The Body Scan is a powerful technique which helps us to re-establish contact with the body,
And it's effective for both developing concentration and flexibility of attention.
The intention of Loving Kindness Body Scan is to help us be more loving and kind to our bodies.
This includes sickness,
Physical aches and pains,
Cancer,
Arthritis,
Back pain,
Knee pain,
Old age,
All the physical phenomena we experience.
Using the Loving Kindness Body Scan,
We meet each part of our bodies with great respect and gentleness as best we can.
Loving kindness practice for your body is like taking an internal shower.
It helps to remove some of the inner blockages to the body,
And helps both the mind and body feel more at ease.
Meeting each body part with loving kindness is a way to reconnect and make friends with your body.
To begin this Loving Kindness Body Scan,
Please prepare yourself for meditation by turning off your cell phone and any other device which may disturb your meditation.
Find a space where you can feel safe and you can relax.
Find a good position to take while doing the Loving Kindness Body Scan.
The best way is usually to lie down.
But you can sit or even find another position that you're comfortable in.
You might want to roll up a towel,
Place it under your knees,
Let your head rest on a pillow for support.
You want to be comfortable,
But not so comfortable that you fall asleep.
If you find you're having difficulty staying awake,
It is often helpful to keep your eyes open.
It is also fine to do this meditation sitting in a chair if you prefer.
It's common to find that your mind is wandering when you're doing the Loving Kindness Body Scan.
Just notice this.
Notice it when it happens.
Observe where your attention has gone,
And then gently bring it back to the region you're focusing on.
As you move through your body,
If you notice pain,
Note precisely what the qualities of the sensation are.
Then treat the sensation with as much kindness as you can,
As you keep going with the meditation.
This practice teaches us how to respond to unpleasant sensations by acknowledging them and moving on without getting stuck,
Or making up a story about them.
In certain parts of the body,
It's common not to feel any sensation at all.
Simply allow your attention to remain in those areas for a few moments,
Relax,
Be at ease,
And then move on.
So let's begin the practice.
If you like,
Let your eyes close.
Begin by settling into your body and gently noticing the general sense of the position of the body and the flowing sensations just as they are right now.
You can trust that you already have all you need to be present and mindful.
Now take three deep breaths.
Take them with whatever way you wish,
Long and deep is preferable.
Good.
Bring your attention to the feeling of your body breathing.
As your body is breathing in,
Feel the expansion of your chest or abdomen.
You may want to put one of your hands over your abdomen.
Bring your attention to your hand and feel it move as the breath flows in and out.
Then rest in the natural flow of your breath.
No need to control the breath in any way.
Allowing yourself to relax,
Letting your focus be on the direct changing sensations,
Experiencing your body,
Not getting lost in any judgment about it.
You're not thinking about the body,
But rather connecting directly with sensations by feeling the body from within.
Take a moment to feel your body as a whole,
From your head to your toes,
Noticing the places that are in contact with the floor,
The bed,
The chair,
Or whatever you're resting on.
Now transfer your attention to the top of your head and let everything else go.
Put your full awareness on the top of the head and without looking for anything in particular,
Feel any sensation there,
Pressure,
Tingling,
Cold,
Warm,
Or anything else you're aware of.
Notice any feeling associated with your experience.
Is it pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or just neutral?
Once you acknowledge the feelings that arise in you,
Turn your mind towards thoughts of loving kindness.
Repeat a phrase such as,
May the top of my head be at ease.
If you're experiencing any pain,
You could say,
May my head be free of pain,
Free of any tightness or pressure.
May my head be relaxed and at ease.
Realize your head while you repeat one of the phrases or just rest with the feeling of kindness towards your head.
Now shifting attention from your head,
Slowly move your attention to your eyes,
Noticing sensations,
Movement,
Being aware of any color or light.
Your eyes feel tired or heavy.
If you have eye problems,
Can you in this moment meet that difficulty with kindness?
Perhaps feeling a sense of gratitude for your eyes or even for your eyeglasses for allowing you to see the world and move around easily.
Sending loving kindness phrases.
May I appreciate my eyes?
May my eyes be healthy and well.
May I accept my eyes in whatever condition they are in this moment.
May I see my life with clarity and balance.
Now shifting your awareness to your ears,
Feeling appreciation for being able to hear.
Saying may my hearing be clear and crisp.
For those wearing hearing aids,
May I have gratitude for the technology that has created the device that allows me to hear.
Now shifting kind attention to your nose,
Feeling the air coming in and out of the tip of your nose,
Being grateful that you're able to breathe.
Perhaps feel air in the back of your throat and rest in gratitude.
Bring your attention to your lips,
Jaw,
Mouth and tongue.
Appreciate how they all work together in talking,
Chewing and even smiling.
Notice if you feel any tightness or holding in your jaw.
Relax and loosen the tightness as best you can.
