Welcome to the Body Scan.
Please make every effort to do this practice on a daily basis.
This is an important part of taking care of yourself.
The Body Scan can be practiced in a comfortable place where you are unlikely to be interrupted.
It may be helpful to honour this time as the most important part of your day in terms of cultivating positive health and peace.
It is a time to be with yourself fully.
Taking the time to do this practice is a gift to yourself.
Here we are opening to the source of wisdom and healing that is already within you.
Taking a comfortable position,
Lying on a padded surface on the floor,
Or sitting in a chair if that is more comfortable.
You may even choose to practice this Body Scan standing up if you are feeling really tired and are worried about sleepiness.
If you are lying down,
Adopting a position allows you to feel as free as possible with your legs stretched out and your feet flopping to the side.
Arms by your sides and making any adjustments that you may need to be comfortable and hold yourself in a period of awareness.
Using your own wisdom to choose to do whatever is necessary to be kind to yourself in preparing for this nurturing time.
Perhaps placing support under your knees or your head or rolling your shoulders underneath you a little.
Whatever is necessary for minimal discomfort.
If you are sitting,
Sitting in a position that allows you to be awake with the least amount of tension.
Trying not to cross parts of your body and having your feet firmly on the ground with your palms resting on your lap.
Closing your eyes or leaving them open and settling into a comfortable position.
Knowing that at any moment you may move your body to be more comfortable.
But trying as best you can to be aware of your intention to move and maybe even detecting the urge to move and your choice to move prior to actually moving.
Recognizing that the next 36 minutes is a practice of falling awake rather than falling asleep no matter how relaxed you may become.
It may be helpful to practice with your eyes open if that helps you maintain wakefulness.
Realizing that this is a nourishing time,
A time to open to sources of healing.
A time that is set aside for you to be with yourself.
To get to know yourself and cultivate your inner powers of healing and wellness.
Knowing deeply that this is a time devoted to you and to your choice to care for your body and mind.
There is nowhere else to go,
Nothing else that needs doing.
Dwelling in an awareness of the body.
Aiming your attention to your body in a way that you don't do often.
Exercising your ability to gently and kindly focus your awareness in the presence of your physical self.
Recognizing that there is no right way or wrong way to do this.
As best you can,
Becoming aware of each passing moment.
Realizing that you are already in it.
The moment is already here.
Resting in the present moment.
Following my instructions as best you can.
Knowing that at any moment you may settle below an awareness of my words to a deeper experience.
It is not my words that are important,
But rather the awareness of sensations in the body as we move our focus to different parts of the body.
Reaching your body and the activity of the mind.
Letting go of judgmental and critical thoughts in particular and just feel what you feel.
There is no right way to feel.
Simply notice what arises with non-judgmental awareness.
Accepting what you are feeling and knowing that it is okay.
Even feeling nothing is totally okay.
Noticing all the sensations even if they are uncomfortable and in many ways particularly if they are unpleasant.
It is important to put out the welcome mat for all sensations and rest in open hearted and non-reactive awareness.
Attending as best you can to whatever arises moment to moment.
No one is saying that this is easy.
Letting go of the tendency to want things to be different than they are and allowing things to be exactly as you find them is challenging.
Bringing your awareness to your body as a whole.
A body lying here or sitting here.
Noticing any points of contact supporting your body.
Perhaps noticing exactly where the mat or the chair is touching your body and providing you support.
Remembering from a mindfulness perspective as long as you are breathing there is more right with you than wrong with you.
No matter the condition of your body and its history and no matter what you are facing in this moment.
So right now simply giving yourself over to the sensations of contact wherever your body may be touching the floor or the chair.
Feeling how the air surrounds the body and how it moves through the body.
Feeling the rhythmic waves of the breath perhaps at the belly or the nostrils wherever it is most vivid for you in this moment.
Resting in an awareness of the body as a whole lying here.
Allowing the body to become heavy and melt or sink into the floor on every out breath as all the muscles in your body let go.
Notice if your mind wanders and notice what brought your mind away and then bring your attention back to the body.
Realizing that this is the nature of the mind to wander and to think.
Remember that there's nothing wrong with this or that this is in any way an incorrect thing to do.
Bringing your attention to your breathing.
Not altering your breathing in any way.
Simply noticing that you are breathing.
Experiencing the physical sensations of breathing and directing attention to the belly.
Perhaps noticing if there are any sensations present.
Even if there are no sensations that is fine too.
It is not about what the sensation is but rather about the directing of our attention.
Breathing in noticing the body rising and breathing out noticing the body falling.
Allowing your body to be just as it is.
Letting go of the tendency to want things to be different.
Allowing yourself to be just as you are.
Shifting the focus of your attention to the toes of your left foot.
