'Peaceful Parents' Body Scan For Relaxation

The body scan helps to bring attention to the body, noticing the sensations as you scan through your body. Through this meditation, we are able to check in with our bodies and release any tension we may be holding.

Transcript

So just beginning to settle yourself into the chair or on the floor, On the bed, Wherever you'd like to sit or lie. And just noticing your body now, Noticing how it feels sitting in the chair or lying down. You can close your eyes over when you're ready if that's comfortable for you. And now just noticing the weight of your body against the chair or the floor or couch, Wherever you are. Just noticing the body and where it's pressing. What can you feel? Where can you feel your weight the most? Is it on your bottom or back or legs or is it just sort of an overall sense of the body? Just noticing your breath, Taking a few deep breaths when you're ready, An in-breath, Allowing your belly to expand and then your out-breath, Just allowing your body to relax. Just allow with each in and out breath, Just feeling that sense of relaxation coming over the body. So let's start noticing parts of our body bit by bit. So just noticing your feet on the floor or on the bed or wherever it is that you are and just noticing where is your feet, Where is it touching and what does that feel like? Is it just your soles of your feet or if you're sitting, Is it all of the underneath of your feet? And just notice those sensations, Touching the floor, Feeling the weight and the pressure, Maybe even a feeling of a flowing of energy, Of a vibration or heat or coolness, Just noticing that now, Could even be a tingling. Just noticing your legs now against the chair or floor and just feeling again where you feel that pressure, Do you feel it more on one side or the other and what do your legs feel like? Is there like a heaviness or a lightness, Is there like a movement of energy or an aching or tension or maybe just a sensation of your skin? And now noticing your back against the chair or the floor or the bed or wherever you are, Just noticing what is your back touching and where is your back touching the chair or the floor? Is it just the lower back or is it the whole of the back? And just feeling that pressure now, Maybe the difference between where it's touching something and where it's not. Now bring your attention up to your tummy area, Just notice if it's tense or tight and if there is tension just letting that soften, Just allowing the belly to move with each in and out breath, Nice and soft, A nice flowing sensation, You might even like to breathe into that part of the body, Imagining you can take your breath all the way down to the belly. Now noticing your hands, Noticing your hands and your fingers, Are they tense or tight or are they loose and soft, Just allow them to soften even more and as you do that see if you can tune into any subtle sensations in your fingers or your hands, A tingling or tightness or an ache or maybe noticing the temperature. Now moving to your arms, Noticing any sensations in the whole of your arms, Noticing again any pressure where they might be touching either your own body or touching the floor or a chair and just letting your shoulders just be soft now as you notice any sensations in your shoulder area, Going up to your neck and noticing your neck, Any sensations in the front and back of your neck and around to your throat, If there's any tension there still allow it to soften as well as softening your jaw, Noticing if your jaw is clenched tight or whether it's loose, Nice and soft and relaxed and just let all of your face and all of your facial muscles just be soft and relaxed. Now notice the whole body, So you can scan through your whole body and just noticing any particular sensation that's standing out to you, Whether it's noticing your heartbeat or noticing the movement of the belly or an area of pain or discomfort or just something really subtle like a slight tingle or touch, Just noticing that now for a moment and now just noticing your breath for a moment, Taking a big breath in, Big breath out and then in a moment you can open your eyes but just take the time that you need to do that, You might like to sit for another couple of minutes with your eyes closed or lie down or if you're ready you can open your eyes and just noticing your body now and how your whole body feels.