The body awareness meditation.
This meditation helps us to become more aware of our body.
And in so doing we can come into the present moment and let go of all our thoughts of the future and the past.
Begin this body awareness meditation by assuming your usual position.
Either seated or preferably lying down.
Settle in and feel comfortable.
Now gently close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out.
Through your mouth.
Focus on the sensations of the breath as it enters the body.
The way the cool air hits your nostrils as you inhale.
And as you breathe out notice the warm air.
Become aware of how your stomach expands on the in-breath and then very gently draws back down again on the out-breath.
And if during this meditation you find your mind is wandering then not worry.
Just allow yourself to refocus on your breathing.
And when you feel ready begin to shift your focus from breathing to the whole of your body.
If you notice any aches,
Pains or tension then just try and relax those parts of your body until you feel comfortable.
Now it's time to start focusing on individual parts of the body.
Beginning with your feet.
As we focus on specific parts of your body you may find that they feel warmer and more relaxed.
Now imagine that your feet are the roots of your body.
Drawing your awareness up from the ground and into the rest of the body.
Allow this awareness to spread through your feet,
To your ankles and up into your lower legs.
Enjoy the warm relaxed feeling.
Maybe you'll notice how your lower legs seem heavier and maybe a bit looser than normal.
And now allow this awareness to spread to your knee joints.
If you have problems with your knees or any other part of the body you can use this awareness to visualise your body healing itself as you move from point to point.
Slowly let your awareness spread further up to the upper legs,
Your hips and your buttocks.
Many of us feel that we hold a lot of tension in these areas of our body and so we don't spend much time focusing on them.
But now is your opportunity to spend a little extra time allowing the hips,
The upper legs and the buttocks to relax and loosen.
And when it feels right move your awareness to the base of your spine.
Take your time to do this.
Focus your awareness up through the curvature of your spine to the tip which is that little bump just in the back of your skull.
See if you can relax and ease any tension around this part.
Loosening your jaw.
Once you have a feel for this top point of your spine hold it in your mind while focusing on the base of your spine.
Imagine a warm ball of light at the top and bottom of your spine.
And that the light at the base of your spine is being slowly drawn up from the ground like an anchor.
And the light at the top of your spine is slowly moving towards the heavens.
You might notice that the muscles that hold your spine feel looser and that there is a little bit of space between the vertebrae of your spine.
When you feel your spine is fully relaxed shift your focus to your shoulders.
If you need to readjust the position of your shoulders to remain comfortable you can do that now.
Just move them gently until they feel in sync with the rest of your body.
Now draw your awareness down through your arms,
The upper arm,
The elbow,
The lower arm,
The wrist,
The hands and out into the fingers and thumb.
Can you notice any slight movements or throbbing that the hands or the arms are making?
Now move your awareness back up to your throat and gently release any tension you may be holding in your throat area.
And now move your awareness up into your face.
Feel the warmth of your awareness relaxing every facial muscle.
And finally shift your awareness up into the top of your head to where your brain is.
And for a moment become aware of just how amazing and powerful your brain really is.
Your brain that's capable of regulating your entire body.
Your brain that houses your mind,
That allows you to think,
Feel and create.
Spend a moment here in gratitude for your brain.
And when you're ready you can open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes and very gently return back into the room in which you're sitting or lying.
And remember that you can come at any time and scan through your body in this way to bring you back into the present moment to feeling grounded and safe.