Taking your awareness and moving it away from the rise and fall of your body.
Down to your left foot and all the way to your toes.
Being interested and curious to whatever sensations are here.
As best you can becoming aware of any sensations that are present right here right now.
What they are is not important.
Just feeling the toes exactly as they are.
Even if there is a blank that is okay.
Perhaps you notice the touch of the air or the touch of a sock.
Just noticing whatever is present for you in this moment.
If you begin to notice that your mind is wandering off somewhere with thoughts about the day or is reflecting on what we are doing.
Know that this is perfectly normal.
This is what minds do.
Perhaps you can briefly note where the thoughts took you.
And gently but firmly escort your awareness back to the sensations in your toes.
Now moving your awareness to the bottom of your left foot.
Taking your attention and moving it away from your toes to the bottom of your left foot.
Gently curious about the sensations present here in the bottom of the left foot.
The instep.
The bottom of the heel.
The entire bottom of the left foot.
Becoming aware of whatever is present.
Even if nothing is present that is fine too.
Shifting now to the top of your left foot.
Noticing the sensations on the top of your left foot.
As best you can becoming aware of whatever is present here.
Aware now of the left ankle.
Aware of the front and side of the ankle.
Allowing the focus to move to the lower left leg.
The calf,
The shin,
The knee.
Being with whatever is present.
Now shifting your attention to the upper leg,
The thigh.
Sensations on the surface and sensations deep within.
Sensing the thigh bone as it rests in the hip socket.
Acknowledging how it is that you can know sensations in this part of the body.
As you explore the body with curiosity,
You may find that certain parts of the body are difficult to focus on.
Please know that when this happens you can move your attention to the breath.
Know that you can follow your own wisdom at any time and use the breath as a kind of anchor.
Now moving over the right leg and become aware of the feelings in the right toes.
The toes of the right foot.
As best you can without wiggling them,
Just feeling the sensations of the big toe and the little toe and all the others.
Just registering the sensations that are in this region.
Not judging them or worrying about what your toes should feel like.
But just allowing them to be exactly as you are experiencing them right now.
Now letting the attention shift into the bottom of the right foot,
The heel and the place where the foot makes contact with the mat or the air.
Just tuning into any and all sensations.
Breathing with them and next letting go of the bottom of the right foot.
Letting go of this region and letting the attention gently move to the top of the foot and to the ankle.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Experiencing this region of your body.
Now becoming aware of the lower leg,
The shin,
The calf.
Shifting the focus of your awareness to the right knee.
What's here?
What do you find here?
Pulsation,
Temperature,
Exploring with curiosity.
Exploring what is present in the right knee.
And now the right thigh,
The entire region of the upper leg between the hip all the way to the knee.
Noticing your right thigh,
Any sensations at all.
Being as precise as you can about experiencing and feeling these sensations.
Whether they may be warmth or tingling or heaviness or lightness,
Blood flow or whatever.
Just sensing and feeling your thigh as it is.
Becoming aware now of the pelvis,
The entire region of your pelvis from one hip to the other.
Aware of the buttocks in contact with the mat or the floor or the chair.
At sensations of contact and of weight and perhaps of heaviness or whatever you are feeling.
Exploring deep the sensations and breathing.
Becoming aware of the region of the genitals and whatever sensations or lack of sensations you are experiencing in this region.
Becoming aware of the genital area and just breathing with the entirety of this area.
Totally present in each moment.
Content to just be.
Just be right here as you are right now.
There is nothing to do right now.
Nowhere to go right now except being here.
Being present for your experience as best you can without any judgment or commentary.
Feeling the sensations in the region of the genitals.
And direct your attention now to the lower back,
To the region that connects up with the pelvis and just experience whatever sensations are here.
This is of course the region that for many of us can give us problems.
There may be sensations of some intensity.
And just for the moment,
Experiment with experiencing your back as it is.
Acknowledging how present you are for the sensations in this part of your body.
And now moving attention up into the region of your upper back.
Just feeling the sensations and now moving attention up into the region of your upper back.
Just feeling the sensations in this region.
Breathing in with them.
And you may even notice your rib cage around your back as well as in your front expand on each breath.
Be aware of your ribs all the way around to your spine.
Sensing how you feel the movement of the breath coming and going.
Noticing what is here for you in the back.
Investigating with intention this region of the body.
And shifting the focus of your awareness to the stomach.
And experiencing the rising and falling of your stomach as you breathe.
And just allowing your awareness to expand from the belly and the front of your body to the chest as well.
Feeling the movements of your diaphragms.
And just for a moment experiencing the intercostal muscles in the chest as they expand on the in-breath and contract on the out-breath.
As best you can.
Tuning into the rhythmic beating of your heart within your chest.
