.
Perhaps put a little attention into the feet.
And also some attention into the crown of the head.
Like your north and south poles of the body.
And in between.
This body is breathed and is alive.
Placing the attention somewhere where it makes most sense for you.
Might be in the experience of breathing.
Or maybe the sensation right at a touch point.
Or just maybe saying to yourself,
Ah.
We'll be here quietly for a few minutes,
Being in this alive,
Amazing body,
Just as it is.
The mind might wander off and that's fine.
It's not a problem,
But if you notice the wandering off.
Right where you want to place your attention.
And begin again.
And we'll sit quietly for a few minutes.
And if you like,
You can offer yourself the following.
Blessings of goodwill,
Of well-being for yourself.
As we end,
Saying to yourself quietly,
May I be well.
May I be contented.
May I be at ease.
May I be well.
May I be contented.
May I be at ease.
And maybe there's even awareness.
Of the sensation of what does well-being,
Contentment,
And ease feel like.
In this body now.
Let that be there.
To the extent that it is.
Knowing that it's very good enough.
