Come Home To Your Body: A Gentle Body Awareness Scan

This 15-minute body scan guides you through a simple but powerful practice of coming home to yourself. The body doesn't lie, and in this meditation, we let it speak. You may release something you didn't even know you were holding.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Transcript

Hi, Thank you for joining me. Today we're going to do a mindful body scan. It appears so simple and yet it can be quite profound. Practicing awareness this way, It almost feels like different parts of the body have been neglected, Waiting to be noticed. As we do this, They will be neglected no more. The body doesn't lie, It holds what the mind tries to move past. It holds our tension, Our tightness, Even our trauma. The places where stress or old pain take up residence. Something I find beautiful about this practice is that you may let go of something today and not even realize it until later. Until you notice that whatever you were clinging to has simply lost its grip. As we do this, We won't force anything. We won't try to fix anything. We'll simply bring our attention with gentleness and kindness to the body that has been here with us all along. That said, I invite you to participate in this practice with me. Allow yourself to arrive. Find a comfortable position, Either lying down or sitting. Let your eyes close softly if that works for you. Take one full breath in through your nose and hold it slightly at the top, And then release it all the way through your mouth. The Tibetan teacher, Tilopa, Offered this instruction, Let go of what has passed, Let go of what may come, Let go of what is happening now. So don't try to figure anything out. Don't try to make anything happen. Simply relax and rest. We'll move slowly through our body now from the top of our head down to the tips of our toes. Bring your awareness to the top of your head. Sense what's there. You might feel a tingling, A warmth, Some pressure, Some stillness, Or maybe nothing at all. Whatever is present, Just be aware. Is there anything at the top of your head that wants to soften? Is there anything that wants a little bit more space? Let your awareness drift down to your forehead, To the muscles around your eyes. Relax the muscles around your eyes. If you're open to it, Be grateful for your eyes, For all that they do. Now move to your cheeks and to your jaw. The jaw is where we hold so much of what we haven't said, What we haven't released. So let your jaw be heavy, Let your teeth part slightly and naturally, And if you're open to it, Allow the softest hint of a smile, Not forced, Just a little bit with turning up your lips and smiling slightly with your eyes. Feel your mouth, Your tongue resting gently. Feel your whole face as a landscape of sensation. Bring your awareness to your neck, Feeling it from the inside out. Ask yourself what wants to loosen here, What wants to let go, And let it. Bring your awareness to your shoulders now. Notice the weight of them, The tension if it's there, And let them drop. Did you feel some tension released as you did so? Move your awareness to your chest now. Feel the rise and the fall of your breath here, The subtle movement of your ribcage. Beneath that, Feel your heart beating quietly, Faithfully, Without being asked to do anything. Offer your heart a moment of gratitude, And then relax. Let your awareness flow down through your arms, Through your elbows, Through your forearms, And into your hands. Let's stay with our hands for a moment. Feel your palms. Feel each finger starting with your thumb and moving towards your baby finger. Feel the aliveness that pulses in your hands. Even now, In this still moment, Bring your awareness over to your belly, And with a breath, Soften your belly. Sense your upper and then your lower back, The spine that holds you upright. Feel your hips and your pelvis. Feel how this section supports you as well, Especially as you're sitting. Let your awareness travel down through your thighs, Your knees, The back of your legs. Feel your calves, The front of your legs, Your ankles, And into your feet. Let's feel our feet fully. The tops of your feet, Be aware of the top of your feet. Be aware of the soles of your feet, And be aware of your toes, Even the spaces in between them. Rest here for a moment, And if you'd like, Express some gratitude for your feet. If you can, Bring your awareness to your whole body now, Not any one place per se, But the entire field of sensation. Feel yourself as a living, Breathing presence. You exist. You are here, Right where you need to be. If your mind wanders, Bring it back to this field of sensation. As we start to wrap up, Let me remind you of the Tibetan teacher, Talopa, And his instruction, Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening right now. Take a deep breath, And when you're ready, Let it go. Let your awareness return to the room around you, The sounds, The temperature of the air on your skin. Slowly open your eyes if you haven't done so already, And I invite you to carry this, This sense of your own aliveness, With you into whatever comes next. Peace and namaste.