The Best Body Scan Ever

Meditation can help us. It offers a special way to experience ourselves. There is a constant flux and flow in our bodies. Discover how this offers keys to peace and relaxation. You will experience what is happening each moment in your body. There will be discoveries about pain and how to manage it. Let's find peace together!

Transcript

Good morning.

We'll begin this morning by finding our posture and our position.

Position is not something that you need to think about other than to become conscious of it.

So at this moment I'm sitting up in a chair.

I like to sit as straight as the back of the chair will allow me to sit.

This means if I'm sitting in a lounge chair that I might notice how my back is lying down and whether or not a lot of pressure is in one place or another.

At this moment I have my hands in my lap.

I noticed that I have the thumb of my left hand being held by my right hand.

Now this is a natural position that I took just when I sat up straight.

You might place your hands on your legs.

Once you found a position that's comfortable I'll ask you to extend your back just a little bit.

So pull upward like there's a string pulling the very top of your head.

That should activate the sides of your body and should straighten your back to some degree.

Relax your shoulders and let them be pulled down slightly.

The tension between the string at the top of your head and your shoulders coming down will provide a gentle stretch along the tops and back of your shoulders.

Now just take note of this posture.

Feel your body in space.

Now spend some time noticing your breath coming and going from your nose.

At this moment my right nostril is slightly clogged and the air is not flowing that easily through it.

All I notice is that this is the reality right now.

There's no need to control your breath.

Make it big or small.

Just let it flow naturally in and out of your nose.

And if for some reason you're uncomfortable or have some type of physical challenge there just gently close your mouth and slightly open it and let air flow in and out from the slight opening between your lips.

Now let's begin by noticing what sensations are there right at the opening of your nostril.

Do you feel the air flow?

You notice your skin,

The opening of your nose.

Pay attention to that sensation Is the air flowing in and out?

Do you notice it coming and going across the screen of your upper lip?

The breath is always with you.

Most of the time we don't notice it.

It is simply there flowing.

This constant unconscious flow is literally the thing of life.

As we pay attention to it,

Notice now how your body might have different sensations happening.

Maybe you have an achy back or an itchy elbow.

There is no need to react to it.

Just simply observe it.

All of these things are happening in our body.

A sense of constant change.

It is everywhere and the routine that we create,

The structure that we build,

It exists in this flux,

In this flow of constant change.

Now place your attention at the very top of your head.

See if you can notice what sensations are happening in an area about the size of a quarter or a half dollar.

If there is no sensation,

That's okay.

Just be patient and be still and you will notice the sensations.

Subtle.

Might be vibration.

Might be itchiness.

Might be tingling.

This is the constant flux and change of your body.

Now move your attention down slowly from that quarter sized space of observation.

Just begin to notice as you move down through your scalp what sensations there are.

Notice the back of your head.

The right side of your head.

The left side of your head.

Your forehead.

Your eyebrows.

Your eye sockets and your eyes.

Your nose.

Your lips and your chin.

The front of your neck.

The back of your neck.

The top of your right shoulder.

The ball of your right shoulder.

The muscle where your arm meets your shoulders.

As you scan,

Let your mind relax.

Let the expectation of feeling something disappear.

And instead,

Just watch.

Close your upper arm.

Your elbow.

Your lower arm.

Your wrist.

Your right hand.

Notice all of your right arm.

Notice your upper back.

Your left shoulder blade.

The top of your left shoulder.

Your left shoulder blade socket.

Your left upper arm.

Your elbow.

Your lower arm.

Your left wrist.

Your left hand.

As you hold your hand,

You might find it easier to observe them separately as they're gently laying in your lap,

But not touching each other.

Go to your mid-back.

Maybe you still have those different places in your body where there's strong sensation.

They may want to pull your attention away from your body scan.

When you're first starting out,

It's always good to be gentle with yourself.

And without judgment or anger or frustration,

Simply start where you left off again.

Starting again is the type of patience that you build.

It's awareness that there's a lot going on.

And sometimes we're in control of our reactions.

As we move from the middle of our back to our lower back,

Also notice your sides going up into your armpits.

Now notice your glute on your left side.

Your glute on the right.

And down the middle.

Growing area.

Notice your hip on your left side.

Very slowly begin to observe the front of your left thigh.

Move gently down toward your knee and stop.

Once you come to your knee,

Continue to observe the sensations in that area.

Now go to the back of your left thigh.

Again,

Start at the top and notice the sensations in the back of your thigh and stop at your knee.

Go to your right leg.

Notice the front of your thigh.

The back of your thigh.

Your right knee.

Your left knee.

Your upper right leg.

Your right calf.

Your right shin.

Your right Achilles tendon.

Your right ankle.

The top of your foot.

The bottom of your foot.

Your right toes.

Your left knee.

Your left calf.

Your left shin.

Your left Achilles tendon.

The left bottom of your foot.

Left top of your foot.

Your left toes.

Now again,

Gently notice all the sensations in your body.

Feel your attention to wherever you feel sensations.

It might be tingling.

You may find yourself going to a gross big sensation,

Like a pain someplace in your back or an itchiness somewhere.

That's okay.

Just relax into observing.

And then feel the general gentle vibration across different parts of your body.

As you practice this type of body scanning,

You may find that there is an awareness of the tingling and itchiness and vibrating that your body does all the time.

Anytime you have a gentle feeling like this,

It's good.

You'll want to adjust your posture just a little bit right now just to make sure that you're comfortable.

If you need to relax your back,

Relax your back.

Let's spend a minute or two offering metta out to the world.

Once you're done with meditating and doing a body scan,

You're generally in a good state of mind to offer peace and happiness to others.

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be liberated.

Liberated.

Liberated.

Thank you for meditating with me.

However,

Today's meditation went for you.

It's okay.

Sometimes it's easier than others and I would just recommend you keep at it.

This is meditation one of 30 meditations.

Experiencing them in any order that you wish is best or going in the order that you feel most appropriate.

Be well.

Be happy.