MBSR Body Scan (32 min)

The Body Scan is a core practice of the free 8-week MBSR course found at Palouse Mindfulness.

Transcript

This body scan meditation is designed to bring greater awareness and attunement to body and to mind.

We'll be doing this in a state of relative physical stillness,

So it's best to arrange a time and a place in which you'll be comfortable and you won't be disturbed,

Dressing in loose and comfortable clothing which won't restrict your ways through your breathing.

This meditation is usually done lying on the back,

But it can be done in any posture that's comfortable and easy for you.

It can be done in a rug,

A mat or a bed,

Or it can even be done in a reclining chair.

You may want to use a light covering to help stay warm,

And a flat pillow can be helpful for the head if it's more comfortable that way.

If you are lying on your back,

Letting your arms lie alongside your body,

Palms up towards the ceiling if that's comfortable for you,

Heels on the floor allowing your feet to fall away from each other.

And as you are lying here,

Allowing yourself to notice whatever comes up in your awareness,

Simply accepting what is happening in the body and the mind,

Experiencing it clearly and as it is in this moment.

Noticing where your body makes contact with the floor or the mat.

You may have sensations of touch or pressure on your heels,

Your calves,

Your legs or buttocks,

Your upper back,

Your arms.

And as you are becoming aware of these sensations,

Bring your awareness now to the fact that you are breathing.

Noticing the actual physical sensations of breath.

And as you take air in,

Your diaphragm moves to allow your abdomen to move up and expand a little bit.

And as you breathe out,

The abdomen flattens out.

Just noticing the rhythm of your breath and as it moves your belly,

There may be slight movements of your chest.

You may be aware of how the air enters through your nostrils and through your windpipe and into your lungs.

Allowing that natural movement of your breath to continue without really having to do anything about it at all.

There's a tendency to want to control the breathing when we bring attention to it.

Just noticing how it is,

Whether it's short or fast or long and deep.

It's allowing to move at its own rhythm.

And when you're ready on your next in-breath,

Allowing the breath that comes in and fills the lungs and moves your belly up.

Imagining that your entire body is hollow and accepts the air as it comes in through the lungs.

As the body accepts the air through the nostrils and into the lungs.

Imagining it going all the way down,

Down into the belly and into the legs,

All the way down to the toes.

And bring your awareness to your right big toe.

Simply noticing what's present there as you move your attention to that part of your body.

You may notice tingling or temperature or coolness or throbbing.

Or you may not be aware of anything at all as your attention is on your right toe.

And just being aware,

If that's the case,

Just being aware that that's where your attention is.

Allow your awareness to include both big toes,

Your right big toe and your left big toe both.

Noticing it's possible to have your attention on one or the other or to hold a space of attention that encompasses both.

And when you're ready moving your attention from the big toes to include the little toes.

Just seeing how the quality of your attention shifts as you move your awareness to just your little toes.

And maybe now noticing the toes in between.

You can imagine your breath moving all the way down through your body,

All the way down to your toes of both feet.

And as you breathe out,

Allowing your awareness to move from your toes to the balls of your feet.

That part of your foot that pivots and allows you to walk smoothly.

And whatever you may be noticing there is just what you're noticing right now.

There's no right or wrong feeling or sensation to have.

And allowing your awareness to the balls of your feet to dissolve as you move your awareness to include the whole flat part of your foot.

All the way down to the heel.

So that long triangular area,

That meaty part of your foot that has contact with the ground as you walk.

And noticing just where your heel may be touching the mat or the floor right now.

And letting your awareness move to the ankles.

Including the muscles that are,

The ligaments and the bones that are in the ankle.

As well as the entire circumference,

Frame your Achilles tendon all the way up and around to the top.

From the surface of the skin to the inner parts of the ankle that allow your foot and your ankle to move so smoothly and support you as you're walking.

Imagining your breath going down into that area of your legs and your ankle.

And on your next out-breath,

Moving your awareness to the calves of your legs.

Including the meaty part that may be touching the mat or the floor.

The muscles or tendons that run alongside the shin.

So allowing into your field of experience whatever may be present for you as you have your attention on the calves and on the shin area.

And when you're ready,

Moving your awareness to your knees,

Including the back of the leg,

The kneecap itself,

The joint inside,

The skin around the whole circumference.

Just being receptive to whatever sensation you may notice in this part of your body.

And moving from your knees to your thighs,

The large muscles of your quads.

Extend between your knees and your hips.

Noticing the areas that have contact with the ground and the floor.

The parts that are the upper part of your thighs.

And being aware of the entire circumference of your thighs around the top and along the bottom side.

The muscles and tendon and bone interior to the thighs,

Seeing what it's like to have your awareness in this part.

You may feel weight or throbbing or heaviness or tingling or pressure,

Whatever comes to awareness.

This is a part of the body where you might,

If you pay attention,

You might even be aware of the throbbing from your heartbeat.

And as you're ready to do this,

Moving your awareness higher to the hip,

The pelvic area,

The buttocks where they touch the mat or the floor.

Moving your awareness from the pelvic area to the lower back.

Including the sides and the front.

And being aware of how the movement of breath affects this part of your body.

As on each in-breath,

Your belly expands a little bit.

And the out-breath,

It flattens somewhat.

And seeing if it's possible to maintain awareness of your breathing and how it's physically moving with your abdomen,

All the way from in-breath to the pause at the end of the in-breath,

As you're ready to go the other direction,

Through the out-breath.

And all the way through.

Noticing how the expansion and contraction affects the sensations on your skin from clothes or from pressure.

Any internal sensations you may be experiencing right now.

