Mindfulness - Body-Scan (30min)

The body scan is designed to come to know the body better and how it is in this moment. It is befriending the body in many ways, accepting it for how it is in this moment, knowing that no one’s body is “perfect,” and yet in many ways all our bodies are. The meditation provides a platform to see what skillful next steps arise, based on the messages that the body shares.

Transcript

This is a guided body scan for the mindfulness and blood pressure reduction program. This practice is going to take about 30 minutes to complete. And it's usually led by lying down. So the guidance is going to assume you're lying down, But if lying at this moment is not a wise posture for you, Or if you prefer to do it sitting down or standing, Just adapt my instructions. So now finding a comfortable position in a yoga mat or a comfortable couch, Balancing alertness and comfort, Noticing the sensations of touch, The pressure points of the body and the surface that it's on. Allowing the eyes to close if that feels safe and comfortable. You can also have them open, An unfocused vision, Looking to a place that's not very stimulating. Staying with each out breath, Letting gravity take care of your body. In this practice, We're going to scan each part of the body like a beam of awareness. Noticing any possible sensations that are there. These can be pleasant, Unpleasant, Neutral, Or even no sensation at all. Whatever presents itself in a particular part of the body, The intention is to just notice it without judgments. You're always welcome to move at any time if you find some discomfort, Prioritizing your wisdom over my words. So now let's start by allowing the mind to settle on the left heel, Noticing sensations there, Temperature, Touch of a sock, Or the surface that your body's lying on. Allowing the mind to notice the sole of the left foot, The left foot soles. You may not notice anything over here and you're likely, If you don't, You're likely in the company of many people who can't feel their toes. The top of the left foot, The left ankle, The left calf, And the shin. What sensations can you notice there, If any? Perhaps temperature, Touch of clothing, Moisture, Dryness, Tingling. Allowing the beam of awareness to move to the left knee, The back of the left knee, The sides. Maybe feeling a sense of muscularity here, Such a big muscle. How does it feel at this moment in the front, Sides, And back of the thigh? Move to the left hip and encompassing all the left leg in your awareness. Noticing how it feels compared to the right leg. Some may notice you're feeling long, Warm, But there may be no difference at all. Whatever's there. Now letting go of the left leg and allowing the mind to settle on the right foot heel. Any sensation of pressure, Touch. What about on the sole of the right foot, Maybe some tingling, The right foot toes. The feeling of them touching each other or the shape of them in the space. The top of the right foot. You may notice the rotation of the right foot and leg compared to the left. They're usually not the same as we're usually not symmetrical beings. How is it you notice that? Perfect imperfection. Noticing sensations in the right ankle, Calf, And shin. Maybe sensation of pressure where the calf touches the surface. What's present right now on your right knee? What sensations can you notice to tell the bend of the right knee? In front, On the back, On the sides. And if you notice the mind wandering, It's a good time to remember that's exactly what the mind does. So as soon as we notice, We're already back. Noticing wherever it's gone to, It's good information and letting it go for now. Coming back to the right thigh, The sense of muscularity, Deep or on top or on the back or on the sides, What's there on the right hip? Noticing the right leg as a whole. And now letting go of both extremities and observing the pelvic floor, The organs of elimination and reproduction. Noticing maybe some echoes of the breath, The pelvic floor and the lower abdomen, Allowing the beam of awareness to observe sensations in the belly, The stomach. Perhaps noticing movements of the breath, Massaging the abdominal organs or you may notice movements in the organs themselves and acknowledging that some parts of the body may be more challenging than others. And that's okay, We may not have a good relationship with a part of our body. So bringing lots of compassion or even skipping this part if it's too challenging at the moment. Allowing the mind to expand and notice the lower back, Its curve, The points of contact, The middle back. You may even notice some echoes of the breath in your spine, The upper back, The shoulder