Body Scan (Toes To Head)

Relax your body and prepare for a restful sleep with this simple body scan meditation. We begin at the soles of the feet in this meditation and take our time as we relax each part of the body working up to the crown of the head. This is a great way to develop body awareness but also train yourself to slowly relax at the end of a long day.

Transcript

You're welcome to do the body scan in whatever position is comfortable for you. If lying on your back is not comfortable, Then change position. If you'd prefer to sit, That is an option as well. It is the level of attention that you bring to this practice, Not your posture, Not your position that is most important. Once you have found that comfortable position, Allow your eyes to gently close. Allow the arms to rest alongside the body with the palms facing upwards. Stretch those legs out nice and long. Make sure that the ankles are not crossed and just allow those feet to relax. Take a moment to feel the body as a whole right now, Sensing the support that's there, Knowing that there is no need to hold the body in any way. It's being supported by your mat or the floor, Maybe a bed or the chair. And start by bringing your attention to the fact that you are breathing, Not changing the breath in any way, But simply experiencing the air as it comes into and out of the body, Becoming aware of the abdomen rising as the air comes into the body, And noticing how the abdomen falls as the air exits the body. You're not controlling this breath in any way. You are just becoming aware of its natural rhythm and flow, Noticing that as the breath flows naturally, The abdomen will lift with each inhale and fall with the exhale. Paying attention to the breath, Just allowing it to move in and out, Filling the lungs with each in-breath, And on the out-breath, Just letting go, Letting your body become a little bit more rested, Sinking a little deeper. If you find that you become distracted or lost at any time during this exercise, Just bring yourself back to the breath, Noticing the inhale and observing the exhale, Allowing the breath to serve as the anchor to your attention. Now on the next out-breath, Directing your attention from the breath all the way through the body and coming into the left foot, Taking a moment to direct your attention to the big toe of the left foot, Noticing any sensations here in the toe. Maybe you feel some coolness or warmth. Maybe you notice the sensations of the air, The touch of your sock or your clothing. Maybe you don't notice anything at all. Just being with whatever is happening at this part of your body. And then slowly moving your attention from the big toe to the other toes of the foot, Becoming aware of the skin and the nails, The space between the toes, Any sensations of temperature or tingling or pulsing. Taking a moment here to just be with that left foot, With the toes, The toenails. And moving now to the ball of the left foot, Sensing into the arch and the heel, And maybe feeling the heel in contact with the mat. Moving to the top of the left foot, Becoming aware of the skin and the muscles. And gently expanding your attention now to include the entire left foot, Including all of the bones, All of the skin, And all of the sensations. And breathing in as if you could breathe in directly from that left foot, And breathing out from the foot. As you breathe in, Bringing in newness and freshness. And as you breathe out, Releasing any tension, Any tightness, Just letting go. And then gently beginning to move to the top of the left ankle, Aware of the bones and the tendons, The skin, Breathing into the ankle, Breathing in and breathing out. Breathing to the lower left leg, Maybe feeling the contact of the leg with the mat, Aware of the skin, Noticing your calf muscle, The shin bone, And any other sensations in that part of the body. Breathing into the calf and the lower leg, And breathing out. And moving to the left knee, Circling the knee joint with your attention, Maybe exploring the kneecap, The cartilage, The hinge, Or the underside of the knee, Becoming aware of any sensations here. As we listen deeply to any part of the body, We may experience strong sensations, If we can just be with those sensations exactly as they are, Not judging them, But being fully present to each sensation. And as we move through the body, Releasing and letting go to the best of our ability, Allowing each part of our body to relax a little further, Releasing any tension that we may have been hiding away. And coming now to the left thigh, Become aware of the skin and muscle, Perhaps feeling the pulsation of circulation here, There might be feelings of heaviness or weightedness, Feeling the contact of the thigh with the surface that you're lying on, Becoming aware of the thigh bone as it rests in the hip socket. And taking a nice deep breath in, Breathing all the way through the left leg, Breathing through the thigh, The knee, The lower leg, And down into the foot, Filling the entire leg and the entire foot with freshness and newness. And as you exhale, Releasing any congestion, Any fatigue, Or any tension. Bringing attention now to the place where the thigh bone rests in the hip socket, And spanning your attention across the hips and moving all the way down the