Hello and welcome!
I want to offer you a simple but very powerful meditation on the body today.
The Buddha already said that everything we need to be fully awake is right here in our body.
And modern mindfulness teachers say the same thing,
That our body is the doorway to being present.
And we often look outside of ourselves for wisdom,
But actually everything we need is right here in this body and mind.
When we don't notice what's happening in our body,
We can get pushed around by feelings,
Thoughts and memories that live in our body.
And it's good to be friends with your body.
It's like your closest mate who will stick with you for your whole life.
Not always in top form,
Not always doing what you want,
But always there.
And we ask a lot from our body,
But it also likes gentle attention.
Now I'll guide you through a body scan now,
Where we'll move our attention through the body.
Starting at the top of your head and working down through your whole body,
Like we're examining the body part by part in detail.
And each round around the body,
We will slightly modify what we're letting come to our attention.
And in doing so,
We'll practice noticing and letting go of whatever is present.
Noticing and letting go.
So let's start now by sitting in a comfortable position.
Your spine straight.
You can close your eyes if this feels comfortable or soften your gaze on the floor.
And let's take a deep breath and let the breath fall out naturally.
Settling in a little deeper into our position.
And now let the bell lead you into silence.
We'll start by noticing pleasant sensations in the body.
In simple terms,
We're looking for anything that feels good or comfortable.
We'll scan through the body,
Paying attention to these nice feelings.
You might notice some uncomfortable bits wanting your attention.
But for now,
We're just focusing on the pleasant bits.
And these might be quite subtle.
But when we find one,
We simply notice it and move on.
Just acknowledging what's there and then letting go.
So starting at the top of your head,
Slowly moving your attention through your body,
Like when you get scanned at a hospital.
Notice any pleasant feeling as you move through your head,
Your face,
Down to your jaw,
And your neck.
Notice any nice sensations as you move to your shoulders and down your arms.
Maybe feeling a bit of warmth or softness that feels nice.
Moving all the way down your arms to your elbows,
Your wrists and hands,
Right through to your fingertips.
Notice any pleasant feelings as you come to your chest and upper body.
Now scanning down through your torso,
Going all the way down to your tummy and pelvis,
And down your legs and your thighs.
Notice any discomfort or pain as you move up and down your body.
Your knees,
Moving down to your ankles and feet.
Just noticing anything that feels good.
Don't rush to the most painful spot,
Just take it steady.
So scan your body bit by bit,
Moving upwards.
Begin with your feet,
Then move through your ankles and lower legs.
If you notice any discomfort,
Simply acknowledge it and move on.
Through your knees,
Slowly moving upwards,
Your thighs.
Just notice if there's any discomfort and let it be.
Continue up through your legs to your pelvis.
Move up through your middle,
Your tummy,
Your back.
Going upwards,
Getting used to noticing and letting go.
Keep going all the way up to your chest and upper back.
Now become aware of your hands,
Noticing any uncomfortable feelings in this area.
Move up through your hands,
Up through your hands and wrists,
And up your forearms,
Your elbows.
And you might notice some worry about painful feelings,
And that's okay.
Just acknowledge that this is present.
And just keep steadily moving up your arms to your shoulders.
Keep going up through your neck,
Moving up through your head,
Your jaw,
Your skull,
Your face,
All the way up through your scalp to the top of your head.
And now we're going to scan downwards,
Noticing feelings that are just neutral.
Not good,
Not bad.
They're just there.
We often miss these everyday sensations,
Because they don't grab our attention.
So just notice these nothing special feelings,
Without overthinking whether they are slightly nice or slightly uncomfortable.
Just take them as they are.
So starting from the top of your head,
This is what we're practicing.
Learning to notice these middle ground sensations.
Move your attention down through your head,
Down through your neck,
Across your shoulders,
And down your arms,
To your wrists and hands,
All the way to your fingertips.
As you scan your chest and upper body,
Notice any of these neutral feelings.
Just steadily moving downwards.
Paying attention to sensations that aren't particularly pleasant or unpleasant.
Just notice them,
And then let them go.
Move on further down,
Without lingering,
Just keep moving down your body,
Nice and steady,
For your lower torso and pelvis.
Continue down your legs,
Noticing these everyday sensations.
Scan all the way down to your ankles and feet.
And for this final scan,
We'll go from your feet to the top of your head,
Just noticing whatever feelings are there,
Whether they're nice,
Uncomfortable,
Or neutral.
So simply notice what's there,
And let it go,
Move on at a steady pace,
From the bottom to the top of your body.
Body.
So starting with the soles of your feet,
Moving up through your feet.
Take your time.
Now up through your ankles and lower legs,
To your knees.
So work your way up,
Bit by bit,
Staying with your body,
Just being aware of how it feels right now.
Just keep going steadily,
Moving up now to the tops of your legs,
Your hip area.
Up through your mid-torso,
Up through the middle.
Just noticing the feelings without getting caught up in them,
Just moving on.
Continuing up through your chest and back.
Now bringing your attention to your hands.
Start with the fingertips and move up through your hands,
Just feeling them as they are.
Move up through your wrists and arms,
All the way to your shoulders,
Your neck,
Going up into your jaw and head,
Your face and scalp,
All the way to the top of your head.
And for these last moments,
Just let your awareness spread to include your whole body.
Just let your mind take you in.
Take in your entire body,
Just as it is right now.
When we can be open to all the different feelings in our body,
We can be fully present.
Our body appreciates this kind of attention.
Doesn't it feel good to be fully aware of it?
And that brings our meditation to a close.
Thank you and be well.
