Breath awareness and body scan meditation.
Find yourself a comfortable seated position,
Either on the floor or on a chair.
Place your hands in your lap or on your knees in a soft relaxed position with palms face up.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a moment now to settle onto the mat.
Notice the contact of your bottom with the floor,
The temperature,
The texture of the floor beneath you.
Notice the sensation of your clothes against your skin.
Notice the temperature of the air on your skin,
Your hair.
Don't do anything with it,
Just notice.
Draw your attention now to your breath,
Breathing gently naturally through your nose.
Take a moment to tune into your breath.
Notice the depth of your breath,
The rate of your breath.
Don't do anything with it,
Just notice.
Bring your attention to the rise of your belly as you inhale and how your belly falls away back towards your spine as you exhale.
Gently allow your belly to rise and fall with a natural rhythm of your breath.
Notice the coolness of the air through your nostrils as you inhale and the warmth of the air as you exhale,
Perhaps noticing your breath on your top lip as you exhale.
As you inhale,
Notice the air travel through your nostrils,
Down your throat,
Down into your chest.
Notice your lungs filling and your belly rising.
As you exhale,
Notice your belly fall away as your lungs contract.
Notice the air traveling back up through your chest,
Through your throat and out through your nostrils,
Returning to a gentle,
Natural breath,
Allowing the belly to rise and fall gently,
Naturally as you breathe.
We'll now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.
The practice begins on the right hand side.
Draw your attention to your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the right hand.
Back of the hand.
The right wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
The right hip.
The thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left waist.
Left hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Now take your attention to the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Right thigh.
Left thigh.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
The entire spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Middle of the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
Throat.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Right groin.
Left groin.
Pelvic floor.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Whole right arm.
Whole left arm.
The whole face.
The whole head.
The whole torso.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Bring your attention back to your breath now.
Breathing gently,
Naturally through your nose,
Tuning back into your breath.
Gently allow your belly to rise and fall,
The natural rhythm of your breath.
Once again,
Noticing the rise of your belly as you inhale,
And exhale,
And exhale,
Noticing the rise of your belly as you inhale,
And how your belly falls away back towards your spine as you exhale.
Noticing the depth of your breath,
The rate of your breath.
Don't do anything with it.
Just notice.
Allow yourself to continue to breathe deeply,
Gently,
As you return your attention to your surroundings.
Notice the sounds around you,
The feel of your clothes on your skin,
The sensation of the mat beneath you.
Wriggling your fingers and your toes,
Take a deep breath in,
And a sigh out.
Gently opening your eyes,
Noticing the world brighter and clearer around you.
Take your time to gently move away from the mat,
Taking the clarity and calm into your day or your rest.
At any time throughout your day,
You can bring your attention back to your breath for even a moment.
Remember,
Breath is life.
