45-Minute Body Scan For Stress Relief

This is the 45-minute version of the body scan used in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes. The meditation begins with some guidance as to how to approach the meditation, and then systematically asks the participants to bring attention to various parts of the body. The body scan is a foundational practice for MBSR and can be practiced by anyone.

Transcript

When practicing the body scan,

Arranging to lie down on your bed or on a yoga mat or perhaps on a thick rug.

Maybe putting a pillow underneath your head for support if that's comfortable for you.

And checking the lower back,

Making sure that there's no pain here.

And if that's the case,

Just allowing the legs to stretch out.

Having some space between the legs,

Allowing the feet to gently fall away from each other.

Giving the arms to rest alongside the body,

The palms facing upward.

Here also having a little bit of space between the body and the arms.

And just checking into the body,

Noticing that in this position,

None of your muscles need to be engaged.

Everything just completely can relax.

This meditation is designed to help allow relaxation in the body and mind.

People find that the best way to relax is really not trying to relax.

This can actually cause additional tension.

So simply allowing yourself to be exactly as you are right now.

Accepting whatever it is that's going on inside of you.

And knowing that as we go through this meditation,

We're not going to be changing anything inside of us,

At least not actively.

And outside of us as well.

The world around us will continue to operate as it does.

So just accepting that during this time,

We're going to be exactly as we are,

And the outside world will be as it is.

So simply allowing that.

And so really making sure that the phone won't distract you.

No one else will come and interrupt you.

So doing your best to make sure that this is a time set aside completely for you.

A time for you to be completely with yourself and by yourself.

Knowing that doing this practice regularly is a way that we can take an active role in our mental and physical well-being.

And as we go through this practice,

You may notice that your mind will wander away from the body part that we're concentrating on.

Just accepting that that's normal.

There's nothing wrong with that.

And acknowledging where the mind has gone.

And bringing the mind back to whatever body part we are working on.

So as we lie here,

Just really allowing our body to relax fully,

Especially as we breathe out.

Just inviting a kind of letting go as we breathe out.

And then allowing the mind to tune into the sensation of the body against the supporting surface.

So we may feel our heels.

Perhaps parts of our lower legs may be touching the supporting surface.

The buttocks.

The shoulder blades.

The elbows.

The backs of the hands.

The back of the head.

And perhaps some of the neck if you have a pillow may be supported.

So just allowing the mind to fully reside in those places that are being contacted by the supporting surface.

Noticing how pressure activates our sense of touch.

But these regions of the body now may be a bit easier to tune into because of this physical contact.

So just holding the mind in these regions,

Really feeling all of the details around that contact.

If you aren't wearing any socks,

What's it feel like for the heels to be in contact with the supporting surface?

If you are wearing socks,

What's that like?

So just really tuning in to all the little details of the experience.

Feeling the texture of the clothing between the body and the supporting surface.

And then letting go of that place where the body is in contact.

And bringing the awareness up to the abdomen.

Feeling how the abdomen is in constant motion.

With each in-breath,

The abdomen inflates,

Rises up,

And stretches out.

And with each out-breath,

The abdomen collapses back,

Falls back as the abdominal wall moves toward the spine.

So just allowing the attention to rest here for a while.

Feeling the clothing against the abdomen as it moves.

And it may help if you'd like to imagine your attention like a spotlight shining down on your body.

So imagining maybe that there's a spotlight shining on your abdomen.

And then on the next exhale,

Releasing the attention on the abdomen and allowing that spotlight to move down to the left hip,

Down the left thigh,

Past the left knee,

Past the left lower leg and the left ankle,

All the way out into the toes of the left foot.

Feeling all of the toes,

The big toe,

The little toe,

All of the toes in between.

Not moving them or trying to create some sensation inside.

Just feeling what's already there.

How do you feel?

Warmth,

Coolness,

Dampness,

Dryness,

Itching,

Tingling.

Or maybe when you tune into this region,

There's no sensation at all.

Knowing that this is okay.

Just allowing your experience to be exactly what it is without trying too hard to do anything.

So keeping the attention here and the toes of the left foot.

And on the next exhale,

Letting go of the toes of the left foot and bringing the attention in to the bottom of the left foot,

The top of the foot,

The ankle,

The heel.

