Good evening,
Welcome to body scan meditation for better sleep.
This is a guided meditation to help you to prepare yourself for a restful sleep.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
By lying down in bed,
Place your hands by your side or on your belly.
Gently close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in and breath out.
Sometimes our minds dwell on the day or worry about tomorrow.
If you get caught up by your thoughts,
Simply be aware of them and then let them be.
Come back again to noticing your breath.
Take your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
There is nothing you need to fix or change right now in this moment.
Shift your awareness to the silence of the night.
Let the silence bring you the calmness,
Stillness and inner peace you need just before the rift in the open.
If there is any unpleasant sound,
Simply notice it without judgement.
Inhale and exhale.
In this practice,
As you scan your body,
There is no need to change anything that you are experiencing.
Just be a witness to the experience.
Simply bring your attention to the top of your head and notice what you feel.
You might notice some vibration or pressure,
Perhaps no sensation.
And then bring your attention to your head.
Feel as it makes contact with the bed or pillow.
Now gently shift your attention to your face.
Notice your forehead,
Eyes,
Nose.
Feel the air coming in and going out through nostrils,
Cheeks,
Lips.
Chin and your jaw.
Relax in the jaw.
If you notice any thoughts such as worries or concerns arising that take your attention away from the meditation,
That's okay.
That's what the mind does.
Just take a deep breath in and breath out.
See if you can come back to the feelings and sensations present in your body.
Now begin to notice the sensations in your neck and your throat.
A lot of emotion may manifest in the throat.
There may be sensations of tingling,
Temperature or tightness.
Simply acknowledge them.
Slowly go down to your shoulders and become aware of anything that's present for you in this area.
Just notice if there is any tension,
Stiffness or pain.
If not,
Then notice the lack of sensation.
If it feels extremely tense,
Gently direct the breathing into that area to allow it to soften and see does it fade away or intensify.
Now bring your attention to your upper arms,
Elbows.
And lower arms.
Then let your attention go down to your hands.
Notice your hands and fingers.
Be curious and open to the sensations that are present.
Notice any vibration,
Tingling,
Coolness,
Pressure or moment.
And gently allow your hands and fingers to soften and relax.
Let your attention go back to your back.
Slowly notice the sensations here on your upper back.
Going down to the middle back.
And the lower back.
Sometimes our backs might be carrying a lot of our loads or store too much tension.
Simply notice whatever the experience is.
Again,
It's natural for your mind wanders away.
All of our minds do that.
Simply be aware where the mind has gone and take a deep breath then come back to my words.
Our emotions talk to us through sensations and lots of sensations are usually present in our chest and stomach.
Try to notice if there is any kind of emotion arising while scanning these areas.
Now gently shift your attention to the chest.
Notice what you feel.
Tightness.
Heavenness.
Perhaps nothing.
And then bring your attention down to your stomach.
Feel the belly rising with your in-breaths and falling down with your out-breaths.
What's the sensation here?
And the emotion it brings?
Just give yourself a couple of moments to notice it.
If there is no sensation then just notice the absence of sensation.
Now notice your pelvic area.
Feel whatever is present here.
And notice your hips.
Feeling the touch of the bed underneath you.
Slowly become aware down to your legs.
Noticing the sensations in your thighs.
Perhaps they are heavy or stiff.
Just notice.
Shift your attention to your hamstrings.
Knees.
Caps.
Shins.
And ankles.
Notice your heels.
Soles of the feet.
And your toes.
Just notice if there is any kind of sensations.
Feeling.
Warmth.
Our itchiness.
Lastly,
Give your body a quick scan from head to toe.
And see how you feel.
Put a little smile on your lips.
And now see again how you feel.
Thank you for taking this time to disconnect and create a space for a restful sleep.
Good night.
