This is Ruth Lerman.
Welcome to this body scan meditation.
A few suggestions before we get started.
Finding a position that is comfortable so that you can have an intention of stillness throughout the practice is recommended.
Most people prefer to lie down during the body scan,
But if that's not available,
Staying in a chair or some other comfortable position is absolutely fine.
If drowsiness is a problem,
Keeping the eyes open can be helpful,
Or even standing up to maintain an alert,
Awake presence.
If something becomes uncomfortable during the body scan,
First just notice and bring awareness to the area of discomfort.
And then,
If it persists,
Moving mindfully to reposition and then settling back into stillness is suggested.
Focusing on some parts of the body may bring up strong emotions.
If this experience becomes too intense,
There is always the option of redirecting the focus from that part of the body and simply coming to the breath to restore a sense of calm and safety.
Beginning this body scan and bringing awareness to the entirety of the body.
How are things in this body in this moment?
Noticing without judging.
How are things in the mind?
In the heart?
Again,
Not trying to achieve any particular state,
But just being present to things as they are in this moment.
Noticing whichever portions of the body are bearing weight.
And feeling into those contact points with the supporting surfaces.
Not so much thinking about those spots,
But exploring what sensations can be felt.
And now bringing awareness to the breath at the low belly.
Placing a hand on the low belly and feeling the rise with the inhale,
The fall with the exhale,
And the spaces between the inhales and the exhales,
And the exhales and the inhales.
Simply observing the breath,
Knowing that a slow breath is not necessarily good.
Rapid breathing is not bad.
Again,
Just observing things as they are in this moment.
Good.
And now bringing awareness to the left big toe.
And simply exploring this area of the body for sensations or lack of sensations.
So there may be tingling,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Moisture between the toes.
Sensations may be pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or again there may be no sensations whatsoever.
So not moving the body to create sensations,
And not feeling that something is wrong if there are no sensations or if an unpleasant sensation is experienced.
And now expanding the awareness to include all the toes of the left foot.
Simply noticing what can be felt here.
And if it's comfortable,
Having a sense of or imagining breathing into the toes and breathing out from the toes.
Now bringing awareness to the entirety of the left foot and exploring for whatever sensations can be perceived.
At the sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The heel.
And if it's comfortable,
Having a sense of breathing in and breathing out to the left foot.
Noticing the left ankle.
There may be sensations.
Or noticing any emotions that arise or any thoughts as you focus on the left ankle.
Breathing in to the left ankle and breathing out if that's comfortable for you.
Now noticing the left lower leg from above the ankle to below the knee.
Observing for sensations,
Emotions,
Or thoughts at this region of the body.
Throughout the body there may be parts added,
Parts taken away,
There may be history of injury,
Strength or weakness.
And exploring whether it's possible to be okay with whatever history exists and whatever perceptions arise in this moment.
And exploring the left knee.
Bringing curiosity and awareness to the left knee.
If it's comfortable,
Breathing in and breathing out to the left knee.
Focusing on the left thigh.
Exploring for physical sensations,
Emotions,
Or thoughts.
Breathing in to the left thigh and breathing out.
Letting the awareness move into the left buttocks,
To the right,
Down through the right thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Foot.
Letting the awareness come to rest in the right big toe.
Noticing sensations,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Or the absence of any of these phenomena.
And if it's comfortable,
Breathing in and out to the right big toe.
Expanding awareness to include all the toes of the right foot.
Bringing awareness to the entirety of the right foot.
The sole,
The top of the right foot,
The heel.
Breathing in and breathing out to the right foot.
Focusing on the right ankle.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now bringing awareness to the right lower leg.
Moving the attention to the right knee.
Noticing physical sensations,
The emotional tone,
Or thoughts that arise on focusing on the right knee.
Bringing awareness to the right thigh.
Noticing which portions of the thigh are bearing weight or are not.
Breathing in and breathing out to the right thigh.
And now bringing awareness to the buttocks,
Feeling the body's weight as it rests here.
Remembering that as we go through this body scan,
If there's any part of the body that brings up sensations,
Emotions,
Or thoughts that feel too strong to stay present to,
That there's always the option of shifting the focus to the breath at the belly or wherever in the body it's felt most clearly.
Now bringing awareness to the perineum.
So this is the floor of the pelvis where organs of reproduction,
Elimination,
And sexuality open up.
