Body Scan

This recording is of a Body Scan for an MBSR class taught through Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri. Children's Mercy is a 390 bed comprehensive pediatric medical center which integrates clinical research and medical education to provide care for pediatric patients from birth through adulthood.

Transcript

Welcome to this time of mindful meditation.

This session is called the body scan,

Where we bring our complete awareness to this amazing body.

It is a time to be with yourself,

By yourself,

Completely.

It is also an opportunity to accept and nurture what sensations are found in the body in the present moment.

Take a moment to identify a quiet,

Comfortable space,

Free of distractions,

Where you would like to be for this practice.

Identify a space on the floor or sofa where you can lay down on a mat or blanket,

And maybe a cushion to support the head.

If a seated posture would support you best,

Find a comfortable chair in which to sit upright.

Once you have identified a space for this practice,

Move with intentionality to that location.

Flying down,

Allow both arms to lay gently at the sides of the body with palms facing upward.

The feet can gently fall away from one another.

If seated,

Allow the feet to be flat on the floor and the arms supported by the armrests,

Or rest the palms gently on the thighs.

Allow the eyes to close or cast them downward in a soft gaze,

Whichever will allow you to maintain alertness.

Again,

The purpose of the body scan is to bring the full awareness into the body with acceptance of what is found.

The sensations may be pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Or neutral,

Allowing what is found to be exactly as it is.

If at any time you feel sleepy or notice that you have fallen asleep,

Consider opening the eyes in a soft gaze and returning the attention to the body scan.

Let's begin by bringing the awareness to the body being supported by the floor or the chair,

Paying particular attention to where the body is in direct contact with the floor,

Chair,

Or cushion.

Bring the awareness now to the breath.

Notice the cool air entering the nostrils.

Follow the breath as it travels through the airway,

Into the chest,

Causing the abdomen to rise.

Then notice the out-breath as the abdomen falls,

Returning the air into the chest,

Airway,

And exiting the nostrils as warmer air.

Continue following the rhythm of the breath in and out of the body without trying to control the rate or the rhythm.

Notice the rising of the abdomen on each in-breath and the falling of the abdomen on the out-breath.

Bring the full awareness to breathing,

Allowing the body to do what it naturally does all day long when we're aware or we're not aware.

This body regularly breathes on its own.

And when you're ready,

Shifting our awareness to the toes of the left foot without moving the toes,

Notice the sensation of the big toe,

The sensation of the little toe,

And those in between.

You may notice the toes in contact with one another,

Or maybe the sensation of a sock covering them.

Breathing completely down from the abdomen into the toes and breathing out from the toes,

Out through the nostrils.

Now bringing the awareness to the bottom of the left foot,

Maybe noticing where the bottom of the foot is contacting the floor,

Paying attention to the arch,

Which carries the weight of the body throughout the day,

And moving the awareness to the top of the left foot and the ankle.

Breathing in to the foot,

The ankle,

And breathing out from the foot and the ankle.

Now bring the awareness to the entire left foot,

Breathing into the left foot and breathing out of the left foot completely,

Allowing the awareness of the left foot to evaporate in the mind's eye.

Now bring the awareness and full attention to the lower left leg,

The smooth shin bone and the muscular calf.

Notice if and where the calf is in contact with the floor,

Being aware of any sensations of pressure,

Heat or coolness of the lower left leg.

And if you notice that the mind has wandered,

As the mind does when the body slows down,

Gently but firmly bring the awareness back to the lower left leg,

Noticing the breath coming down to the lower left leg,

Softening the muscles,

Nurturing the skin,

And breathing out from the lower left leg.

Now moving the awareness to the left knee,

The kneecap,

Both sides of the knee,

And the crease in the back of the knee,

Noticing if the knee is bent or locked in place,

Allowing the breath to descend from the abdomen to the knee,

Nurturing and sustaining the knee,

Softening the muscles,

And breathing out through the left knee.

Now shift the awareness to the upper left leg,

The front of the thigh,

The back of the thigh,

Noticing the muscles,

The long strong bone,

From the knee of the left leg to the left hip,

Noticing the back of the thigh in contact with the floor or chair,

Noticing any pressure,

Heat,

Or coolness,

Noticing and accepting whatever is found,

Breathing softness into the thigh,

And breathing out from the thigh,

And allowing the awareness of the upper left leg to evaporate from the mind's eye.

