Hi,
This is Rachel.
Let's get ready to practice a body scan.
So for this practice you might lie down flat on your back or you might sit up on a cushion or in a chair.
Whatever posture or position supports you best at the moment.
And if you choose to lie down,
It's a good idea to have the legs a little apart with the feet falling out naturally to the sides and the arms resting down alongside the body with the palms facing upward.
And feeling that your head and neck are in line with your spinal column,
You may even find that your back is more comfortable with the legs and the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor rather than having your legs stretched out long.
See what works for you.
And if you're sitting,
Checking that you're sitting in a dignified way.
Taking a few moments to get everything just right so that you're comfortable and you feel well supported.
And of course,
Even after taking the time now to set up your position,
If you do find during the practice that you need to move or change positions to look after yourself,
Remember you can always move and change positions during the practice with mindful awareness.
So bringing to mind now your intention to cultivate mindful awareness by doing this practice.
In this practice,
The body scan,
You'll be invited to pay attention directly to sensations in the body.
Rather than think about the body or think about body sensations,
You'll be feeling into and experiencing sensation,
Which you might experience as heat or coolness,
Achiness,
Pulsing,
Pressure,
Tension,
Tightness,
Heaviness or lightness.
There may be parts of the body where there are no sensations or there's just dullness.
And if that happens,
Simply be aware of that.
The practice is not about trying to achieve a particular state.
It's not even about relaxing.
Rather,
The practice is an invitation to stay present to however you are feeling right now into what is happening in your body,
Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.
So as we systematically focus attention around the body,
We will be focusing and releasing attention,
Sometimes narrowing our attention and sometimes widening attention.
And as we do this,
We'll be bringing our attitudes of mindfulness to the practice.
So attitudes of non-judgment,
Acceptance,
Patience and kindness to whatever the experience is right now.
And especially when sensations are unpleasant or when we are noticing agitated thoughts and emotions,
Restlessness or boredom or sudden urges to move and perhaps even get up and leave the practice.
As best as we can,
Simply noticing all this and bringing this quality of gentle,
Kind-hearted,
Patient awareness as this is also part of your experience in the moment.
So choosing to stay present as best as you can.
So when you are ready,
Bringing your attention to the physical sensations of the body as you are lying or sitting here.
Feeling the weight,
Shape and position of your body.
Being aware of the contact your body has with the floor or with whatever you're sitting on.
Perhaps feeling the air in contact with exposed parts of the body.
Having an overall sense of the body sitting or lying here.
And as you feel into your body,
You might notice the natural and spontaneous movement of your breath in your belly.
When you are ready,
Making a choice to shift attention to the breath in the belly.
Seeing if it's possible to notice the rising of the belly on the in-breath and the falling of the belly on the out-breath.
And if you would like,
Even placing your hand on your belly to better get in touch with those sensations.
Not changing the breath,
Not manipulating the breath in any way.
Simply bring your attention to the physical sensations of the breath in the body.
And at any point during the practice,
When you notice that the mind has wandered,
Simply noting what was on the mind and then without added judgment,
Simply bringing attention back to the sensations of the body.
And you'll do this over and over again.
And when you find that your mind has wandered from time to time,
It's not that you're doing something wrong.
You've just noticed something important about the mind and how attention moves.
And when you are ready,
Shifting attention all the way down to the toes on your left foot.
Feeling into the toes on your left foot.
You may feel tingling,
Coolness,
Warmth,
Dampness,
Numbness,
Or there may be no sensation.
Whatever you are feeling,
Focusing on sensation in the left toes.
And just noticing the big toe,
The little toe,
And the toes in between.
Just as they are right now.
Opening your attention now to include sensations all along the bottom of the left foot to where the heel is touching the surface and all the way around to the front of the foot.
Holding the whole of your left foot in awareness.
Seeing your sense of investigative curiosity to the sensations or the lack of sensations as they are coming and going in this part of the body.
Feeling into the lower left leg,
Calf muscle,
Bony part of the shin,
And all the way up to the knee joint.
In your own way,
Feeling into the lower left leg.
There is no need to create any sensation or strive to change anything that's there.
Just simply being aware of what's here and letting it be.
Feeling into the upper part of the left leg,
So feeling into the hamstring,
Quadriceps,
Perhaps noticing the density of that part of the body.
Remembering no matter what's here,
There is no right or wrong experience.
Just discovering and being aware.
Shifting attention over to the right leg and connecting with the right foot.
Feeling into the entire right foot with awareness.
Feeling the toes,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot.