blades. What's there right now? What's the touch of clothing, Is it soft, Is it warm? Welcoming whatever is there, Even discomfort may be present. And how would you feel maybe for a second to look at it with curiosity and openness. Expanding awareness to include the ribcage and how it is present both at the back and the front of the body. Observing how it moves with the diaphragm, It moves, Each rib moves like a bucket handle. Noticing sensations of the breath in your lungs. Perhaps there are even some heartbeats present. Perhaps not, But noticing any emotions or thoughts that arise when relating to the heart. And welcoming whatever is there, It's good information. And if you notice the mind wandering, This is the practice of a thousand beginnings. No matter how many times, Just gently and firmly bring it back to wherever we are in the body scan. Now expanding awareness to encompass the left shoulder, The left wrist. Sensations on the palm of the hands, The heels and valleys, A lot of sensitivity here. Noticing the shape of each finger one by one, The nails, The tops of the fingers, The back of the palm. Is it different, Sensations in front and the back of the palm? Just noticing that with curiosity. And moving back towards the left shoulder and expanding awareness to the right shoulder, The right upper arm, Right wrist. And again, Observing the palms, What sensations are there on the right palm? Maybe some vibrations, Some heat, Cold, Moisture, Dryness, Pressure, Tickling, Numbness. Whatever is there, Just receiving it with curiosity and kindness. Noticing the shapes of the right hand fingers, Are they curved? Are they straight? Noticing the nails, The backs of the fingers, The back of the hand. And allowing awareness to move up the right arm towards the right shoulder. And letting it rest for a couple of moments on the neck. And sensations can be noticed at this moment on the back of the neck, The front of the neck, The inside of the neck. Maybe even inviting swallowing, Just to notice. Expanding awareness to include the back of the head and the scalp. Perhaps noticing sensation of pressure with the surface that you're on, Or temperature. The top of the head. The forehead. The eyebrows, The temples. What's present right now in the eyeballs? Perhaps the sensation of the eyelashes touching, If your eyes are closed. Or even some perception of light and darkness. There's no right or wrong perception. As long as we're breathing, There's more right with us than wrong with us. Noticing sensations on the bridge of the nose, The tip of the nose, The nostrils. Perhaps they're open, Perhaps they're stuffy. Is the air coming in from the nose or from the mouth? Not needing to change anything, Just noticing the wisdom of your body. Breathing from where it thinks. It's wiser right now. Observing sensations in the cheeks. Sometimes this area of the cheeks and the jawbone and the muscles that helps us eat. This area receives a lot of tension. Noticing how it is right now. Maybe there's a sense of tension or relief or even a smile. Through which sensations can you tell if there's a smile? Noticing sensations of the jawbones, The lips. Are they dry? Are they moist? Noticing sensations on the teeth, The tongue. Noticing temperature inside the mouth. Observing the ears, The outer ear, The inner ear. Finally, Observing the brain. This organ, No more important than the heart or the intestines. Just having a lot of compassion for our brains and how much they're used during the day. And encompassing the whole head right now. Allowing our awareness to move and encompass the whole body. Lying down or sitting or standing there. Observing sensations on the neck, Right shoulder, Right arm, Left shoulder. Both hands, Fingers. Sensations. Noticing the upper back, The middle back, The lower back, The curve of the spine as a whole. Sensations on the surface. The sides of the trunk. The chest, The ribcage. The diaphragm moving as a umbrella, Opening and closing. The bellies, The pelvis. Both hips, Thighs, Knees. Calves, The chins, Ankles, Feet, Toes. And as this practice starts to come to a close, Just noticing the body as a whole there. Breathing. The shape of the body. The temperature. Touch of clothing. And as this practice comes to an end, Just allowing and observing if there's a sense of appreciation to yourself for having taken this time to cultivate self-awareness. Attention control and emotional regulation. Taking care of the minutes. And life will take care of the decades. So gently just allowing the movements on the fingers and hands, Feet and toes. And opening the eyes if they were closed. Slowly and gently transitioning to the next thing in your day.