right leg to the right foot, Moving right into the big toe of the right foot, Noticing any sensations here, Perhaps sensing coolness or dryness, Moisture, Tingling, Or nothing at all, Just noticing what is happening in that right big toe in your body right now. And slowly moving that attention now to the other toes of the right foot, The skin and the nails and the space in between the toes, Including all of the sensations here. Slowly bringing that awareness into the ball of the right foot, Moving into the arch and the heel, Aware of the skin on the heel, And slowly coming to the top of the right foot, Including the skin and the bones, And expanding your attention to include the entire foot, The muscles, The nerves, The blood vessels, All of those sensations, Breathing into that right foot and breathing out, And slowly allowing the awareness of the foot to go and focusing now on the right ankle, Aware of the bones and the skin, The tendons, Maybe the feelings of contact that the ankle makes with the surface that you're lying on, Breathing in slowly and breathing out slowly. Coming now to the lower right leg, Possibly feeling the pulsation of circulation, Aware of the calf muscle and the skin, Moving into the shin bone, Moving into that right knee, Exploring the right knee from all sides and all angles, Taking all of your attention and placing it right in this one part of the body, Noticing the sensation on the underside of the knee, The hinge joint, The kneecap, And the cartilage. And moving now to the thigh, Exploring the muscle and the skin, Perhaps feeling the pulsation of circulation in the upper part of the leg, Becoming aware of the thigh bone, And taking a deep breath in, Breathing into your thigh, Breathing into your knee and the lower leg, Your ankle, And your foot, Filling the entire leg and foot with fresh energy and newness. And as you exhale, Releasing all congestion and all toxins within the body, Completely letting that right leg and foot go. And then very gently, Move your attention now to the hip bones, To the entire pelvic region, Possibly even becoming aware of the organs held in this part of the body, Including the intestines, The reproductive organs, And the bladder. Notice the buttocks, Feeling the contact of them and the lower back on the surface that you're lying on. Feeling any sensations here in that lower body, Perhaps feelings of weightedness or lightness, And just allowing those bum cheeks and some of those internal organs to relax, Perhaps to slow down. Feeling them for all of the work that they do to keep you healthy and active. Breathing in life into those organs and joints and exhaling any tension or tightness. And on the next inhale, Begin to move your attention from the lower back up the spine, Becoming aware of each vertebra of the spine, Aware of the intricate nerves protected and encased in the spine as they branch out to all parts of your body, Aware of the muscles and the skin of the back. And allow those muscles to ease and release a little further with each out breath, Breathing into that low back, Breathing into that spine, Creating a little bit of space between each vertebra and sinking a little deeper down. And gently moving a little further up the back to the middle of the back, Releasing any tension here in the spine and moving into the internal organs in this area, Perhaps even becoming aware of the kidneys, Encouraging them to relax and soften. Taking your breath to breathe lightness and relaxation into this part of your body, Inhaling slowly and exhaling slowly. Moving further up the back, Slowly become aware of the rib cage. Maybe notice the feeling of the rib cage expanding with each breath, Becoming aware of the place where the rib cage attaches to the spine, The back of the heart, The back of the lungs and the shoulder blades, Drawing your attention all the way up to the place where the spine meets the skull. Breathing in deeply, Breathing fully into the entire back, Allowing that back to move easily, Allowing it to move gently, Matching the movement with your breath, Allowing that breath to expand once again into the middle back and the lower back, Encompassing the entire back of the body, Breathing newness, Freshness and lightness. And as you exhale, Releasing any fatigue, Tightness or congestion, Breathing openness and ease into that back body. And as you allow the body and the breath to relax, With each exhale, Allow the back to rest more deeply, Allow it to sink a little further, Knowing there is no need to hold it or support it. You are completely supported now. Giving your attention now to the abdominal region, Becoming aware of the stomach, Perhaps feeling sensations of digestion, Possibly becoming aware of the liver and the pancreas, Becoming aware of the intestines and feeling the movement of the abdomen as it rises and falls with each breath. Taking a nice, Deep breath in, Allow that belly to really expand on the in-breath as the diaphragm muscle pushes down, Creating more space for the lungs to hold air, Noticing how the abdomen rises as the body is filled with fresh oxygen. And then as you exhale, Releasing, Notice how the abdomen deflates, Flattens, Breathing a new energy to this abdominal region, To the pelvic floor and the hips, Breathing in and breathing