Dividing attention into the lower right leg,
The right calf muscle,
The shin,
And the right knee joint.
If the mind has wandered,
Gently bring it back and see if you can be curious about sensations in the right knee.
Intentionally choosing now to shift into the upper right leg,
Being aware of sensation in the hamstrings and quadriceps.
Not needing to do anything,
Just connecting and feeling this part of the body.
And moving into the hip region and noticing sensations in the back of the body,
In the buttocks.
Noticing sensations in the genitals.
And being aware of those two important systems within,
Elimination and reproduction.
Being aware of whatever sensations are there.
Noticing sensation arising and passing away.
Noticing where the attention is and gently bringing the mind back if it's meandered away from the practice.
And feeling into the hip region,
Remembering that there's no need to analyze,
No need to figure anything out right now.
Just allowing whatever is here to be here.
And moving awareness from the hip region into the back.
Starting with the lower back,
Feeling sensations in the lower back,
The middle of the back,
The upper back,
Knowing that the back is often a place where we hold onto emotions,
Tension,
Frustration,
Fear.
If there are any emotions that arise as you hold awareness in the back,
See if you can notice how these emotions manifest in the body as sensations and apply your mindful awareness to them without judgment,
Without going into a story.
Just paying attention and letting the sensations be.
And in this moment,
Shifting attention from the back to the left shoulder.
Feeling into the left shoulder.
Feeling into the upper arm.
Noticing sensation there.
The elbow.
The left forearm.
What's possible to sense in the left forearm?
The wrist.
The hand.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
And feeling the fingers and thumb together.
Perhaps also noticing the spaces between the fingers.
The air between the fingers.
Moving from the left arm over to the right arm.
Starting at the right shoulder.
Feeling into the right shoulder.
Moving down into the right upper arm.
Having a sense of the muscles in the upper arm,
The bicep and tricep.
Sensing into the right elbow.
The forearm.
The wrist.
Feeling into the right hand.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
The fingers and thumb together.
And like you did on the left side,
Seeing if you can also feel the space and the air in between the fingers and the thumb on your right hand.
And shifting attention now into your belly.
Feeling into the abdomen and the belly.
And noticing the natural movement of breath in the area of your belly.
And noticing how does the belly feel from within?
Is there a tightness in the belly or a lightness?
Allowing and letting be.
Moving awareness into the chest.
Having a sense of the skin of the chest,
The sternum,
The ribcage.
Being aware of two vital systems within.
Circulation of the heart and respiration of the lungs.
Being aware also of whatever emotions may be present in this part of the body.
Noticing how emotions may manifest here as body sensations.
Noticing if there are no emotions or perhaps neutral feelings,
Just being aware of that.
Can you allow whatever is here just to be here?
Not wishing that anything were different to how it is right now.
And feeling into both of your shoulders.
Holding both shoulders in awareness.
Another place many of us hold stress and tension.
And perhaps experimenting with bringing a kind,
Warm attention to that area of your shoulders.
Breathing into the neck,
Noticing sensation in the neck and the throat.
And sensing the jaw.
The jaw used for communication.
And where our digestion of food begins.
And being aware within the mouth.
Being aware of the teeth,
Gums,
The tongue.
Can you be aware of the upper teeth and then the lower teeth?
Bringing attention to both cheeks.
To the nose.
Bridge of the nose.
Tip of the nose.
Being aware of the nasal passageways.
And being aware of the breath in this part of the body.
Awareness to the eyes.
Seeing the feeling in the muscles around the eyes.
And seeing if you can be aware of the contact between the upper and lower eyelids.
Moving into the forehead.
The side of the head.
And temples.
And moving to the top of the head.
Being aware of the crown of your head.
Is it possible to feel any sensation at the crown of your head?
Feeling the entire scalp.
And from there becoming aware of the ears.
And the earlobes.
And feeling into the entire head.
Having a sense of the skull and the brain.
Sensing and feeling.
Remembering the brain within the skull.
And expanding awareness to include the whole body.
Broadening awareness to include the whole body.
From the top of the head all the way down to the soles of the feet.
And as you maintain awareness of the whole body,
Include in that awareness the natural rhythm of your breath.
No need to change or interfere with the breath.
Just being aware of the body and the breath together.
Resting attention on breathing.
Noticing how the whole body slightly expands.
And noticing how when you exhale the whole body slightly contracts.
Abiding here in present moment awareness of the body and body sensations.
Being here and being present to your experience.
The body scan practice is now complete.
So when you feel ready you might like to move and stretch.
And open your eyes and take in the space around you again.
Thank you for your practice and see you again next time.