What is the position of your tongue at this moment?
Allowing any tightness in your tongue to just melt away.
Feeling your whole face relaxing,
Sending loving kindness to yourself.
May my lips,
Jaw,
Mouth and tongue be relaxed and healthy.
Simply move from your head down to your neck,
Noticing any sensation in your neck.
Sending loving kindness phrases.
May I meet any stiffness in my neck with kind attention.
May my neck move with ease.
Now bring your attention to your shoulders,
Noticing the top of your shoulders.
Is there any holding meeting any sensation you feel with kindness?
Take a nice deep breath and as you exhale,
Let your shoulders come down and let them droop to your sides as best you can.
May my shoulders be relaxed and at ease.
Now moving from your shoulders,
Slowly move down your arms,
Feeling any sensation and aliveness there.
Bring your awareness to your hands.
What position are they in at the moment?
Feel the point of contact as they rest.
Noticing any sensation,
Any holding or tightness.
Feel any vibrating or pulsating.
Notice any sensations you have in your arms or hands.
Noticing any coolness or warmth.
Sending loving kindness phrases.
May my arms and hands move with ease.
Feeling perhaps a sense of gratitude for how your arms,
Hands and fingers all work together,
Allowing you to keep your balance and lift things.
Letting your arms and hands go and slowly moving down the torso.
Having appreciation for all your internal organs,
To name a few,
Your heart,
Lungs,
Stomach and intestine.
Bringing kind awareness and gratitude for all their many functions.
Having patience for the parts that at times may give you difficulty.
May my heart be strong.
May my breathing be peaceful.
May my stomach be at ease.
During times of unpleasant sensations,
May I remember to send myself kindness.
May I send any fear or worry that I have kindness.
And when all is working,
May I be grateful.
Now shifting your attention from the front of your body to your back.
Slowly moving from the top of your shoulders,
Down your spine,
To the lower back.
Seeing any sensations in your lower back,
Meeting the sensations with kind awareness.
Now moving your attention to the left side of your back.
Notice any pain or tightness.
See if you can bring kindness to the parts that are uncomfortable.
And try to soften into any pain or discomfort that you might be feeling.
Now do the same on the right side of your back.
Start at the top of your shoulders and slowly work your way down to your lower back.
Again,
See what you notice.
Do you have a story about your back pain?
Are you holding yourself in a certain way?
Meeting all sensations with kindness,
Letting the story go and focusing on the direct sensations.
Try as best you can with great kindness and patience,
Allowing and making space for whatever is happening with your back.
Imagine all the muscles relaxing and any holding melting away as you put your attention on your back with kind awareness.
Direct the following phrases and receive them.
May I bring kind attention to my back.
May my back pain be released.
May the holding in my back soften and open.
Now letting your back go,
Shift attention,
Slowly moving through the hips and pelvis and the buttocks area.
Opening any sensation of solidness at the point of contact with the chair,
Floor or bed.
May my hips,
Pelvis and buttocks be healthy and relaxed.
Opening to any sensation arising in your thighs,
Your knees or ankles.
Feeling the muscles,
The skin,
The bones,
Bringing your kind awareness and having gratitude for your legs.
May my legs be healthy and well,
Showing kindness toward your legs,
Even if you're having difficulty with them.
Now moving your attention to the tops of your feet and the soles of the feet,
Noticing the sensations.
May my feet be healthy and well and carry me with ease.
Using any tightness,
Pain or discomfort in any of your joints or body parts.
Feeling the sensation and offering kindness to your body and allowing yourself to receive your kind attention.
As best you can,
Soften and allow any tightness to release.
It may help to imagine your breath traveling down through your body,
Practicing gently,
Sending loving kindness to your painful area and allowing the body to release.
May this area of my body be at ease.
May the pain be released.
May this part of my body be healed.
Now you can simply let your whole body rest,
Noticing if you're holding on to any particular place in the body.
If you can,
Feel the breath moving through the body.
Bring your kind attention to that area of holding,
Not judging it or trying to fix it,
Just wishing it well and allowing it to be.
As best you can,
Meeting the holding or gripping with a heart full of compassion for whatever your body may be experiencing at this time.
Try as best you can to bring kindness to any body part that might not be well or is hurting right now.
Bring kindness to yourself and your whole body as you repeat these phrases.
May I be free of pain.
May I be free of pain.
May I be free of fear.
May I be free of fear.
May I appreciate my body in this moment.
May I appreciate my body in this moment.
Practicing with kind attention on the body can allow you to relax in such a way that you can begin to drop into a space deeper than your pain,
Deeper than your personality or your story.
Staying present from moment to moment,
Aware,
Resting in the very nature of your being,
Your wholeness.
You can include your entire body in a vast awareness,
Permeated and saturated with compassion and kindness.
Also end your meditation by opening your eyes and shifting your focus back to your surroundings.
Good job and namaste.