Just experiencing the left foot fully and completely.

And on the next exhale,

Letting go of the left foot and bringing the awareness now into the left lower leg.

Feeling the skin all around.

Feeling the muscles within.

Perhaps noticing blood flow if you can.

Feeling the shin bone in the front of the leg.

Just tuning in to all there is to be experienced here in the left lower leg.

And then letting go of the left lower leg.

And bringing the attention into the left knee.

Feeling the front of the knee with the kneecap,

Back of the knee,

Sides of the knee.

And feeling deep within the knee if you can.

Feeling how the bones come together,

Are joined together by various tendons and ligaments.

Just feeling whatever's there,

Whatever you can notice inside your left knee.

And now letting go of the left knee.

And bringing the attention to the left thigh.

Feeling the front of the thigh and the back of the thigh,

The sides.

Feeling the large muscles inside the thigh.

The bone deep within.

Also noticing any blood flow that may be within the left thigh.

And then letting go of the left thigh.

And taking this spotlight of awareness across the left hip to the right hip,

Down the right thigh,

Past the right knee,

Past the right lower leg,

Past the right ankle,

All the way out into the right toes.

Feeling all the toes if you can,

All the spaces between the toes,

All the sensations here at the toes of the right foot.

And without movement and perfect stillness,

Just experiencing their toes exactly as they are.

And on the next out breath,

Letting go of the toes of the right foot.

And bringing into awareness the sole of the right foot and the top of the right foot,

The right heel,

And the right ankle.

Featuring them center stage in awareness.

Allowing them to hold our attention completely.

And then letting go of the right foot.

And bringing the awareness up into the right lower leg.

And on this side of the body,

Just feeling everything that's there.

The skin on the lower leg,

The muscles inside,

The bones.

Just tuning in the highest resolution of awareness we can find.

Just really feeling and maybe even bring a sense of gratitude to this part of the body that we may often overlook.

And so now,

Letting go of the right lower leg.

And bringing the attention up to the right knee.

Feeling the front of the knee and the knee cap,

The back of the knee,

The sides of the knee.

Feeling deep within the knee,

If that's possible for you.

And letting go of the right knee.

Bringing the attention into the right thigh.

Feeling the front of the thigh and the back,

The sides,

The muscles inside,

The bones deep inside.

Just feeling any movement,

Any sensations at all.

And then on the next out breath,

Letting go of the right thigh.

And bringing the attention up into the pelvis,

Starting there where the right thigh bone connects into the pelvis.

Allowing that awareness to expand to the right hip and around back to the buttocks.

Feeling the contact between the buttocks and the supporting surface.

And around to the left hip.

Feeling the connection between the left thigh bone and the left hip.

Feeling the front of the pelvis,

The pelvic bowl region,

The perineum.

And holding the entirety of the pelvis in awareness now.

And then letting go of the pelvis.

Bringing the attention into the lower back,

Knowing that many of us hold tension here.

So if that's true for you,

Just allowing your out breath perhaps to invite a sense of letting go.

Just feeling everything inside the lower back.

Feeling the muscles here.

The ending of the spinal column.

And then letting go of the lower back.

And bringing the attention up to the middle back and to the upper back.

Again feeling the shoulder blades in contact with the supporting surface.

Feeling all the skin on the outside here of the middle back and the upper back.

Feeling the rib cage,

How it wraps around to the back.

You can feel the little space,

A gap in the rib cage in the back that widens as we breathe in.

And narrows,

Contracts as we breathe out.

Feeling the spinal cord here in the vertebrae.

Just noticing all the details about the back.

How you can even detect your breathing here in this region.

And on your next exhale,

Letting go of the back.

And bringing that spotlight of awareness around to the front of the body and back down to the abdomen.

Again feeling what it's like to be breathing in this region.

Feeling the skin of the abdominal wall stretching out as we breathe in.

And feeling it contract and relax as we breathe out.

Just noticing this inflation and deflation.

Almost like there's a little balloon inside of our stomachs.

Inflates each time we breathe in and deflates each time we breathe out.

And we can even tune in deeper.

Feeling our digestive organs,

Any movement that may be happening inside here.

Just really listening to our bodies.

And then letting go of the abdomen and bringing the attention up to the chest.

