Welcome to our holistic body scan meditation,
The integrated self.
This is a little different from a traditional body scan.
Rather than moving through the body one piece at a time,
We're gonna explore the body as a whole.
Your physical body,
Your breath.
Your awareness,
Your mind.
Because all of these parts are constantly communicating with one another.
This practice is simply an invitation to notice.
So before we begin,
Find a position where you feel both alert and supported.
You may sit upright or even lie down.
Let your body settle into whatever is underneath you.
Take a moment to notice the room around you.
Bring awareness to the temperature.
The sounds.
The feeling of the air against your skin.
Notice the space you're in.
And when you're ready,
Allow that same curiosity.
To turn inward.
So soften your gaze or close your eyes.
And begin to notice the room of your own body.
Take a slow,
Conscious breath in through your nose.
And exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale.
And exhale.
And allow your breath to become natural.
There's nothing you need to force here.
Nothing you need to fix.
Simply notice that you've arrived.
Exactly as you are.
Here in this moment.
Begin to bring your awareness all the way down.
To the bottoms of your feet.
Feel your feet making contact with the earth.
Or the sensations you notice.
Breathe into the steadiness of your feet.
Feel your feet as a part of the larger structure of your body.
Your foundation.
From your feet,
Allow your awareness to move through your ankles and your lower legs.
Your calves.
Your shins,
Your knees.
And into your thighs.
Feel the entirety of your legs as one connected unit.
Strong enough to carry you.
Grounded enough to support you.
Notice the weight of your bones.
The large muscles of your legs.
The relationship between your body and the ground beneath you.
Let your awareness move upward now into your hips and your pelvis.
Breathe into your pelvic bowl.
Your center of gravity.
Your stability base.
Feel the weight of your hips.
And allow gravity to do some of the work.
Let yourself be held.
Like the roots of a tree extending down into the earth.
Or the foundation of a house holding everything above it.
You don't have to work to create stability in this moment.
You can simply receive the support that's already here.
Take a breath into this rooted part of yourself.
And as you exhale,
Notice what happens when you allow yourself to settle a little more deeply.
From this rooted base.
Begin to let your awareness travel upward.
Through the abdomen.
Your beautiful belly.
Into the center of your chest.
Your heart.
Your rib cage.
Notice the physical structure of your chest.
Notice the areas of your body.
That move with every breath.
Expanding.
Creating space.
And softening again.
There's something so beautiful about this simple rhythm.
A body making space,
And then returning.
Expanding.
.
.
And gently contracting.
Let yourself simply witness.
Bring your attention to your heart.
Not necessarily the emotional heart.
But the physical experience of your heart beating.
Steady.
Continuous.
Doing what it has always done.
Check in here without an agenda.
As you breathe,
Notice,
Is there warmth?
Or tightness.
Openness.
Stillness,
Do you feel the need for more grounding?
More quiet.
More space.
You don't need to change whatever you find here.
Just notice.
Now allow your awareness to move from your chest.
Into your shoulders.
And down through your arms.
All the way down into your hands.
Settle your awareness in your palms.
Your fingers.
Your fingertips.
Notice the subtle sensations here.
Warmth.
Coolness tingling.
.
.
Pressure.
.
.
Or maybe nothing at all.
Your hands are one of the ways you meet the world.
They reach.
They create.
They hold.
They touch and connect.
And they give and receive.
And they can also help you understand where your boundaries are.
What you want to hold on to.
What you are ready to release.
What you are willing to reach toward.
Take a breath here.
And notice the relationship between strength and softness.
Between connection and boundaries.
Between giving and receiving.
Notice you don't have to choose one.
There is space for both.
You can hold both.
Now gently bring your awareness upward.
Through your shoulders again.
Up through your neck.
In your throat.
In your face.
Finally landing in the space behind your eyes.
Notice your forehead.
Unclench your jaw.
Soften your eyebrows.
And whatever is happening in your mind.
We aren't here trying to stop your thoughts.
Or simply creating a little more space around them.
Notice your thoughts as movement.
Activity,
Passing through.
You don't have to follow every thought that arrives.
Permission to simply notice it.
And let it continue on.
Perhaps your mind feels clear.
Perhaps it feels busy.
You may be full of ideas.
Or your mind may be tired.
Notice if something is seeking your attention.
Notice if something is asking to be more quiet.
Whatever is here is welcome.
As you sit with your mind Ask yourself gently.
When am I ready to integrate?
Not solve,
Not change or try and figure out.
Simply integrate.
What have I experienced?
What have I learned?
What have I felt?
And what part of me is asking to be brought back into the whole?
The whole self.
You don't need an answer.
Just allow the questions to rest.
Begin to experience your whole body again.
Your feet.
Your legs.
.
.
Your rooted pelvis.
Your belly.
Your breathing heart.
Your shoulders and your arms.
Your sensing hands.
Your neck,
Your face.
Your clear and observing mind.
All of it belonging to the same body.
The same breath.
The same life.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in.
And imagine that breath connecting your roots.
Your heart.
Your hands.
And your mind.
Everything here.
Nothing is separate.
And as you exhale,
Soften into the experience of being whole.
Not perfect.
Now finished.
Just whore.
Take one more breath.
And allow yourself to rest here for a few moments.
When you're ready Begin to gently orient back toward the room.
Notice the sounds around you.
The temperature of the air.
Feel the surface beneath you.
And let your eyes open slowly.
As you take a moment to look around.
Notice what you notice before you move on with your day.
Remember.
You don't have to choose between the different parts of yourself.
Your body,
Your mind,
Your emotions,
Your experiences,
They all belong here.
Integration isn't becoming someone new.
Sometimes it's simply allowing more of yourself to belong.
Take that with you.
And return to yourself often.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Thank you for allowing me to guide you.
I'll see you soon.
Take good care.
