Okay,
The five senses body scan.
We're going to start by sitting comfortably or lying down,
Whichever you prefer,
On your bed,
A blanket or a yoga mat.
And just allow your body to sink into the chair or the mattress or the ground and feel fully supported.
Notice any discomfort and shift to make yourself more comfortable.
You can gently close your eyes.
Inhale normally,
Exhale naturally.
And we'll continue breathing normally,
Not changing the breath,
Just letting it come as it is and flow naturally.
We're going to wake up the five senses,
Starting with sound.
As you inhale,
Notice the most subtle sound in your environment.
You can probably hear the loudest sound around you or me,
My voice.
And start bringing your attention to the softest sound,
The faint sounds.
Maybe the sound of your own breath,
Your heartbeat and the small movements of your body.
Don't resist the sounds,
Just be aware of them.
On your next inhale,
What are you seeing?
Even with the eyes closed,
You may see light coming in through the eyelids or just darkness.
That's also a type of seeing.
Sometimes you see swirling colors or points of light when your eyes are closed.
Just be aware of them.
Don't try to change them.
On your next inhale,
Let's wake up the sense of taste.
There's always some sense of taste,
Even if it's neutral.
Just be aware of what's there.
Don't try to change it.
On your next inhale,
What can you smell?
Even if there's a strong aroma like perfume,
Bring your attention to the subtle aromas,
The wood floor,
The fabric of your clothing,
The quality of the air.
On your next inhale,
Bring your attention to your sense of touch.
You may become aware of the sensations of sitting or lying down,
The way the chair,
The cushion,
The mattress or the mat feels under your body.
You may notice your clothes resting on your skin.
Now be aware of the sensations of air flowing into your body.
The rise and fall of the belly as the air moves in and back out.
Slightly warmer air exiting the nostrils or mouth on the exhale.
Not trying to breathe in any particular way.
Just being aware of the process of breathing itself.
Our attention is normally like a bright flood light encompassing the entire body,
But now we want to shift the attention to a very small spotlight that moves very deliberately down the body.
Down the left leg all the way down to the left foot,
In the left toes,
So that we're resting our awareness on the toes of the left foot.
Just noticing sensations in the toes of the left foot.
It might be coolness,
Might be tension,
Might be numbness or no sensation at all.
Extend the attention through the rest of the left foot.
In the ball of the foot,
Arch,
Heel,
Side step of the foot,
The muscles,
Tendons and tissues inside the foot.
Just taking it in as it is in this moment.
You may find along the way that your attention drifts and you find yourself thinking of other things,
Other times,
Maybe having memories,
Desires or emotions.
Just try to bring your awareness back again to the left foot.
Allow the attention to focus upon the left ankle.
See if you can simply be aware of it as it is,
To the exclusion of the foot below.
Simply be aware of the left ankle.
You may be aware of the sensation of your ankle resting against the mat or feel your clothes against your skin.
And now look to bring the spotlight of your awareness to the calf of the left foot,
Left leg.
Completely keeping your attention there as it is,
Resisting nothing,
Aware of the calf in isolation.
Bring your awareness now to the left thigh.
Each time that you notice that the attention has wandered and you find yourself lost in thoughts,
Return to the left leg once again.
See if you can be aware of it in isolation from the rest of your body,
Just the left leg.
Become aware of the toes on the right foot.
Extend the attention to the rest of the right foot and the ball of the foot,
The arch,
The heel,
The side step of the foot,
The muscles,
Tendons and tissues inside the foot.
Just taking it in as it is in this moment.
Move the attention to the right ankle,
Just the right ankle,
Just as it is in this moment.
Just allowing yourself to be aware.
Tune in to the right ankle and see what's there.
It might be useful to adopt an attitude of playful curiosity about the body.
What will you find here exploring this body?
The right lower leg,
The calf,
The shin,
Noticing any sensation that's there,
Coolness,
Warmth,
Clothing touching the surface,
Awareness of the knee,
Feel the twist of the right leg outward,
The right thigh.
Every time your mind wanders,
Simply usher it back to the place in the body where you are,
In this case the right thigh,
Patiently,
Calmly,
Firmly.
Bring awareness to the pelvis,
The groin,
The buttocks.
If there's sensation here,
That's fine too,
Just as it is.
Now as we move our attention to the lower back,
Many people may feel discomfort here.
What we're interested in is what's happening right now in this moment.
If you label sensation as pain,
Then be more specific,
Be aware of whatever sensation is there.
Bring your attention to the front part of the torso,
The abdomen,
The skin of the abdomen,
The organs inside.
Be more aware of the breath here as the belly rises and falls.
Bring up the torso to the rib cage,
Lungs,
Heart and upper back.
Breathing the expansion and contraction of the ribs,
The sensation of the upper back during this process.
Become aware of the shoulders,
The rocking motion of breathing on the shoulders,
That narrow spotlight of awareness moving now down to the left arm,
Making a journey down into the fingers of the left hand,
Slowly tracing a line up through the elbows,
Shoulders.
Become aware of all the muscles and tissues inside,
Experiencing the left arm as a whole,
Allowing the attention to move across the chest to the right shoulder,
To the right arm extending down into the fingers of the right hand.
Tune in to what you feel,
Aware of subtle temperature differences from the palm to the back of the hand,
Bringing awareness all the way up to your shoulder.
Now,
Become aware of the neck,
With all the muscles,
Bones and the breath passing through it.
See if in this moment,
You can be aware of all that's going on there,
Allowing it to just be there,
Because it is.
Bring your attention up into the head,
The jaw,
The chin,
The teeth,
The tongue,
The roof of the mouth,
The lips,
Tuning in to the sensations in the face,
The cheeks,
The nose,
The area around the eyes,
The eyes themselves.
If you feel tension in the face,
You may relax it,
But you can also just notice it for what it is.
Be aware of the ears,
Sides of the head,
And to the extent that it's possible,
Be aware of the brain inside the head.
Now expand the spotlight of your awareness again,
So that it includes the entire body.
Coming from the head,
Down to include the neck,
The back,
The shoulders and arms,
The hips and thighs,
Right down into the tips of your toes,
Becoming aware of the amazing vehicle in which we live.
This whole body that's breathing and functioning in this moment,
Thinking,
Feeling,
Imagining,
Yet still present,
Still here.
If you feel any tension,
Tightness or discomfort in any part of your body,
You may take your attention to that part of the body,
Allow the feeling to be there,
And breathe through the sensation.
Now you may wiggle your fingers and toes,
Begin to wake your body back up with greater awareness of all the sensations that are present within your body.
Just to move your body,
And as you feel ready,
You may slowly open your eyes,
And this is our five senses body scan.
