40 Minute Body Scan

Body scan meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation that helps expand mind/body awareness, release tension and quiet the mind. It is often quite relaxing, and also can bring attention to areas of the body that are experiencing tension or discomfort in a gentle and nonjudgmental way. Body scan meditation is a particularly effective meditation technique for strengthening concentration, focusing attention, managing chronic pain with kindness, and relaxing the breath. It can be practiced as a guided meditation in a variety of intervals from 3 to 45 minutes, and is commonly used in mindfulness- and nature-based psychotherapies. The benefits of body scan meditation include a sense of balance and peace, reduced stress, increased tolerance of discomfort and pain, a more positive state of mind and acceptance, and greater self-awareness. It is a powerful reset of the nervous system and activates the parasympathetic branch, resulting in a sense of calm, open, and energized awareness.

Transcript

Before we begin,

Take some time to get yourself comfortable.

To do the body scan,

You can either sit in a chair or,

If you prefer,

Lie on your back on a rug or mat.

Wherever you choose to do this,

Make sure that you are comfortable.

You may choose to use a pillow or bolster under your knees to support your lower back.

It is recommended that you don't practice on the bed,

As this place is traditionally associated with falling asleep.

When we do the body scan,

We are doing our best to stay awake,

Alert,

And present to what is here in each moment.

It's helpful to see this as a time that is totally set aside for you,

As an opportunity to be by yourself and with yourself fully.

See if you can allow it to be a nourishing time,

A time in which you are giving yourself the gift of your attention to what is here for you right now.

Let this be a time in which you open to the sources of strength and wisdom and healing already within yourself.

The intention of the body scan is to help you learn to be fully present and awake to the physical sensations in the body,

Whatever they may be in each moment.

There are no particular sensations you are supposed to feel or not feel,

But rather it is your noticing what is present in each moment that is important.

Some of the sensations you experience may be pleasant or unpleasant,

Or even intense,

And in some regions of your body you may notice that there is no sensation.

As best you can,

Stay with each sensation moment to moment,

Noticing the actual sensations themselves.

See if you can let go of the tendency we all have to prefer some sensations and want them to continue,

And the very normal desire to want others to be different from how they are right now.

Allow things to be exactly as you find them.

Please remember that there is no right way to feel.

Whatever you are feeling is what you are feeling right now.

Just accepting it and giving yourself permission to feel what you are feeling.

It's important to remember not to try too hard to relax when doing this meditation.

Striving to be in a state of mind and body other than what is here will just create tension.

Instead,

Allowing yourself to simply become aware in each moment of what is here right now and accepting what is happening in yourself.

Looking at it clearly and seeing it as it is because it's already here and part of your experience.

Allowing yourself to be exactly as you are.

Letting go of judgmental and critical thoughts.

Allowing them to come and go.

Neither getting caught up in those thoughts or pushing them away.

Simply noticing with gentle curiosity thoughts and emotions as they come and go.

Minds wander.

That is what minds do.

So now gently allowing your eyes to close if that feels comfortable for you.

If not,

Allowing them to be slightly open.

Letting the gaze be soft and unfocused.

Letting the arms lie alongside your body.

Palms facing toward the ceiling.

And allowing the feet to fall away from each other.

And slowly becoming aware of where the body is making physical contact with the mat or the floor.

Aware of the entire body from head to feet.

The back of the body.

The front of the body.

Feeling where there is a sense of heaviness or lightness.

Now gently bringing your attention to your breathing.

Not manipulating your breath in any way,

But simply experiencing the breath moving in and out of the body.

And when you feel ready to,

Directing your attention to your abdomen.

Becoming aware of and experiencing the sensations in the abdomen as the breath comes in and the abdomen gently expands.

And as the breath leaves and the abdomen deflates.

You might find it helpful to place your hands on the abdomen so as to follow the movement of the breath.

And as the breath leaves your body and the abdomen deflates.

Just following the rhythmic movements of your breath.

The expansion of your abdomen on the in-breath and the deflating on the out-breath.

The in-breath and the out-breath.

Following rhythmically,

One after the other.

And now on this next breath,

Moving the focus of your attention away from the abdomen and down the left leg all the way to the left foot.