out. Knowing that you are bringing healing and balance back into this body with each in-breath and releasing fully with each out-breath. And gently moving your attention now to the chest, Feeling the expansion of the rib cage with each in-breath and feeling that rib cage expand in the front and the sides and the back, Becoming aware of the heart, Noticing how the heart is cradled between the two lobes of the lungs and noticing that deep connection of the work that the heart and lungs do as the lung draws in fresh oxygen, The blood takes it to all parts of the body and then returns what's no longer needed to the lungs, Allowing them to release it. All day long with each beating of your heart, With each in-breath and each out-breath, The body is constantly renewed, Taking a moment now to really feel the beating of the heart and the movement of the lungs, Noticing the rhythm and the dance that naturally occurs here. And taking a moment to just really appreciate this art, This connection within your own body. And then gently begin to expand that awareness, Becoming aware of the muscles of the chest, The skin and the breasts, Noticing the collarbones and breathing into the entire chest, Allowing the rib cage to expand fully on the front, The sides and the back, Really drawing in fresh energy as you fill those lungs, Bringing new life, New energy into the body and into the chest and releasing any congestion, Any tightness, Any discomfort in the chest region, Noticing any emotions that may come up in this part of the body as you breathe in deeply and exhale fully. So often we talk about something being heartfelt or having a gut reaction, And as we go through the body, We may notice different feelings that come up and we just want to sit with those feelings, Notice that they arise without judging them, Without getting wrapped up in them and using our exhale to slowly begin to release them. As you continue to breathe into the chest and exhale, Completely let go of that part of the body, Releasing the chest, Relaxing the heart. And on the next inhale, Begin to draw your attention down both arms to the fingertips of both hands, Becoming aware of the sensation of air touching the fingertips, Possibly feeling moisture or dryness, Becoming aware of the skin of the fingers, Noticing the fingernails, The joints of the fingers, Maybe the knuckles, Feeling into the palms of our hands and all the way to the tops of our hands, Becoming aware of the movement that is capable within these hands, Appreciating all of the work that our hands do for us, And breathing into those hands and breathing out from the hands, Allowing them to release any tension or discomfort here and breathing in a new sense of lightness and relaxation. And gently moving into the wrists, Becoming aware of the bones in the skin, Maybe feeling the pulsation of circulation here as the blood vessels interlace at the wrists, Moving up to the lower arms, Become aware of the skin, The muscles and the bones, And eventually working our way into our elbows, Noticing any sensation in the elbows, The rougher outer skin or maybe the delicate skin on the inside of the elbows or its hinge joint, Breathing in here through those lower arms and exhaling to relax. And moving further up the arms, Become aware of the skin at the upper arms, The muscles in the armpits, Becoming aware of the upper arm, The way the bones come together at the shoulder joint, And taking a nice deep breath in, Filling the upper arms, The elbows, The lower arms, The wrists and the hands, Breathing in newness, Breathing in fresh energy into those arms and hands and breathing out any tightness, Any heaviness, Just letting it go. And bringing attention now to the shoulders, Become aware of the tops of the shoulders, The sides and the backs of the shoulders, Noticing the muscles along the way, Really exploring any sensations that you notice in the shoulders, Breathing deeply into the shoulders, Easing them and releasing any concern that has lodged in this part of the body. As you breathe in and breathe out, Just let those shoulders go. Drawing our attention now to the throat, Aware of the ability to swallow and to speak, To draw breath into the lungs, And moving into the neck and the muscles that are there, The vertebra that are connecting to the skull, The neck holding the head, Taking a nice deep breath into the neck and throat region and releasing on the exhale, Taking your time here, Really feeling this region of the body, Noticing any thoughts or emotions that are arising and then releasing them or dissolving them with the out-breath. And on the next inhale, Continue to move up the back of the head, Becoming aware of the skull bones, The scalp, The tiny little muscles of the scalp, Maybe even becoming aware of the follicles of the hair and coming further up the head to the crown of the head, The very top of the head, And moving forwards to the forehead. And with your attention, Smoothing the forehead from one temple across the forehead to the other, Exploring any sensations of the forehead. And moving into the entire face now, Becoming aware of the eyes, The eyebrows, The eyelids and eyelashes, And the eyeballs resting in their sockets, Aware of the nose, The bridge of the nose, The nose bone, The nostrils, And taking a breath in