And bring your awareness higher in your body to the area of the diaphragm and both above and below that,

Where some of the internal organs are,

And then your lower rib cage,

Your middle back.

And as we do this exercise,

If you're noticing any holding or tension in any part of your body,

Just noticing that that's there.

Letting your breath move through that part of your body if your breath is affecting it.

Imagine your breath going into that part of your body,

Imagining it leaving at its own rhythm.

And when you're ready,

Bring your attention,

Your awareness,

Into the cavity of your chest,

Your rib cage,

Around your upper back where it touches the mat or the floor.

And appreciating in this area the lungs that supply oxygen and provide for the rhythm of the breathing.

Noticing just how the chest may be expanding or contracting just slightly with each breath.

Being aware of how the entire torso area moves very subtly with each in-breath and out-breath and the pause between.

And appreciating within this chest cavity,

Your heart and your lungs all working there,

Your lungs nestled around the heart.

Being aware of how your shoulders may be affected with the movement of breath,

Including your upper shoulders,

The sides,

The upper back.

Moving your awareness from the shoulders themselves to where they attach to your neck.

And sensing into those areas of connection,

Starting from a broad base to the top of the shoulders,

Narrowing to the neck itself.

And bringing awareness to the movement that's happening in the neck area,

The movement of air.

And with your next in-breath,

Allowing your awareness to move from your shoulders through your upper arms all the way down to your fingertips.

From the forefinger all the way to the little finger.

You may be including your thumb as well.

Imagine your breath going all the way down right to the fingertips as you breathe in.

Imagine the breath going back out from that area and shifting your attention now to the joints of your fingers.

And then to the knuckles.

And moving from the knuckles to the back of the hands.

And the palms of the hands.

To that meaty part of the hand,

The base of where your thumb connects to your hand itself,

The side of your hand.

Both interior and exterior awareness,

Awareness of skin,

Any sensations you may be noticing interior to your hand.

Shifting your awareness to your wrists.

Moving to your lower arms.

Extending from the wrist all the way to the elbow.

To your elbows.

And moving your focus from your elbows to your upper arms.

And back up into the shoulders.

And the base of the neck.

And moving from the base of the neck to your jaw.

And your throat area.

Including sensations you may have of the interior of your mouth,

The tongue,

How it rests within your mouth.

The inner part of the cheeks.

The palate,

The top part of your mouth.

Are you ready?

Shifting to your gums and to your lips.

Being aware of your lips to have both an interior part and an exterior part.

And moving to the cheeks.

To the nose and the nostrils.

Noticing here how the breath comes in through the nostrils and how it leaves.

Moving to include the eyes themselves and the muscles around the eyes in the upper cheek,

In the eyebrow,

In the corners of the eyes.

That whole area that your eyes are supported by and they're resting in.

And moving to the brow above the eyebrows.

The entire scalp area from your brow across the top of the head and all the way down to the ears.

And when you're ready,

Sensing into the entire body.

From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.

Allowing and noticing whatever sensation may appear as you include all of the body.

Head and shoulders,

Arms,

Torso,

Buttocks,

Thighs,

Calves,

Feet.

Allowing things to be just as they are.

Beyond tendencies of the mind to want everything to be a certain way.

Beyond liking and disliking.

Seeing ourselves as complete and whole right here,

Right now.

Just exactly as we are.

Noticing and experiencing the fullness of life.

Acknowledging our ability to be present with whatever presents itself.

And as this segment ends,

You might want to wiggle your toes and fingers.

Stretch in whatever way feels comfortable right now.

If your eyes have been closed,

Allowing them to let the light in.

And as you are ready,

Re-establishing contact with the entire world outside your body.

This ends the body scan meditation.

Reviews

Grateful for this meditation that makes me feeling alive and surrounded by love and beauty

Started my meditation journey years ago with Palouse Mindfulness. Wonderful to find that voice again. Thankyou. Back yet again. At first it was difficult not to control the breath, but soon let go, Thankyou again .

Great body scan and gentle voice. I like that this is just the voice with no added music or ambient sound. Enjoying the MBSR course. Thank you.

Reassuring and calm voice. Gave me just what I needed. Many thanks 🙏

Just wonderful. I love your MBSR offerings here 😍So grounded and steady and excellent. They have become good friends. Thank you so much.

Very complete body scan, with good consideration to accessibility at the start, and a gentle calming voice. ❤️

Truly, the best relaxation one could ever hope for!

Thank you! This is fantastic and will continue to revisit.

A beautiful scan meditation in gratitude to all our bodies do for us….and much thanks to you Dave .

Soothing and relaxing. Just being as it is. Thanks Dave for your guided meditations and presence. 🙏💕

Great practice, easeful and gentle. Many blessings 🙏♥️

Great segment, calming voice, good pace, easy to follow. Thanks a lot!

Wonderful meditation. Good pacing, helpful cues, soothing voice. Thank you so much. 🙏

Simple and great. Very soothing voice. Thank you. 🙏🏼

Thank you very much for this subtle yet powerful practice. I felt so relaxed and present. The mind was also calm and not trying to control as it typically does during this body scan. I appreciate this work and will come back to it time and time again.

A very through session. I found myself coughing and releasing tensions in the area of chest, throat. I found myself spontaneously stretching my limbs, even my whole entire mouth inside and out. The whole body vibrated with healing energy. A clear intention before the session made the experience even more impactful.

Awesome, just what I needed, your soft soothing voice gently soothing me.

Still one of the best paced full body meditations i have found. Thank you

So far one of the best body scan meditations I’ve heard (and I have not yet established a relationship to it 🙈). Thank you!

Your voice is so calming and welcoming. I took your MBSR course as my intro to developing meditation, so it's feels like coming home.