MBSR / MBCT Body Scan

This is a body scan practice from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programs. This practice can help you begin a mindfulness practice, work with stress reduction, reduce automatic reactivity and access a more centered grounded state of mind. You can do this practice lying down, sitting or standing, however it is recommended to do lying down, yet on a mat or surface where you are less likely to drift off to sleep.

Transcript

This is a guided body scan practice.

Finding a time and a place where you can be comfortable and undisturbed and perhaps wearing comfortable warm clothes or having a blanket nearby is helpful.

Allowing this to be a time for you,

Time to be with yourself,

To look after yourself and support your well-being.

Remembering that the intention is to simply be with your experience just as you are.

There's nothing to achieve other than you being aware and being with whatever your experience is as best you can.

Inviting a kind curiosity to whatever arises and letting go of wanting things to be a certain way or different to how they already are in each moment.

And so making a decision perhaps to allow things to be exactly as you find them and allowing yourself to be exactly as you are right now.

Inviting a gentleness with yourself,

Not taking any judgments that arise too seriously and maybe even letting them go as they arise if possible.

And there's no right way to be or feel throughout this practice.

So we're not looking for any outcome or state of being.

Whatever you experience is just fine.

And inviting you to take care of yourself.

So making choices to do what is best for you throughout this practice rather than following my suggestions,

Feeling free to adapt to your own needs.

So my words are just suggestions.

They're not imposed or obligations and always making choices to serve your well-being.

And so the body scan is often practiced lying down on your back.

However,

It can also be done sitting or even standing if that's better for you at this time.

So remembering that you know your body best and if lying down does feel right for you,

Perhaps lying on a mat or sofa or bed and perhaps having a blanket nearby is a good thing to have just to keep you warm if it gets cold.

And so inviting you to find the position that's helpful for you and really listening to the needs of your body at this moment,

Spending just a few moments settling and adjusting your posture as necessary to feel comfortable.

You may want to use cushions to support your body,

Perhaps under your thighs or knees to stabilize your back or wherever you might need just to allow the body to release any excess or unneeded tension.

And now inviting your eyes to close if this feels right for you and seeing if it feels right to rest your hands or arms by your side if you're lying down or in your lap if you're sitting.

And if you are lying down,

Inviting your legs or arms to be uncrossed and letting your feet sort of fall apart from one another,

Seeing if it's possible to let go of any unnecessary tightness or holding in the body.

And as best you can,

Just letting the body rest here,

Tuning into the sensations of where the body enters in contact with the floor,

Perhaps the heels,

Perhaps the hips or shoulders or head.

And perhaps noticing sensations of pressure or temperature or tightness or tingling,

Noticing the weight of the body sort of being held or supported by the floor or chair,

And just noticing whatever sensations are there for you right now.

Not needing to search for them or make an unnecessary effort,

Just allowing the mind to notice what's here right now.

And inviting your awareness now to the breath as it moves in and out of the body.

No need to do anything particular with the breath,

So we're already breathing.

So we're just noticing the breath.

And if the breath is not helpful to focus on right now,

You can certainly shine your attention on another point in the body,

Such as the palms of your hands or some area in your feet,

Feeling free to choose.

And inviting in curiosity.

So if you're focusing on the breath,

Just noticing where do you most notice the sensations of the body breathing.

Perhaps you notice it more coming in and out of the nostrils or some light friction in the throat.

Or perhaps you're noticing more of the chest area expanding and contracting or the abdomen.

So just taking a few moments to simply observe the flow of air as it moves in and out of your body.

And just very naturally following the sensations of the in-breath all the way up to the top noticing as it turns and becomes the out-breath.

And perhaps sensing a slight pause before the next in-breath.

Sometimes we can find sensations arising that can feel challenging to be with.

And so if this is your experience at any time during this practice,

Allowing yourself to choose.

Perhaps giving yourself permission to explore whatever is there with kindness or being with this experience just because it is your experience right now.

And bringing a friendly curiosity to what's here just now.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And then just letting yourself be.

And so inviting you now,

If it feels right,

To place your hand on your abdomen for just a few breaths.

So you can sort of feel the movement of the abdomen as it rises on the in-breath and falls back on the out-breath.

And you might notice that sometimes throughout the practice your mind will get carried in another direction or wander away.

And this is what minds do,

So whenever you notice that,

Just simply bringing the mind back to the part of the body you're with,

Whether it's for a brief moment or for many moments,

And just kindly and gently returning your attention back to the body.

