Welcome to this body scan meditation.
In this guided meditation you will bring awareness to each part of the body,
Sequentially,
Without judging it or trying to change it.
As you begin,
Find yourself in a quiet place,
Free from interruption.
Sit down in a chair,
Adjust yourself so that your body is comfortable,
So that you are supported yet relaxed.
It might be helpful here to imagine that your spine is energized and the muscles are soft.
And now gently close your eyes and take a few deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And as you breathe in,
Feel the oxygen refreshing the body.
And with your next breath out,
Feel the body soften and relax.
Keep in mind that at any point in the meditation,
Your mind may begin to wonder and that is perfectly normal.
If you catch yourself thinking instead of feeling,
Try to bring your attention back to the breath,
The body and the physical sensations.
As your attention moves,
Notice different areas of comfort or discomfort,
Giving equal attention to both,
Not resisting or encouraging anything,
But rather just noticing and observing.
Start by bringing awareness to the feet.
How do your feet feel right now?
And now move to the ankles and lower legs.
With each part of the body,
Briefly check in.
And if it helps,
Imagine breathing into the area,
Using the breath to guide your attention.
Now shifting attention to the knees and thighs and again checking in and noticing things such as posture,
Pressure and maybe even temperature.
And now scanning up to the hips,
Pelvis and lower abdomen,
Feeling the stomach rising and falling with each breath.
And now the entire torso,
Moving up to the chest,
And again here feeling the movement of the breath as you breathe in and breathe out.
And now to the shoulders,
Breathing into this area if you can to help guide your focus.
And from here bring attention to your hands,
Moving to the wrists and the forearms,
Then the elbows and upper arms,
Noticing any sensations that present themselves.
And from here guide the attention to the neck and throat.
And now up to the head,
Feeling the jaw and the mouth,
The cheeks and the nose,
The eyes and the forehead.
Now moving to the sides of the head,
Noticing your ears and now to the top of the head.
And from here expand your awareness and open up to the entire body,
Collecting the sensations in different areas and compiling them into a whole,
Creating a full picture.
Is the body still or restless,
Warm or cool,
Heavy or light?
Whatever you may be feeling,
You don't need to do any analysis of that feeling or judge the feeling,
Just become aware of it.
Continue staying aware of how your body is feeling.
If at any point you catch your mind wandering,
Bring your attention back to the breath.
The body,
The physical sensations.
And when you're ready,
Tune right back in.
Become aware of the sensation of your body rising and falling as you breathe,
Expanding and retracting,
Filling and emptying.
Pay attention to the constant movement.
Where does your body move the most?
Is it your stomach or your shoulders or somewhere else?
You're not trying change or control the movement in the body,
But simply noticing the ebb and flow.
Now focus on the quality of your breathing.
Are the breaths long or short,
Loud or quiet,
Deep or shallow,
Smooth or interrupted?
Again,
You're not trying to change how you breathe,
But rather taking the opportunity to listen to your body's natural cadence and remembering that each breath refreshes the body by bringing oxygen to your cells.
Now gently bring attention back to the body.
Feel the effect of gravity.
Notice the pressure between the body and the surfaces beneath you.
Feeling the soles of your feet on the floor,
Your bottom on the chair and the hands and the arms just resting where they are.
And then when you're ready,
Gently open the eyes,
Bringing yourself back into the space around you.
Begin to move your fingers and toes,
Moving and stretching in any way that feels right to you.
Before you move on with your day,
Take a moment to reflect on how it feels to take time for yourself.