Nourishing every region and every organ and every tissue of your body with oxygen.
Each time the heart pumps blood throughout the body.
Just tuning in to the rhythmic beating of your heart with awareness.
Experiencing your chest and your stomach as you lie here.
All the muscles on the chest wall,
Breasts,
The entirety of the front of your body.
Aware of the sensations at the skin,
The muscles,
And even deeper within.
Allowing your attention to move to your fingertips of both hands.
Just becoming aware of all the sensations now in the tips of your fingers and thumbs.
You may feel dampness or warmth or whatever.
Just feeling your fingers,
The sides of them,
The backs of your fingers,
Right up to the tips.
Letting the field of your awareness expand to include the palms of your hands and the backs of your hands and the wrists.
Being aware of the entirety of both your hands.
And now shifting your awareness to the forearms and the elbows.
And exploring any and all sensations.
Regardless of discomfort or problems with one region or another.
Just experiencing your body as it is.
And in particular now your forearms and elbows.
Breathing in and breathing out with this awareness.
And allowing the field of your awareness now to include the upper arms,
Right up to the armpits and shoulders.
The shoulders are reservoirs of tension for many of us.
Stored up tension is often the cause of some pain and perhaps neck problems.
In this moment just experiencing your shoulders as they are for you.
The tops of the shoulders,
The sides,
The backs.
As you breathe perhaps noticing how the shoulders shift with each breath.
Exploring the region with curiosity.
Investigating without judgment or commentary.
Just noticing what is there,
What arises into your awareness.
As you bring your attention and focus to your upper arms and your shoulders.
And now letting the focus of your attention move to your neck.
To the back of the neck and the spine in the neck region.
And to the throat and feeling the entirety of this region of your body.
Experiencing what it feels like when you swallow.
When you breathe as the air goes from the head to the chest through the neck region.
Noticing any sensations that are present for you in this moment in the neck and the throat region of your body.
And now shifting your awareness to your chest.
And now shifting your awareness to your face.
Another region that often stores accumulated tension and stress over the course of the day.
Focusing first on the jaw and the chin.
Just experiencing it as it is.
Any sensations right up in the hinge region of the jaw.
Becoming aware of your lips and your mouth,
Teeth,
The gums,
Your tongue,
The roof of your mouth,
The back of your mouth and the throat.
Just noticing all sensations in this region of your face.
And breathing with this region and the sensations and feelings of your jaw,
Chin,
Mouth,
Lips and cheeks.
And now becoming aware of your nose.
And how it feels with the breath as it moves in and out of the nostrils.
More moist air being breathed out.
Cooler dry air being breathed in.
Just being aware of yourself as your breathing goes on.
And now also being aware of your eyes and the eyebrows,
The space between the eyebrows.
Another area that can often hold tension.
Exploring the entire region around your eyes and the eyelids.
And experiencing the sensations on the sides of your head to your ears.
Beginning with this awareness and this focus.
And now the forehead.
Sensing your forehead and letting it be as it is.
And if you sense any emotions associated with tension here or feelings in the muscles of your face.
Just being aware of that and breathing in,
Nourishing your face.
Just exploring sensation in the entirety of your face.
Just letting your face be your face.
And allowing the focus of your attention to shift to the top of your head and the back of your head.
And perhaps noticing the touch if you're lying down of the back of your head on the mat or the pillow.
And sensing any sensations in the hair follicles,
The scalp,
The surface area or perhaps deeper inside the brain,
Inside the skull.
Just exploring with curiosity any sensations that you become aware of.
And now allowing your awareness to expand to the entire body.
Bringing your awareness back to the body as a whole.
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
You may even wish to do a scan of the body,
A quick scan going from the tips of your toes,
Your feet,
Your shins,
Your knees,
Your thighs,
Your pelvis area,
The groin area,
Your buttocks,
Your hands and forearms and upper arms and shoulders,
And lower back and stomach,
Upper back and front body,
Chest,
Your neck and your throat,
Your face and the back of your head,
Sides of your head and the top of your head.
Bringing your awareness to the entire body,
The entire envelope of the skin.
Perhaps noticing sensations of movement within the body,
Of pulsation,
Movement of blood or of digestion.
Being present with this entire body,
Breathing in and breathing out with this awareness.
Theyeah Breathing with awareness,
Being awake to your experience,
Knowing the language of sensation in this body,
Acknowledging your ability to attend to your moment-to-moment experience of this body,
Mind and heart.
Quietly congratulating yourself for having taken this time and the energy to care for yourself in this way.
Resting in the awareness that is present for you in the body until the bells ring.
Resting in the awareness that is present for you in the body until the bells ring.
Resting in the awareness that is present for you in the body until the bells ring.
Resting in the awareness that is present for you in the body until the bells ring.