Right now,

Staying with the breathing body for just a few moments more.

Now,

Shifting your awareness from your breathing and allowing yourself to be in the moment allowing your attention to travel all the way down through your torso,

All the way down your left leg to the toes of your left foot.

And tuning into any sensations that you might notice here.

No need to move or shift your toes in any way,

Just noticing whatever is there in your toes of your left foot right now.

So maybe you're noticing sensations of warmth or coolness or some contact with some clothing.

Maybe sensing the big toe.

Noticing all the way to the little toe or any of the toes in between.

Bringing your awareness to your toes,

However they are right now.

And if it feels right for you,

Maybe playing with the possibility that you can imagine the breath breathing in to your torso and moving all the way through your body down through your left leg and out the toes of your left foot.

Almost as if you could breathe into the toes themselves and out the toes of your left foot.

And out from the toes.

So as you breathe out,

Going back through the toes all the way up the leg and all the way out your nose.

And if that's complicated right now,

Just being with the toes is fine.

And now moving your attention from the toes to the bottom of your left foot,

Exploring all the sensations arising from the ball of your foot and the arch,

The whole sole of your left foot.

Noticing perhaps sensations of tingling or warmth or coolness.

Whatever is there right now in this moment.

Maybe noticing more surface sensations.

Sensations deep into the muscles and bones of the foot.

And now in your next out breath,

Inviting your attention to the top of the foot.

Maybe sensing the surface of the top of the foot and all the bones and ligaments that connect all the different intricate parts of the foot.

Bringing in this kind exploration of the surface of the foot.

Bringing in this kind exploration.

And with an out breath,

Shifting now from the top of the foot and expanding your awareness to the left ankle.

Being here with the sensations of your left ankle.

All of the connections and the little bones inside the ankle.

Noticing the back tendon.

And again,

If it feels right,

Inviting this image of the breath to sort of enter into your nose and float all the way down the leg,

All the way out through your whole foot,

Your whole left foot.

Breathing in.

And then as you breathe out,

It comes back through the toes,

All the way through the foot and all the way up through your whole body to your nostrils and out.

Almost as if you could just breathe right in to and out from your left foot.

And now in your next out breath,

Inviting your attention to shift to your lower leg,

The calf muscle at the back of the lower leg.

Maybe noticing where it might be in contact with the floor or if you're sitting on a chair or if you're sitting,

Maybe it's in contact with the chair or part of your body.

Moving to the front of the lower leg,

Sensing the shin,

Maybe sensing the skin around the shin or the deeper area of bone and muscle.

And now with that,

On your next out breath,

Inviting the attention to shift up to the left knee,

Perhaps sensing the kneecap,

The sides of the knee.

And that softer underneath.

Maybe even sensing all of those connections in the knee and its interior.

And if it feels right,

Breathing in to the knee and the whole lower leg,

Imagining the breath moving all the way through your torso down the leg and breathing out the whole lower leg.

And on the out breath,

Having it all move right back through up towards your nostrils and out.

And now inviting you on your next out breath to let go of the knee and moving your attention up to the left thigh,

This larger,

Heavier muscle all the way from the knee up to the hip.

Maybe sensing the deeper,

Large bone in the thigh.

And just being with any sensations that might be here right now.

Maybe there's sensations of tightness or tingling.

Whatever's there is just fine,

Just noticing.

Now imagining once more the breath moving all the way through the whole left leg,

Traveling all the way down,

Out the toes.

And then as you breathe out,

Traveling right back up through the toes all the way through the whole left leg,

Breathing out through your nostrils,

All the way down,

Out the toes.

And now on your next out breath,

Inviting your attention to move across your hips to the right leg,

All the way down through the right leg,

Down to the toes of your right foot and arriving to this part of your body.

And again,

Remembering to bring in a friendly and kind curiosity to the sensations there in the toes of your right foot,

Noticing the big toe,

The little toe,

And all the toes in between.

And now,

Just noticing the sensations of the toes of your right foot,

The toes of your right foot,

The toes in between,

Maybe even sensing the spaces in between each toe,

The tips of your toes.

And now letting go of the toes and moving up to the sole of your right foot,

Really noticing or sensing any sensations at the bottom of your right foot,

The ball of your foot and the arch and the heel,

Noticing any contact that the bottom of the foot might be making with the floor or the mat you're on.

And just exploring each sensation as it arises in the bottom of your foot.

Now inviting you to move your attention to the top of your right foot,

Sensing the deeper connections and smaller bones.