And noticing the big toe of the left foot.

And just becoming aware of whatever sensations are present here in the big toe.

And now moving your attention to the other toes of the left foot.

And noticing what is here.

There may be sensations of tingling or moisture,

Itching or warmth or perhaps the feel of a sock or blanket.

Just experiencing your toes as they are.

And if you find that there is no sensation,

Then just experiencing that.

Now directing your attention to the ball of the left foot and the arch,

The heel.

Maybe feeling the heel in contact with the mat.

Moving to the top of the left foot.

Aware of the skin.

Pointing your attention now to include the entire left foot.

And breathing in as if you could breathe right into the foot.

And breathing out.

Breathing in,

Bringing new and fresh oxygen into the foot.

Breathing out,

Releasing any tension,

Any tightness,

And just letting it go.

Now directing your attention to the left ankle.

Aware of the bones,

The tendons,

The skin.

And moving to the left lower leg.

Possibly feeling the contact of the leg with the mat.

Aware of the calf muscle in the back,

The shin bone,

And any sensation in your lower left leg,

Not just on the surface,

But deep into the muscles.

Feeling the lower leg as it is,

Not trying to make it be any different.

And releasing your attention from the lower leg,

And moving your focus to the knee.

Circling the knee.

Experiencing your knee.

Bringing awareness to the kneecap,

The cartilage,

The hinge,

And the underside of the knee.

Deep into the joint,

Any sensations in your left knee.

As we listen deeply to any part of the body,

We may experience strong sensations.

If we can just be with it exactly as it is,

Trying not to judge,

But being fully present to each sensation.

And as we move through the body,

Releasing and letting go to the best of our ability.

Knowing that you are listening to your own wisdom.

And coming now to the left thigh.

Becoming aware of the skin,

And all of the layers of muscle.

Perhaps feeling the pulsation of circulation here.

There may be feelings of heaviness or weightiness.

Feeling the contact of the thigh with the surface that you're lying on.

Noticing the muscles on the back of the thigh,

The hamstrings.

Being aware of the thigh bone as it rests in the hip socket.

And taking a breath in,

Breathing all the way through the left leg,

The thigh,

Knee,

The lower leg,

The foot,

Filling the entire leg and foot with freshness and newness.

And as you breathe out,

Releasing any congestion,

Tension,

Any tiredness.

And bringing attention now to the place where the thigh bone rests in the hip socket.

And spanning your attention across the hips and all the way down the right leg to the right foot.

And now to the big toe of the right foot.

Noticing any sensations here.

Just sensing coolness,

Dryness,

Moisture,

Tingling,

Or nothing at all.

Noticing what is happening in your body right now.

And moving attention now to the other toes of the right foot.

The skin and the nail beds.

The spaces in between the toes,

Including all sensations.

And coming to the ball of the right foot and the arch and the heel.

Aware of where the heel makes contact with the ground beneath you.

Noticing the pressure there.

Noticing the ankle.

The inside and outside of the ankle.

The top of the right foot.

Expanding the attention to include the entire foot and ankle.

The muscles,

Nerves,

Blood vessels,

All the sensations in the right foot.

Breathing into the right foot.

Filling the foot with freshness and newness.

Breathing out.

And letting this single focus on the foot go and bringing the attention to the right calf.

The right lower leg.

Possibly feeling the pulsation of circulation.

Aware of the shin bone.

The skin.

And moving up to the right knee.

Exploring the right knee.

Taking all of your attention and placing it right in this one part of the body.

Noticing sensations.

On the underside of the knee.

Deep within the joint.

Moving now to the thigh.

Feeling the muscle,

The skin,

Aware of the thigh bone.

Taking a deep breath in.

Breathing into the thigh,

The knee,

The lower leg,

The ankle,

And the foot.

Feeling the entire leg and foot with fresh energy and newness.

And as you breathe out,

Releasing all congestion and tension.

Feeling the right leg and foot to be completely at rest.

Bringing attention now to the hip bones.

The entire pelvic bowl.

Being aware of the organs held in this part of the body.

The intestines.

The bladder.

Reproductive organs.

