Welcome to this body scan meditation which I dedicate to people in chronic pain.
Persistent pain is an old friend of mine and my teacher.
And as we scan our bodies today,
I'll share techniques I've used to completely change my relationship with my pain,
Calm my nervous system and over time to ease pain.
Persistent pain science tells us that all pain is created by the brain to alert us to danger.
It's a protective alarm system.
The problem is that our natural response to pain,
Especially when it persists,
Is to fear it,
To worry about it,
To become completely preoccupied with it and try our very hardest to fix it,
All of which can scare the primitive brain and have a winding up effect on pain.
The neural pathways for pain that have formed in the brain get reinforced and so the alarm gets louder and longer,
Getting triggered more and more easily as the pain fear pain loop spins on.
One way to break this cycle is to attend to the body in a radically different way,
With mindfulness,
To be present to all sensations in a compassionate,
Curious and light way,
Not jumping to any judgments or reactions,
Not trying to fix anything we find.
And as we practice,
We use messages of safety to soothe the brain and the nervous system,
Reassuring ourselves that chronic pain is so often what we call neuroplastic pain,
That is a learnt response to the sense of danger and it can be unlearned.
We can use mind-body techniques like this body scan,
Where we practice viewing and responding to sensations from a standpoint of safety and with consistent practice we can actually rewire the neural pathways in our brains,
Creating beautiful non-pain pathways which over time can reduce and resolve pain.
With all that said,
Let's go ahead and get started.
Take some time to find a comfortable position for meditating,
Sitting or lying in a way that honours how your body feels today,
Allowing you to feel relaxed and yet alert for this practice.
And if you haven't already,
Go ahead and close down your eyes or you can lower and soften your gaze.
Get settled in here,
Quieten,
Soften and pick up the thread of breath running through your body,
Flowing in through your nose and out through your nose.
Feeling the breath all the way into the body and all the way out.
Watching it come and go like the tide at the shore.
And as you breathe mindfully,
Let's set an intention for this body scan to observe all sensations in the body,
Pleasant,
Neutral and unpleasant ones in a kind,
Gentle,
Non-judgmental way,
Not trying to change sensations in any way as we practice.
Knowing that what we resist tends to persist and so being fully open and accepting of your felt experience.
You might start by simply asking your body how it's feeling right now.
Perhaps you notice some fatigue,
Hunger or tension.
Simply listening to what the body is expressing.
And using your out breath to invite any tension to soften.
Relaxing and releasing the muscles of the forehead,
Jaw,
Neck and shoulders.
Noticing the belly be soft and the legs heavy.
Feeling the support of the earth as your body settles in,
Roots down as you ground yourself in this moment.
Now beginning our body scan by bringing awareness to your toes and feet.
Curiously noting any sensations here.
Bringing a beginner's mind to both feet and all ten toes.
Perhaps feeling contact with surfaces below.
Or the touch of a warm blanket or cool air.
Maybe some tingles.
Whatever you find,
Simply acknowledge and allow.
Noticing no sensations are right or wrong,
Good or bad.
Now guiding your awareness up the lower legs,
To the shins,
The calves.
Noticing sensations at skin level,
Maybe the caress of clothing.
And deeper into the musculature,
Perhaps an ache or some throbbing.
Observing with light and easy going interest,
As you might survey the view from the top of a mountain.
Feeling curious yet not attached.
And if the mind starts to drift at any time,
Simply notice the thought arising and just pause that thought train.
Gently guiding your attention back to your body.
Now moving onto the knee,
Sometimes an area for discomfort.
Just noting any sensations.
Breathing into them and bathing them in your compassion.
Remembering that pain is an alarm from the brain and our response can either reinforce danger or cue safety.
And so reminding yourself that you are safe.
That all sensations are impermanent.
Like clouds in the sky,
They'll shift and change with time.
Now bringing awareness to the upper legs,
To sensations in the quads,
The hamstrings and all the body parts you sit on.
Feeling the weight of the body as it rests here.
Allowing it to be heavy,
Soft,
At ease.
With your mind open to all sensations.
Now attending to the pelvis,
Sometimes an area of holding.
And that's okay.
Note and name sensations,
But keep your language as light as you can.
Continue to breathe and allow.
Next the abdomen.
Perhaps feeling the movements of digestion.
Or how the belly moves in rhythm with the breath.
Leaning into sensations you might otherwise ignore.
Perhaps even feeling some gratitude and awe for the body processes that support us.
Coming to the chest now.
Noticing the sensations of breathing.
How the chest rises and falls in unison with the breath.
Being fully aware of the body breathing.
And of sensations here in your heart space.
Perhaps there's some heaviness or tightness.
Or an emotion.
Such as fear,
Sadness,
Anger.
Welcome the emotion.
Feel it in your body.
Let it unfold and flow.
Nothing to resist,
Nothing to fix.
Coming to the shoulders now,
Both sides.
You might find some tension or knots here.
Simply be a witness.
Allowing your out breath to soften the edges of sensations.
The invitation is always to sit with sensations as if they were visitors.
Let them be seen and heard.
Safe in the knowledge they will move on with time.
Now allowing your attention to travel down your arms.
The upper arms.
The lower arms.
Hands.
And all of your fingers.
What sensations are here right now in the arms and hands?
And if any sensations feel pleasant,
Lean in.
Allow them to truly land.
And cue a sense of safety and ease.
Now returning to the torso.
To sensations in the lower back.
The mid back.
And upper back.
Scanning the whole back now.
Noting the qualities of sensations.
Perhaps their shape or temperature.
Or size.
The color even.
Whether it's static or vibrating.
Observing with interest and compassion how the back feels today.
And gently letting go of any narrative about what sensations mean.
Moving up to the neck.
The front of the neck and throat.
Perhaps feeling the movements of a swallow.
And the back of the neck.
Maybe there's the touch of a pillow or cool air.
And the back of the head.
The scalp.
Hone your awareness knowing there's sensation in every inch of the body.
Maybe there's some tightness or tingles.
And then up to the crown of the head.
And the forehead.
You might find some tension or pressure.
Continue to breathe and remind yourself that you are safe.
That the brain and the body have an innate capacity to change and resolve sensations.
Now bringing awareness to the eyes.
Perhaps detecting slight movements behind the eyelids.
And the cheeks.
The lips.
Feeling where the lips touch.
And the jawline.
Allowing it to gently release.
Now finishing at the nose.
The nostrils.
Attending to the sensations of the breath here.
Observing the inhale.
And the exhale.
Breathing in through the nose.
And out through the nose.
Resting here for a few more moments.
In deep awareness of the body breathing.
And just asking yourself how you feel at the end of your practice.
If you notice any small shifts in your body.
Perhaps your breath is flowing more deeply.
Or you feel a little more grounded.
But no change is perfectly fine too.
Mind body practices always require repetition.
Now coming back to your space by inviting movement into the body.
Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes.
Circling your wrists.
And shoulders.
Stretching out.
And when you're ready go ahead and open your eyes.
Thank you for your practice today.
For attending to your body in a gentle kind non-judgmental way.
I invite you to keep practicing.
With repetition and reinforcement these healing mind body practices truly can rewire the neural pathways of the brain to reduce and resolve pain.
This is the gift of neuroplasticity.
The ongoing capacity of the brain and the nervous system to change and evolve.
I wish you ease.
I wish you peace as you go forward into your day.