What's here right now?

And exploring up to the ankle,

Including the ankle there,

Expanding your awareness to the whole of the right foot,

Sensing any pulsing or warmth or coolness.

And now with the out breath,

Moving that light of awareness to the whole lower right leg,

Noticing any experiences here,

Sensing the calf muscle on the surface and deeper inside the calf muscle,

Moving to the shin,

The top of the lower leg,

Awakening to any sensations that are here in the lower leg.

And on your next out breath,

Shifting your attention again up to the right knee,

Noticing the kneecap,

The sides of your knee,

And then deep inside that knee joint,

Noticing the back of the knee,

Maybe it's softer,

A little more sensitive.

So bringing your attention to the right knee just as it is right now.

And on your next out breath,

Moving your attention once more to the right thigh,

Getting curious and exploring your right thigh as it is right now,

Perhaps noticing any sensations of warmth or coolness or heavier,

Weighty sensations perhaps,

Or the muscles being more relaxed or more tense.

And just being with everything just as it is,

No need to change anything or shift.

Now inviting you to just experiment with that idea that you could bring your breath all the way into your body,

All the way down,

Expanding all the way through the whole right leg and out your toes on that in breath.

And as you breathe out,

Imagining the air going all the way back through your toes and up the right leg,

Up through your torso and out your nose.

Always making choices that are helpful,

So if that's not right for you right now,

It's just fine to be with the leg just as it is.

And so perhaps you're noticing too that the mind has wandered,

And that's okay.

That's what minds do,

And so whenever we notice throughout this practice the mind wandering,

We can always come back to whatever part of the body we've been focusing on in that moment.

Right now,

We're just focusing on the mind.

Always come back to whatever part of the body we've been focusing on in that moment.

Right now,

Just being with the sensations in the whole of the right leg.

Now on your next out breath,

Inviting you to let go of the whole leg from your attention,

And now bringing your awareness to the whole hip area,

Exploring sensations in your hips,

In the pelvis,

Maybe sensing areas of pressure on the floor or the mat,

Sensing the hip bones,

And just kindly and gently bringing in curiosity to any sensations that arise in the area of the hips,

Maybe sensations of pressure or coolness,

And if sensations are intense,

Knowing that you have choices,

So knowing we can use that breathing,

We can bring the breath right into that area,

Or we can just get real curious about the sensations and open to what's that like right now,

What's that intensity like,

Or if it feels right,

We can also make the choice to shift or move,

Release something,

That's okay too.

So knowing that you have choices with any intensity that you notice now or throughout the rest of this practice,

And so if it feels right,

Imagining that you can breathe right into the whole area of the hips,

Imagining this whole area filled with breath or lightened with the breath,

And on your next out breath,

Shifting from that area and moving your attention now to the lower back,

Sensing the tailbone,

The lumbar region,

And again,

Maybe noticing any tightness that might be there or intensity and making choices around that,

And so just being with whatever's there in the lower back right now in this moment,

And inviting you to explore this experience,

Noticing perhaps if the sensations shift or change as you bring your attention to them,

Maybe sometimes they get more intense or maybe they lighten,

And if for any reason this is very intense or too intense or the mind gets distracted,

You can also invite your attention back to the breath or the body as a whole,

And then move your attention back to the next part of the body that we focus on,

And so now inviting you to let go of the lower back and explore the upper region of the back,

Maybe noticing areas of contact with the floor or the temperature on the surface of your back,

Sensing all the way from your waist all the way up to the base of your neck,

So noticing also the shoulder blades and the spine and maybe all the muscles attached to the back,

And we might even notice the breath here as we breathe in and out and the back moves in and out near our lungs,

And so inviting you again to experiment with breathing into the whole back as you breathe in,

Filling the whole back of your body with that air and as you breathe out,

Just letting it flow back out through the back and out through your nose or mouth,

And on your next out breath,

Inviting you to let go of that part of the body and moving your attention now to the front of your torso,

Noticing the abdomen,

Perhaps noticing this part of the body sort of rising and falling as you breathe in and out,