Now shifting the awareness to the right leg,

Bringing the attention all the way down to the toes of the right foot,

Notice the sensation of the big toe,

The sensation of the little toe,

And all those in between.

Move the awareness to the bottom of the right foot,

The arch,

Shifting the awareness to the top of the right foot,

And the ankle of the right foot,

Noticing any sensations and accepting them as they are.

When you notice that the awareness has shifted from the right ankle,

Shifting thoughts to past experiences or future concerns,

Gently but firmly bring the awareness back to the right ankle,

Remembering to bring the awareness of the breath down to the right ankle,

And breathing out from the right ankle,

Then bringing the attention to the right foot as a whole,

Breathing into the foot and out,

Then letting go of the awareness of the right foot in the mind's eye,

And shifting the awareness to the lower right leg,

The shin bone,

The calf muscle,

Cultivating a sense of curiosity of the lower right leg as it's in contact with the floor or maybe the chair,

Now guiding the attention to the right knee,

The front of the knee,

Both sides,

And the back,

Noticing any pressure or discomfort,

Or maybe there's a neutral feeling,

Accepting what is found here,

And breathing into the knee,

And slowly breathing out from the knee,

And allowing the awareness of the right knee to evaporate in the mind's eye,

And shifting the awareness to the right upper leg,

The front of the thigh,

The back of the thigh,

From the right hip to the knee,

Notice any sensations in the muscles or bone,

Allowing the breath to travel down the right thigh,

Breathing into the right thigh,

And out from the right thigh,

Allowing awareness of the right thigh to evaporate,

And moving the awareness to the buttocks in contact with,

And supported by the ground or chair,

And shifting the awareness to the reproductive and elimination systems in the pelvic area,

Breathing into the pelvic area,

Softening and nurturing this area,

And breathing out,

Now moving the awareness to the abdomen,

Notice the abdomen rise and fall with each breath,

The body often holds memories of past experiences,

Acknowledge and label each memory,

Acknowledging the memory as pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Or neutral,