Feeling the outside of the chest and then deeper within.

Feeling the rib cage,

The sternum protecting the vital organs.

And feeling the heart.

Feeling if the beating of your own heart is accessible to you.

And perhaps even feeling the great blood vessels inside the chest if you can.

Just tuning that awareness in.

Noticing whatever it is that we can notice.

And knowing that there are things inside we won't notice also.

So,

Holding here in the chest for a few more breaths.

And on the next exhale,

Letting go of the chest.

And bringing the awareness up into the shoulders.

Another place that holds a lot of tension for many of us.

We'll include both arms now as well.

So we expand the awareness into the upper arms.

Feeling now the elbows,

The forearms,

The wrists,

The backs of the hands,

The palms of the hands,

The fingers,

The fingertips,

The fingernails.

And holding everything from the shoulders all the way down to the hands on both sides in awareness.

Feeling that the left side and right side are different.

There are some experiences that may happen in the left that don't happen in the right.

There may be some more intensity or some more ability to tune in with greater detail to one side.

So just really with that kind,

Curious mind,

Examining with as much detail as you can what's happening in the shoulders,

The arms,

And the hands.

And on your next out breath,

Letting go of the shoulders,

Arms,

And hands.

And bringing the attention up into the neck.

Feeling the front of the neck,

The back of the neck,

The sides of the neck,

The blood vessels inside,

Delivering blood up into your head,

The throat,

The windpipe.

Perhaps you can feel air moving through the windpipe as you breathe.

So we're just tuning into all the sensations here.

And then letting go of the neck.

And bringing the attention up into the face.

Knowing that right now there's nothing to be expressed.

There's no tension that needs to be felt in the face.

So simply allowing the face to relax.

And coming up from the chin,

Feeling into the chin and the jaw and the mouth,

The lips,

Teeth,

Gums,

Tongue,

Roof of the mouth,

And the opening to the throat.

Including now the cheeks,

The ears.

Notice any sounds that may be falling on the ears.

And then back across to the nose.

Feeling the air as it moves in and out of the nose with each breath.

And then moving up to the eyes,

Feeling all the muscles around the eyes.

And if the eyes happen to be open,

Just noticing whatever it is the eyes are drinking in in this moment.

Including the forehead and the temples.

Just feeling the face as a whole.

Any sensations that may be here whatsoever.

And then letting go of the face.

And bringing the attention to the crown of the head and to the back of the head in contact with the pillow or the mat or the rug.

Allowing that awareness to expand out to the scalp,

To your hair,

And into the skull.

And then letting go of the head.

And bringing into awareness now your body as a whole.

The crown of the head to the tips of the toes and everything in between.

Just holding the entire body in the forefront of awareness now.

Knowing that your awareness may be caught by particular areas of the body.

Perhaps an itch here.

Small pain there.

And back to the breath.

The breath becomes apparent to you.

So allowing your attention to move through the body fluidly,

But all the while maintaining a complete overall awareness of the body.

Holding the entire body as the central object of meditation.

And then letting go of the head.

And bringing the attention to the head.

And as we begin to draw this practice to its natural close,

I'd just like to invite you to take this time to give yourself some gratitude for having taken this time today to nourish yourself in this way.

As you are taking an active role in your physical and mental well-being.

And you really deserve credit for doing that for yourself.

And in a moment,

I'll ring the bell and invite you to slowly once again return your attention to this room.

Perhaps also keeping an intention in mind to stay present throughout the rest of the day.

To remember that your awareness is only as far away as your breath.

Just tuning in can ground you once again.

So slowly,

Allowing some small movements to come inside the body.

Perhaps beginning with the fingers and toes.

And gradually allowing the movements to become a bit larger,

Move a bit more of the body.

Reviews

One of the best mindfulness body scans I been fortunate to find. The voice of ease, focus, flow works wonderful for me. Thank you!

Thank you Ryan 🙏✨💫🕊

Soothing, gentle guidance,
Tres bien

Loved every minute of this meditation 🧘‍♂️ helps a lot with pain and stress am a lot calmer and 😌

Super swert, gently led body scan. I really liked the sequencing. Thank you. ☮️💖🙏

Ryan, thank you so very, very much for your wonderful practice. I love this long body scan and your wise guidance. With much appreciation.