The Importance Of A Body Scan

A traditional Mindfulness Practice that begins with a brief description of the importance and benefits of a body scan and then moves into the practice itself. There are bells to signify both the beginning and the end of the formal practice.

Transcript

This is a traditional mindfulness practice known as a body scan. And during a body scan, We pay attention to the sensations or the absence of sensations in the different areas of the body, One by one. We pay attention to whatever is already there, Not to what we think we should feel. Common sensations are temperature, Tingling, Tension, Touch, And even proprioception, Which is the position of your body in space. There's no need to elicit a sensation if there isn't any. And if there are no sensations, We can just pay attention as if there are sensations present. Just as if we can listen for a sound, Even if there isn't any. The body scan is a great practice for non-striving. We're not asking anything from the body. It's more of a receiving of sensations. We live so much in our thinking mind that the body scan is an invitation to learn how to be embodied, To live in our body. In the ancient teachings of mindfulness, The body is the first foundation, The first place that we learn to rest our awareness. Mindfulness practice eventually evolves into insight or vipassana, Or clear seeing, Seeing the way things are. And with the body, We just begin by doing exactly that, Being with the body the way it is. So the goal is not relaxation. The goal is to just be checking in with each area of the body in a non-judgmental way. We just simply feel what there is to feel. And there's no need to stir up any sensations by moving the body. In this practice, You can sit or lie down, And you can either have your eyes closed or open with a relaxed gaze down at the floor. So just beginning by sensing the whole body sitting or lying, Whatever position. Just bringing an awareness to the whole body. Again it's completely normal that you notice that there are a number of areas in the body that you might not be able to feel anything at all. Just check into those areas as if you could feel something. So beginning with the feet, Feeling into both feet right now. Feeling into the areas where your feet are touching the ground. And maybe feeling into your toes. You might notice tingling or temperature. And moving the attention to your ankles and lower legs, What's here to feel, If anything? You might notice pressure. You might notice the feel of fabric against your skin. If you notice that your attention is suddenly somewhere else, With kindness and without judging, Just return your awareness to your legs. It's not a problem. The mind does like to wander. We just learn to begin again and bring it back. It might be useful to imagine your attention like a flashlight lighting up an area. And letting go of the lower legs and moving the attention to your knees and thighs. What's here to feel? You may notice the position of your legs, Pressure, Sensations, Or nothing at all. But notice that thinking about an area or picturing it in your mind's eye is different from actually feeling it. Just try to feel our way in. Letting go of the thighs and moving the attention to the lower trunk, The pelvis, Just the lower belly. Noticing any sensations in this area. You might feel the breath in the lower belly or not. And letting go and feeling into the upper trunk, The upper stomach area and chest. Just feel into this area, What's here to feel. Again you may notice the breath or not. Tingling, Pressure, Vibration. Just notice what's here. What do you sense into? And feel the spine. Perhaps it's against the floor or the back of a chair. Just noticing any sensations or the absence of sensations. And now moving the attention into your hands. Feeling into your hands. Feeling into each one. And feeling into the individual fingers of each hand. And you might feel the position of your hands. And when you're ready, Move the attention to your wrists and forearms. What's here to feel? Temperature, Touch, Pressure. And moving the attention to your elbows and upper arms. Noticing into any sensations here. And if your mind wanders off, Just bring it back to wherever we are. Starting over again. It's okay. Starting from your upper arms, Moving your awareness to your shoulders. To the back of your neck. To your head. And feel into your jaw. And feel into your face. Noticing your mouth. Nose. Cheeks. Eyes. Temples. Forehead. Your entire face. What does your face feel like? And you might notice vibration, Tingling, Temperature. And now opening the awareness to include your entire body again. Sitting or lying here. Just being alive, Breathing. If you'd like, You can imagine to be breathing from the crown of your head all the way down into your toes. And then up and out again. Noticing all the sensations of the body and allowing them to be just as they are in this moment. And now you can bring some movement back into your body by wiggling your fingers and toes a little bit. And just stretching the body in any way it wants. Thank you for joining me in this practice on Insight Timer. Namaste.