The buttocks,

Feeling the contact of the buttocks and the lower back on the surface that you're lying on.

Noticing any sensations here.

Perhaps feelings of weightiness.

Perhaps lightness.

For many,

The low back is a region of sensitivity.

And if that's true for you,

Trusting your wisdom as to what is right for you in this moment and resting your attention here only as long as it is right for you.

Returning to the breath to follow the sensations of inhalation and exhalation.

Even opening your eyes briefly if you sense that it would be helpful.

If you do notice discomfort,

Allowing it to be present as much as you are able.

If you are experiencing pain,

The pain is already here.

Giving yourself this opportunity to turn towards it with compassion and kindness.

And simply allowing it to be.

Letting any thoughts that come up or impulses to move or do something else just come and go and returning your attention to the region of the body we are focused on.

Getting further up the back.

Aware of the rib cage.

The vertebrae.

Maybe feeling the rib cage expanding with each breath.

Aware of the place where the rib cage attaches to the spine.

Aware of the hundreds of tiny muscles that work together to move the spine.

Feeling aware of the back of the heart.

The back of the lungs.

The shoulder blades.

Drawing the attention all the way up to the place where the spine meets the skull.

Breathing in deeply.

Breathing fully into the entire back.

Breathing into each vertebrae,

The lower back,

The middle back,

The upper back,

The neck.

Breathing in newness,

Freshness.

And as you breathe out,

Releasing tiredness,

Tightness,

Tension.

Breathing a sense of openness and ease into the back.

And breathing out,

Allowing the back to rest more deeply into the surface on which you are lying.

Bringing the attention now to the abdomen.

Becoming aware of the stomach.

Perhaps feeling sensations of digestion.

The feeling of movement as the abdomen rises and falls.

Letting the abdomen 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 releasing,

Breathing out,

Noticing the abdomen deflating.

Breathing in and as you breathe out,

Fully releasing.

Moving the attention now to the chest.

Feeling the expansion of the rib cage with each in-breath.

Feeling the rib cage expand in the front and in the sides and the back.

Aware of the heart cradled between the two lungs.

Feeling the close work of the heart and the lungs as the lungs draw in fresh oxygen.

The blood takes it to all parts of the body and then returns what is no longer needed to the lungs and the lungs release that.

All day long,

With each beating of the heart,

With each in-breath and each out-breath,

The body is constantly renewed.

Perhaps feeling right now the beating of the heart,

The movement of the lungs.

Aware of the muscles of the chest,

The breasts,

The skin against our clothing.

Noticing the collarbones.

Breathing in to the entire chest,

Allowing the rib cage to expand fully on the front,

The sides and the back.

Really drawing in fresh energy,

Filling the lungs.

Bringing new life,

New energy into the body.

And breathing out,

Releasing any congestion,

Any tightness in the chest region.

Aware of any emotions that may come up in this part of the body.

So often we talk about something being heartfelt or having a gut reaction.

As we go through the body,

We may notice different feelings come up.

And whatever feelings come up,

Whatever sensations,

Whatever thoughts,

Just noticing.

Breathing in to the chest and breathing out.

And completely letting that part of the body go.

Bringing the 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.

Aware of the skin,

The nail beds,

The joints of the fingers,

The knuckles,

The palms of the hands,

The tops of the hands.

Aware of the movement that is capable with the hands and the work that they do each day.

Breathing in to the hands and breathing out.

Moving the attention to the wrists.

Being aware of the bones,

The skin.

Possibly even noticing the carpal tunnel and all the nerves and blood vessels that go through that small opening.

Perhaps feeling the pulsation of circulation here.

And moving up to the lower arms.

Noticing the layers of muscle,

The bones.

And coming to the elbows.

Noticing any sensations in the elbows.

The rough outer skin and the delicate skin on the inside of the elbows.

The joint.

Moving further up the arms.

Becoming aware of the upper arm muscles.

The biceps and triceps.

The armpits.

Becoming aware of the whole upper arm.

The way the bones come together at the shoulder joint.

Taking a breath in,

Filling the upper arms,

The elbows,

The lower arms,

Wrists and hands.

Breathing in newness and fresh energy.

Breathing out tightness and tension.

