Hello,
My name is Sam and welcome to this body scan meditation.
In today's session,
We're going to relax the body gradually by bringing focus to each part of the body.
In order to begin,
Let's find a comfortable position either seated or lying down,
Where you won't be disturbed for the next 10 minutes or so.
Allow your body to feel completely supported by whatever you're upon.
Uncross your legs,
Allow your shoulders to fall back and lengthen through your spine so that the body is neutral,
But in a position of dignity and alignment.
You might like to focus your eye gaze softly on something in the room or close your eyes.
Let's help the body relax by taking a full breath in through the nose and then let the breath go in any way that feels good to you.
Notice how the body softens when you let go of the breath.
Let's do that again.
Inhale deeply and then let go of the breath and feel your body sinking into the surface that you're on.
Now as we begin the scan,
Follow my directions with your mind's eye,
Bringing 100% of your focus to whichever part of the body I call out.
Let's begin with the thumb on your right hand.
So focus all your attention upon your thumb,
Noticing any sensations.
Then move into the index finger.
The middle finger.
The fourth finger.
The little finger.
Notice the skin on the back of the hand.
Notice your palm.
Moving up to the wrist.
The forearm.
The elbow.
The upper arm,
Biceps and triceps.
The armpit.
And the shoulder.
Moving down through the right side of the body,
Noticing the rib cage,
The side of the waist.
Coming into the right hip.
From there into the thigh,
The front of the right leg and the hamstrings at the back of the leg.
Focusing on your knee,
The kneecap.
The back of the knee.
Down into the shin and the calves at the back.
Your Achilles tendon.
The right ankle.
The heel of the foot.
The sole of the foot.
Noticing the skin across the top of the foot.
Your little toe.
Fourth toe.
Middle toe.
Second toe.
And your big right toe.
Moving across now to the left thumb.
Placing all of your focus onto the thumb.
Then the index finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Being aware of the skin on the back of the hand.
And any sensations in the palm.
Moving into the wrist.
The forearm.
Your left elbow.
The upper arm,
Both front and back.
The armpit.
Shoulder.
And the whole left side of the body,
The ribs,
Waist,
And down into the hip,
Noticing all the muscles that surround the hip.
Lowering into the thigh,
Both front and back.
Into the left knee,
Within and without.
Into the shin,
The calf muscles.
Into the Achilles.
The heel of the left foot.
The sole of the foot.
And the top.
The little toe.
Fourth toe.
Third toe.
Second toe.
And the big left toe.
Now gently shift your awareness to the very tip of the spine,
The tailbone.
Let's move our awareness up slowly through the lumbar,
The lower back.
Noticing the crest of the pelvis.
The kidneys,
That general area through the lower to mid back.
Moving up the spine,
Reaching the lower portion of the shoulder blades.
Moving higher to between the shoulder blades and the rhomboids.
Moving towards the upper back,
Across the top of the shoulders.
To the back of the neck,
And the base of the skull.
Let your awareness move across the back of the head and the scalp.
Coming all the way over the crown of the head.
To the hairline,
And to the forehead.
Noticing the skin smooth across the forehead.
The eyebrows relaxed.
The skin around your eyes is soft,
Free from any tension.
Eyelids might be a little heavy.
Noticing the temples,
Your relaxed cheeks.
Your soft lips.
A slack jaw.
A heavy tongue.
A gentle chin.
Noticing the skin across your throat.
And a feeling of openness in your throat.
A relaxed chest.
Moving down towards the breastbone and solar plexus.
Pausing to notice a very gentle heartbeat.
Going down to the upper abdomen.
Moving towards the belly button.
And coming to a stop in the lower belly.
Let's just hold our focus on that area.
Our core,
Our center of being.
You might feel the belly gently rising and falling with the breath.
You might notice gentle sensations like tingling or a heat within.
Just notice whatever you notice.
Take it all in.
If the mind starts to wander with thoughts or feelings,
Gently shepherd it back to focusing on the lower belly.
You might even place your hand over your belly if this helps.
Feel the breath moving your body.
Gentle breaths in.
And even slower breaths out.
The whole body feels beautifully relaxed and completely at peace.
Now,
With our focus on the belly still,
Let's start to deepen the breath.
Feeling that injection of new fresh energy coming into the body.
Starting to feel the sensations of reawakening.
You might like to move your fingers and toes just a little bit.
Bring in some other movements into your body.
Just following your body's instinct.
What feels good?
Is it a stretch or a turn of the head from side to side?
Or maybe you'd like to bend your knees up towards your chest and give yourself a little hug and a spinal stretch.
If you're lying on the floor,
Just gently roll yourself onto the right hand side and pause for a few moments,
Enjoying and lingering in this state of relaxation.
And whenever it feels like the right time for you,
Use the strength of your arms and hands to push yourself back up to a seated position.
Take one more enormous breath in.
Let it go.
And gently open your eyes to continue with your day.
I hope you enjoyed this body scan meditation and I wish you all the best.
