This is a guided meditation which is a variant on the traditional body scan.
We'll be using it to cultivate a sense of compassion and gratitude for our body.
Our culture puts so much emphasis on the aesthetics of our body and beauty standards we sometimes forget to show gratitude for our bodies and all they do for us.
We'll begin this meditation in a seated or lying down position,
Whichever feels more comfortable for you.
Once you're in the position,
We'll take a deep breath,
Breathing in through the belly,
Out through the mouth.
And really getting a sense of how your body feels right now.
Perhaps just acknowledging how you're feeling.
Is your body tired,
Energized?
Are you feeling calm and relaxed?
And get a sense of your weight on the floor or the surface beneath you.
Now bring your attention to your feet.
Imagine there's a white light above you shining down on your feet.
Breathe into your feet.
And just register any sensations you feel there.
Perhaps your feet are cold.
Perhaps your feet are tired from the day.
And now bring a sense of curiosity and kindness for the feet.
These feet that bear the weight of your whole body when you're standing and moving from place to place.
These feet which allow you to feel grass and sand as you're walking.
These feet that allow you to move from place to place.
Just taking the next few moments to say thank you to your feet in all the ways that they help you in your life.
And now bringing your attention upwards.
Imagining the white light is shining on your ankles,
Moving up your shins,
Up to your knees.
And now up to your thighs until your whole legs are illuminated.
Breathing into the legs.
Focusing the attention.
And just register any thoughts that come up when you think about your legs.
Any judgements.
And no need to judge yourself for judging,
Just being aware of the thoughts that come up.
And now bringing a sense of kindness towards legs.
Gratitude that they allow us to move from place to place.
They allow us to walk and run,
Climb mountains.
Allow us to go and see our friends and family or get to work.
Calling to mind all of the ways that you can be thankful for these legs that keep our bodies upright.
Now bring your attention to your pelvis.
Imagine the white light is scanning you above your belly,
Your hips and your glutes.
A lot of us hold judgements about our body here,
So just acknowledge the thoughts and how it feels.
If it feels comfortable you can even put a hand over your belly.
Here we can be grateful for the way our body digests food and keeps us nourished long after eating.
Our bladder system which allows us to remove waste and harmful toxins from the body.
We can appreciate our reproductive system which can be a source of pleasure and intimacy for us.
It also gives us potential to bring new life into the world.
Silently thanking this part of the body for everything it does for us.
Now imagine your attention moving upwards towards the chest and back.
Our chest and back which protects our vital organs.
Our chest holds our lungs which keeps our body breathing,
Taking oxygen to every part of our body.
Our heart that will beat relentlessly pumping blood around the body for the rest of our lives.
Turning our thoughts to ways we can be thankful for this part of our body.
Now allowing the attention to move upwards further still towards the face and the head.
Imagine the white light is shining all over your face.
And again just take a moment to reflect on any thoughts and judgements that come up.
We can start to think of all the ways that we can be thankful for our face and our head.
We can appreciate that our head and our skull protects our brain.
Our face allows us to show our expressions and emotions to the rest of the world.
Our eyes allow us to see the world.
Our nose allows us to smell your favourite scent or candle.
Our mouth allows us to taste our favourite foods.
And our ears allow us to hear the sounds of our loved ones.
The sounds of the ocean.
Or the sounds of beautiful piece of music.
And now just taking a few moments to reflect on how you personally can be appreciative for this face,
This head.
And lastly we bring our attention to the largest organ in our body,
Our skin.
Imagine the white light is illuminating your whole body now.
And bringing a sense of appreciation for our skin,
This container for our bodies.
Our skin protects us from the sun,
Protects us from infections.
Our skin is so intelligent it even heals by itself when it's cut.
Our skin allows us to feel all different textures and perhaps even the feel of a favourite animal or pet.
Just taking time for these last moments to reflect on how you can be thankful for this skin.
And now we'll begin to close the practice.
Feeling a sense of gratitude for the whole of this body.
The whole of this body that we will carry through the rest of our life.