Or maybe sensing the organs inside,

Sensing the stomach or the intestines,

Or maybe more general sensations like openness or fullness,

And then exploring the area of your chest,

The lungs,

Maybe noticing the rib cage and your liver,

And then maybe even sensing deeper into your heart,

And maybe some people can sense the heart beating or maybe some sort of rhythm,

Maybe just a tightness or openness in that area,

And again inviting curiosity,

Not needing things to be any particular way,

And if it feels right,

Inviting the breath,

So breathing in and breathing into that whole upper area,

Whole front of your torso,

And breathing out,

Releasing that part of your body from your mind's eye and shifting to your arms,

Both arms,

So moving your attention down both arms all the way to the tips of your fingers,

Noticing any sensations that might be alive right now in your hands and fingers,

What's here right now,

Maybe sensing between your fingers,

Maybe sensing between the fingers or noticing your knuckles or sensing where the fingers might be in contact with something else or where there's space,

And expanding to the palms of your hands,

Maybe sensing that more sensitive area of the palms of your hands,

Noticing tingling or pulsing,

And the backs of your hands,

So opening to the whole hand,

And even including the wrists,

Maybe sensing the inner wrist with all the little bones that connect to it,

The inner wrist with all the little bones that connect your hand to your arm,

And now with an out breath,

Releasing the hands and wrist and bringing your attention up to the forearm,

Noticing both forearms,

Perhaps that tighter muscle in the forearm on the top,

Sensing your elbows,

Just as they are right now,

Maybe noticing the inner elbow,

That more sensitive,

Softer part,

And as you breathe out,

Moving your attention to the upper arms,

The bicep,

Noticing the bone in the upper arm,

Sensing into the armpit,

And maybe even opening out to the shoulders,

Which might be an area that carries some tension,

So just exploring what's happening in my shoulders right now,

And again,

Noticing if there's intensity in making choices,

Perhaps you'd like to really explore that with curiosity and through your sense perception,

Being with the sensations,

Or perhaps breathing into the area,

So maybe experimenting with bringing the breath as you breathe in into your chest,

And as you breathe out,

The breath can move right back through the fingers,

All the way up your arms,

And out through the shoulders,

And up through the nose and mouth,

So maybe experimenting now with breathing in and out of the arms and shoulders,

And now on an out breath,

Inviting your attention to the area of your neck and throat,

Noticing those vertebrae at the top of your neck,

Maybe sensing the inside of your throat,

And then moving your attention to the area of your neck and throat,

And now on an out breath,

Noticing the vertebrae at the top of your neck,

Maybe sensing the inside of your throat,

Maybe sensing the connection of your neck to your shoulders,

And the bottom of your head,

And now on an out breath,

Noticing the area of your neck and throat,

And now on an out breath,

Noticing the area of your neck and throat,

And now on an out breath,

Noticing the area of your neck and throat,

Maybe even sensing the organ of the brain,

Feeling the sinus cavity,

Sensing the cheeks and the teeth,

The jaw,

Perhaps the jaw,

Another area of tension,

So making a choice,

Perhaps you'd like to explore the tension if it's there,

Explore the sensations,

Open to that with curiosity and kindness,

Or maybe release some of that tension if it's not needed,

Maybe sensing the tongue and the roof of your mouth,

The nose,

And the eyes and the eyelids,

And inviting you to move now to your ears,

Noticing the outside of your ears,

And that deeper inner ear,

And so now perhaps imagining that you can breathe into your whole neck and head,

Imagining the air coming in your nostrils,

Almost as if it was sweeping through the neck and all the way into the head,

Up through the top of your head,

And then as you breathe out,

Coming back through the top of your head,

And out your nostrils or your nose or your mouth,

So just taking a few breaths in through the neck and head,

And back out again,

And now inviting you to expand that,

And inviting you to breathe into the whole body,

Imagining the air entering in your whole body,

And maybe going out through the limbs,

Your hands and fingers and your legs and feet,

And as you breathe out,

Having it all come back,

So imagining your whole body breathing,

However that feels right to you,

Just being with the breathing body for a few moments,

Letting go of any desire to shift or change anything,

Or wanting things to be different,

Perhaps even bringing in a sense of gratitude for the body that's carrying us around all day,

And helping us and serving us all day,

Perhaps feeling or inviting a feeling of just being at home with the body,

Inviting an intention of care,

And as we transition into the next moments of your day,

Noticing perhaps how the body would like to begin to move,

So maybe moving your fingers or toes or stretching,

Or perhaps curling up on one side,

So just listening now to the body and moving in whatever way feels right for you,

Right now,

And as best you can,

Keeping alive this awareness or attention or sensitivity to the sensations in the body,

Knowing that it's always there for you,

It's always there for you to tune into in each moment,

The breath,

The body,

Whenever you need some more balance or focus or groundedness in any moment of your daily life,