And returning the awareness to the abdomen,

As it rises with the in-breath,

And falls with the out-breath,

Shifting the awareness to the lower back,

Noticing any discomfort,

Tension,

The lower back might be relaxed,

Just noticing,

And gently being with what is found,

If at any time,

Any aspect of the body becomes too uncomfortable,

Sit with it gently,

And if it continues to be too much,

Shift the awareness to another part of the body,

Now guiding the awareness up the spine,

Aware of the spine being in contact with the floor,

Chair or cushion,

Feeling into the ribcage,

And the back of the torso,

The sides,

And then the front,

Noticing the ribcage rise and fall with each in-breath,

And descend with each out-breath,

Slowly bringing the awareness to the top of the abdomen around the diaphragm,

Again,

Noticing the rising and falling with each breath,

Shifting the awareness to the chest,

Noticing the beating of the heart within the chest,

Notice the rise and the fall of the chest with each breath,

Raising the awareness up to the collarbones,

Awareness of them protruding from above the chest,

Breathing into this area,

Breathing in softness,

And breathing out of the chest and the collarbone,

Now moving the awareness down to the fingers of both arms,

Bringing the awareness to the fingers and thumbs,

Noticing any sensations of the nails,

Noticing if the fingers are relaxed,

Tense,

Or gently curled,

Moving the awareness to the palm of each hand,

And to the back of each hand,

Noticing the wrist,

The sensation of the wrist,

And the position of the hand and the wrist against the floor,

The chair,

Or the thighs,

And notice the hands as a whole,

Breathing into the hands,

And breathing out from the hands,

Allowing awareness of the hands to evaporate in the mind's eye,

Shifting the awareness to the lower arms,

The forearms,

Breathing in softness,

Nurture,

And relaxation,

And breathing out from the forearms,

And bringing the awareness to both elbows,

Noticing the position of the elbows,

Whether there's a bend,

Or notice if they're locked in place,

Breathing in to both the elbows,

And breathing out,

Shifting the awareness to the upper arms,

The biceps,

Noticing the in-breath as it moves through the bicep,

And the out-breath as it moves away from the bicep,

And moving the attention away from the upper arm,

Bringing the awareness to the shoulders,

Often a lot of stress and tension is carried in the shoulders,

Breathing in softness of the breath,

And breathing out any tension away from the shoulders,

Out through the nostrils,

Being aware of each in-breath,

And each out-breath,

And shifting the awareness to the neck,

Noticing the front of the neck,

And maybe movement in the neck when swallowing,

Shifting the awareness to the back of the neck,

Also a place where much tension is held,

Breathing in comfort into the neck,

And breathing out from the neck,

Noticing the air moving through the airway through the neck,

And gently allowing the awareness of the neck to evaporate from the mind's eye,

And bringing the awareness to the jaw,

Noticing if the jaw is clenched or relaxed,

Breathing in relaxation to the jaw,

And breathing out of the jaw,

Moving the awareness to the lips of the mouth,

Noticing the sensation of softness or dryness,

Notice the lips touching one another,

Or if the lips are relaxed and not touching,

Bringing the awareness to the teeth,

And maybe them in contact with the lips,

Noticing the gums,

Which hold the teeth in place,

And the tongue,

Noticing its placement,

If it's relaxed gently in the mouth,

If it's moist,

If it's dry,

Breathing into this area of the mouth,

And breathing out of the mouth,

As the attention is shifted to the nostrils,

Noticing cool air entering the nostrils,

As the nostrils filter the incoming air,

And begin to warm it,

Bringing the awareness to the sinuses below the eyes,

And moving the awareness to the eyes,

The muscles around the eyes,

And the forehead,

Noticing if the forehead is relaxed or furrowed,

And if there's any tension in the forehead,

Now breathing in to the forehead and the face as a whole,

Allowing the breath to soften the muscles,

Breathing out from the face,

And shifting the awareness to the scalp,

On the top of the head,

Noticing any hair on the top of the head,

The sensation of hair,

Or the absence of hair,

Noticing if there's any tension in the scalp,

Notice any temperature,

Heat,

Or coolness,

Breathing into the top of the head,

And breathing out through the head,

Allowing the breath to soften any tension at the top of the head,

Shifting the awareness to the back of the head,

Noticing maybe the contact with the floor,

Or maybe the chair,

Noticing any sensations that are found here,

And allowing them to be exactly as it is,

Breathing into the back of the head,

And breathing out from the back of the head,

Now bringing the awareness to the ears,

These ears which are constantly seeking for sound,

They're always on,

Even when we're asleep,

Noticing any sensations in the ear,

Allowing the breath to make its way to the ears,

Breathing in comfort,

Softness,

And breathing out through the ears,

And moving the awareness to the head as a whole,

Noticing the heaviness of the head,

As it's supported by the ground,

Or if seated,

Supported by the neck and the shoulders,

Breathing softness into the head,

And breathing out through the head,

And now bringing the awareness to the body as a whole,

Notice being in the body,

Allowing it just to be,

Noticing the breath,

And how the in-breath affects the body as a whole,

And noticing the effect on the body as the breath leaves,

Noticing the natural rhythm of the breath in this moment,

Allowing the full attention to be on the full cycle of each breath,

From inhalation of the cool air through the nostrils,

Allowing the awareness to follow the breath throughout the body,

And notice the warm air of the breath as it leaves the nostrils,

Noticing the sensations of the body after this time of just being aware,

Noticing the heaviness as it's supported by the floor,

The heaviness as it's supported by the chair,

Allowing the body to be at one with the breath,

To be moved by the rhythm of the breath in this present moment,

Allow to be awed by this body,

The miracle of this body,

Which supports us with very little effort on our part,

Just noticing the in-breath,

The support the body receives from the breath before the breath exits the body through the nostrils.

This awareness is the practice.

It's a gift we give ourselves.

It's a place we can return to anytime during the day.

The breath may feel familiar,

But each one is unique,

Never been experienced before.

The breath can only take place in the present moment.

The breath is one anchor to the present.

At any time,

Whether there are numerous minutes or just a few,

The breath is always available to connect us to the present.

It is a gift we can give ourself throughout the day.

Take a moment to be in awe of what is with you in this moment.