through the nose, Sensing the feeling of air coming in, Perhaps cool, And leaving warm at the nostrils, Maybe even feeling the movement of tiny hairs inside the nostrils, Becoming aware of the cheeks and the cheekbones, The sinuses, The skin of the cheeks, And the many muscles of the face, Muscles which give expressions to even the subtlest of feelings, Aware of the ears, The ability to hear, The outer ears, The inner ears, And the process of hearing in this very moment, Aware of the jaw, The hinge joint on either side of the face, The muscles, The jaw bone, And the chin. And coming now to the mouth, Noticing the lips, The inside of the mouth, Including your teeth and the gums, Noticing the roof of the mouth and the tongue resting on the floor of the mouth, And taking a moment now to breathe in to the entire face, Breathing in freshness and easiness, Breathing out any tightness or any tension, Allowing the face to relax, Allowing it to just be, To simply be in this moment, Aware of the brain inside the head, Breathing into the entire head, Breathing in freshness and breathing out fatigue or worry or congestion. And finally, Bringing attention now to the crown of the head, And imagining that energy can be drawn in from the crown of the head, Filling the entire body, Breathing in from the crown of the head, Breathing in to the head, The neck, Shoulders, Arms, And the hands, Breathing in to the torso, The upper torso, And the lower torso, Breathing in to the legs and the feet, And breathing out at the soles of the feet, Allowing the body to breathe as a whole right now. Maybe breathing in from the soles of the feet, Filling the feet, The ankles, The lower legs, The knees, The thighs, And the hip region, The lower back, The abdominal region in the middle back, The chest, And the upper back, Filling the hands and wrists, The arms, Shoulders, Neck, Throat, Face, And head, And breathing out again at the crown of the head, Breathing in newness and freshness and well-being, Bringing in the ability to be present in this moment, To be with your body as it is, And to be with the feelings as they are in this very moment, Breathing in new life-affirming energy, And breathing out any feelings of being tired or any energy that's no longer needed, Releasing anything that is not necessary anymore. Once again, Breathing in at the crown of the head, Filling the entire body, And breathing out at the soles of the feet. Now breathing in at the soles of the feet, Filling the entire body all the way up to the crown of the head, And exhaling out at the crown of the head, Taking a few moments in your own time to breathe fully through the entire body, Continuing this breath or wave moving from the crown of the head to the feet, And back again if you wish, Allowing the fresh energy to wash through the body, And on each out-breath releasing, Letting go of what's no longer needed, Allowing it to be like waves of the ocean coming into the body and releasing from the body, With each in-breath and each out-breath. So breathing out, And exhaling out, And exhaling coming out of the body to the feet again, Line of breath remaining tight, Shot and passenger seat, Before exiting your base. And as you breathe this way, Being aware of the body as a whole, As complete, As beyond its parts, Allowing yourself to simply exist in the stillness, The silence, And the wholeness. And now letting go of any control of the breath, Allowing yourself to lie here in complete stillness. Allow that breath to flow freely into and out of the body. Just breathing, Not controlling in any way, Just allowing the free flow, The natural cycle of the breath as it moves into, Through, And out of the body. Becoming aware and fully experiencing the body and the breath, Accepting the sense of the body and the stillness that surrounds you, Giving permission for the body to heal and allow the universe to be as it is, Seeing yourself as complete right now, Just as you are. And really feeling the fullness of your capacity to live, Feeling into the fullness of your capacity to care and to love, And experiencing being totally awake, Complete, And whole right now, Being a part of the whole as we lie here in stillness, Awake, Relaxed, And complete. And coming back now to the body, Slowly begin to move the fingers and toes, Moving and stretching in any way that feels right to you, Gently easing yourself back into the present moment, In the present space. You are in no hurry, There is no rush, Just moving gently and easily. And as you feel ready, Begin to open those eyes, Allowing this sense of calm and relaxation to stay with you as you resume any activities for your day, Maybe even taking a moment to congratulate yourself, Remembering that this state of relaxation is accessible to you by simply listening to the breath, Becoming aware of your breath at any moment in your day, Allowing that breath to always be your anchor, And allowing it to be a source of constant energy and strength for yourself and others.

Reviews

Simple and thorough body scan. Gentle and easy to follow.

It worked so well that I fell asleep before it was over. Thank you! 🙏❤️😴

Great 🙏🏻🦋

Lovely, thank you.

Simply perfect Jennifer. A wonderful body scan meditation with your voice, your words and attention to every part. So much thanks.