Observing this region for physical sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts.
Breathing into the perineum and breathing out.
Bringing awareness now to the belly.
Feeling the rise of the belly with the inspiration,
The fall with the expiration.
Perhaps noticing the touch of clothing on the skin.
Having a sense of awareness of the contents of the belly.
So exploring this internal region for physical sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts.
There are many complex organs in the belly.
This may be a part of the body where there is history of illness or parts added or parts taken away.
In this moment is it possible to be okay with the history and the sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts that arise?
Letting the attention now wrap around to the back of the body.
So feeling into the sacrum,
The low back.
There may be tightness.
It may be possible to breathe in and out of this region and allow any tightness or discomfort to ease.
And if it doesn't,
Simply allowing it to be.
Moving the attention to the mid-back.
And the upper back.
And if it's available,
Having a sense of breathing in to the entirety of the back and breathing out.
Good.
Letting the attention wrap back around to the front of the body and bringing awareness to the chest and breast region.
It may be possible to perceive the touch of clothing.
Feeling movement with the breath.
And bringing awareness to other physical sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts that arise.
With a focus on the chest and breast region.
Breathing in to this region and breathing out.
Now moving awareness into the chest cavity.
Being aware of the lungs as they expand with the inhale,
Contract with the exhale.
And noticing the pauses between the active portions of the breath.
Bring attention now to the heart.
Exploring whether the heartbeat can be perceived.
Or not.
Moving the attention now from inside the chest cavity up to the shoulders.
Noticing if there's any tightness or holding in the shoulders.
And seeing if focusing there,
And perhaps with a sense of breathing in and breathing out,
Can allow that tightness or tension to dissolve.
And if it doesn't,
Simply allowing it to be.
Bringing focus now to the right and left upper arm from below the shoulder to above the elbow.
Noticing the elbows,
The back of the elbow,
The front.
Letting the focus move to the forearms.
And the wrists.
Bringing awareness now to the hands.
Noticing if any portions of the hands are bearing weight and which portions are not bearing weight.
Bringing attention specifically now to the fingertips.
Noticing for any tingling,
Other sensations,
Or lack of sensations.
And having a sense of breathing into the entirety of both arms and hands.
And breathing out from that region,
If that's comfortable for you.
Bringing attention to the neck region.
And again exploring for physical sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts.
Breathing into the neck and breathing out.
Letting the focus come to the throat.
And into the mouth.
So the mouth may be dry or moist or somewhere in between.
Without moving the tongue,
Noticing which portions of the mouth the tongue is in contact with.
Noticing the lips.
Are they touching each other or is the mouth open?
What other sensations can be perceived at the lip region?
Exploring for the presence of any air currents as they pass over the exposed skin of the face.
And noticing the muscles of the face around the mouth,
At the jaw,
At the temples,
The brow.
And if there's any tightness or holding in any of these muscles,
Exploring if it's possible to allow that to relax or just being okay with it as it is.
Focusing on the nostrils and feeling the movement of air through the nostrils.
Bringing attention to the ears,
The external portion of the ears,
The ear canals.
And now exploring sounds as they arrive at the ears.
Not so much labeling the sounds with what they are,
But exploring their qualities.
They may be loud or soft,
High pitched or low pitched,
Coming from my voice or from your surroundings,
Or from within the body.
Not seeking out these sounds,
But rather simply allowing them to arrive at the ears.
Now focusing on the scalp.
And bringing awareness to the entirety of the head.
If any portion of the head is in contact with a supporting surface,
Noting that.
And coming full circle in this body scan,
Expanding the awareness to include the entirety of the body.
Noticing the breath at the belly or wherever the breath is most evident.
And if it's comfortable,
Having a sense of breathing into the entirety of the body and breathing out.
Good.
Now bringing movement back to the body by just gently wiggling the toes a bit.
Pointing and flexing the feet.
Perhaps making circles with the feet around the ankles.
Allowing the feet to rest.
And just moving the fingers a bit.
Gently closing the fingers into fists.
And opening them up wide like starfish.
Opening and closing.
Good.
Taking an intentionally deep inhale and stretching the arms up over the head.
Stretching the legs out.
Just inhaling and exhaling in this extended stretch.
Taking a deep inhale and exhaling.
Letting arms and legs come back down to rest.
And whenever you're ready,
Allowing the eyes to open.
And proceeding with your day.