And just letting it go.

Paying the attention to the shoulders.

Aware of the tops of the shoulders and the sides.

The backs of the shoulders.

Noticing all the muscles here.

Really exploring any sensations in the shoulders.

Breathing deeply into the shoulders.

Allowing tension to leave on an exhale.

Noticing any concern or worry that comes with this part of the body.

Just letting it go.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And bringing our attention now to the throat.

Aware of the ability to swallow and to speak.

To draw breath into the lungs.

And bringing attention to the neck and the muscles there.

The vertebrae connecting to the skull.

The neck holding the head.

Taking a breath into the neck and throat region.

And breathing out,

Releasing.

Taking attention now up the back of the head.

Aware of the skull bones,

The scalp.

The tiny muscles of the scalp.

Even bringing awareness to the follicles of the hair.

And coming further up the head to the crown of the head.

The top of the head.

And now the forehead.

Really bringing your attention to the forehead.

From one temple across the forehead to the other temple.

Exploring the sensations.

Allowing the forehead to soften.

Moving into the entire face.

Aware of the eyes at rest in their sockets.

The eyebrows.

The eyelids and lashes.

Coming aware of the nose.

The bridge of the nose.

The bone in the nose.

The nostrils.

Taking a breath in.

Sensing the feeling of air coming into the body.

Cool and leaving warm.

Maybe even feeling the movement of tiny hairs inside the nostrils.

Coming aware of the cheeks.

The cheekbones.

The sinuses.

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.

The process of hearing in this very moment.

Aware of the jaw.

The hinge joint on either side of the face.

The muscles.

The jawbone.

The chin.

Coming now to the mouth.

To the lips.

The inside of the mouth.

The teeth and gums.

The roof of the mouth.

The tongue resting on the floor of the mouth.

And breathing in to the entire face.

Fresh ease.

Breathing out any tightness,

Any tension.

Allowing the face to simply be.

To relax.

And possibly even becoming aware of the brain inside the head.

Breathing in to the entire head.

Breathing in fresh oxygen.

And breathing out tiredness,

Fatigue,

Worry.

And bringing attention now to the crown of the head.

And imagining that the energy can be drawn in from the crown of the head,

Filling the entire body.

Breathing in to the head,

Neck,

Shoulders,

Arms and hands,

Torso,

The legs,

The feet,

The feet.

And breathing out at the soles of the feet.

Allowing the body to breathe as a whole right now.

Breathing in from the soles of the feet,

Filling the feet,

The ankles,

The lower legs,

Knees,

Thighs,

Hips,

Low back,

The abdomen and middle back,

The chest and shoulders.

Filling the hands and wrists and arms,

The neck,

The throat,

The face and the head.

And breathing out again at the crown of the head.

Taking a few moments in your own time to breathe fully through the entire body.

Allowing fresh energy to wash through the body.

And on each out-breath releasing,

Letting go of what is no longer needed.

Allowing it to be like waves of the ocean,

Coming in to the body and going out of the body.

As you breathe in this way,

Being aware of the body as a whole,

As complete.

Allowing yourself to simply exist in the stillness,

The silence,

The wholeness.

Seeing yourself as complete right now,

Just as you are.

Looking deeply into the limitlessness of life,

Into the fullness of our capacity to live,

Into the capacity to care and to love.

Feeling being totally awake,

Completely in this present moment.

Right now,

Being a part of the whole as we lay here in stillness.

And now coming back to the body,

Beginning to move your fingers and toes,

Moving or stretching in any way that feels right to you.

Slowly bringing yourself back to the room where you are right now.

Not rushing,

Just moving and stretching easily.

As you feel ready,

Opening your eyes and allowing the calm and the sense of restedness and centeredness to stay with you as you resume all of the activities of your day.

You might want to thank yourself,

Remembering that this state of clarity and relaxation is available to you simply by attending to the breath and the body at any moment in the day.

It is a source of balance and well-being,

Allowing it to be a source of constant energy and strength for yourself and others with whom you share your world.

Reviews

One of the best body scans I’ve done in the past few years. Thank you!!!!

Perfect way to begin the day. Namaste. 🙏

Complete,very restful....thank you