Compassionate, Loving Body Scan Meditation

Henry’s body scan meditation differs a bit from most body scans available. Henry integrates compassion, acceptance, love and forgiveness to each part of the body, and it is all set against the backdrop of the sounds of the ocean. A deeply relaxing practice with quiet time at the end to bask in the peace and calm state your body reaches.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to your soul.

There are a lot of good body scan meditations out there,

But this one is just a little bit different.

Like most body scan meditations,

We will guide our attention to every part of our body and witness each part as it is in the present moment,

Without trying to change anything.

Just observe.

What makes this body scan different is that we will also be offering love,

Compassion,

Understanding,

And forgiveness along the way.

This is a powerful way to propel you towards self-love and self-acceptance.

Our body is our soul's vehicle in this three-dimensional existence of life on earth.

We were gifted this body at birth,

And our DNA combined with our inner and outer environment has shaped our bodies into what we see today when we look in the mirror.

And what a miracle this body is that we each inhabit.

It grew from a tiny seed.

Cells begin to divide and multiply.

It is truly a miracle as this incredible machine begins growth inside the womb.

It's not often that we stop to think about how absolutely amazing life is.

When we see a toy like a realistic doll of a baby,

Where technology has enabled the baby to move with the use of little motors and a computer chip,

We think,

Wow,

How amazing is that?

Yet when we see a baby,

A real-life baby,

We almost take the miracle of divine technology for granted.

We never think about how miraculous it is that just a few cells start to duplicate,

And at 64 identical cells,

The next division has cell differentiation.

The cells are encoded with a divine intelligence,

And they each know what they must do.

A miracle.

A miracle of uncountable miracles.

That's what our bodies are.

If you look at what your body does day to day,

The miracles continue,

From the macroscopic to the microscopic.

Looking in a mirror,

You can see yourself move.

What a miracle that you can do that.

Now zoom in very close to the microscopic level.

The miracles keep revealing themselves.

Ever see a video of what goes on inside a cell to contribute to that movement,

That gesture you just made in the mirror?

It is like there is a whole organized universe in each and every cell.

So let's celebrate this,

The miracle of our bodies,

Exactly as they are,

Right here,

Right now.

This meditation is done best if you are lying down.

And if it is during the day,

Maybe cover your eyes with something to reduce the visual distractions.

Find yourself a comfortable spot on a couch or your bed,

And support your head and neck with a pillow.

Let's consciously breathe for a bit to settle ourselves in.

Start by exhaling fully.

Blow out all the air.

And inhale to the top of your lungs and hold.

And now release.

Blow it all out.

Another fresh breath in and hold.

And blow it all out.

Another breath in,

And this time imagine that the fresh breath in reaches all the dark corners of your entire body.

And now let it go.

Let it go.

Let it all go.

Feel yourself almost sink deeper into the bed.

You can find your own natural breathing rhythm or even continue a few deep breaths if that felt good.

Feel your body let go of tension.

Let it go.

Let it all go.

Feel your muscles relax.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Your shoulders drop back more against the bed and you relax.

Let it go.

Let it all go.

And your eyes stop trying to focus on an image in your mind.

Just let it go.

You let it all go.

Let's take another deep breath in.

Fill those lungs and hold.

Keep holding if you can.

And now let it out.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

And now find your natural rhythm of breathing.

Let's begin the body scan.

I invite you to place your attention on your feet.

Hello feet.

Hello.

Be aware of your toes,

The arch of your foot,

Your heel,

The top of your feet.

Just witness any sensation,

Any tension or soreness,

An itch.

But don't try to change it.

Your feet are beautiful exactly how they are.

Think of all the miles they've carried you in your life.

All the flights of stairs.

All the dance floors they may have enjoyed.

Maybe you'd like to repeat this afternoon your thoughts.

Thank you feet.

Thank you.

Thank you for all you have done for me.

All the places you took me.

All the steps.

All the freaky dance moves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I love you my feet.

I love you just the way you are.

Feel the love for your feet welling up in your heart and pouring down over them.

Beautiful.

Now move your attention to your calves.

Witness any sensation without trying to change it.

Hello calves.

Hello.

Thank you.

Thank you for helping my feet in all they do.

They couldn't have done it without you.

Thank you.

I love you just the way you are.

Float your awareness up now to your knees and witness.

What do you feel?

And again,

Nothing needs to change right now.

Just acknowledge what you're experiencing.

Hello knees.

Hello.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Wow.

Our knees can actually take quite a beating through the course of our lives.

I love you knees.

I love you just the way you are.

Feel that in your heart.

That excited effervescence that is welling up.

Flow that beautiful love out over your wonderful knees.

Hello thighs.

Hello beautiful,

Wonderful,

Powerful thighs.

Witness what you feel.

Acknowledge but don't judge.

Say it with me.

Thank you thighs for your strength and your stamina in all you have done for me in my life.

You are beautiful and I love you exactly how you are right here,

Right now.

Think about your legs as a whole for a moment.

Some of you may have chronic pain from injury.

Before my 85 year old father had two knee replacement surgeries,

He used to get so angry at his legs for not doing what he wanted them to and he would curse at them.

I suggested that rather than be angry and curse them,

Try thanking them and loving them for continuing to try to get him everywhere he needed to go.

Thank them for the years of faithful service and tell them that he is doing what he can to help them right now with surgery,

Medicine and less demands.

His body didn't need his scolding,

It needed his loving.

Now guide your awareness,

Your consciousness to your hips and your buttocks.

Hello hips.

Hello butt.

Bet you thought you'd never say something like that.

Take a moment and become aware of any sensations or feelings and just honor them as they are.

Thank you.

Thank you for working with my thighs and my knees,

My calves and my wonderful feet to carry me around in the travels of my life to this point.

I am truly grateful.

I love you hips and butt,

Right here in this moment as you are.

I love you.

Now onto your belly and your lower back.

Notice,

Witness,

Allow,

Accept.

All of us,

I think,

Regardless of body type,

Have issues with how we look or how we feel in different parts of our body.

I am quite hard on myself for the fact that as I grow older,

My belly grows larger.

I don't like how it looks.

I don't like that I often lack the willpower to make better eating choices or to exercise more.

But all that is judging and we are all our own harshest judges.

I have a friend who is more than twice my body weight and he was so happy that he lost a couple inches on his waistline one time.

I couldn't even really see it.

He was still huge.

I started to feel a little bit foolish for disliking my own few extra pounds.

We need to accept ourselves,

How we are in this moment,

And love ourselves.

Because this is how we are right now.

If you fight the truth of the moment,

You are resisting what is,

You will have unhappiness.

By allowing what is,

It does not mean you are giving up and don't have to do anything about it.

It is just offering kindness to yourself,

Exactly how you are.

When the love affair with you and your body,

Your vehicle in this existence grows,

Wonderful things can happen and you can work together for common goals.

Now back to our middles.

Hello belly,

Hello lower back.

Notice any sensations and be the witness.

Thank you belly for doing all that you do,

For processing food into energy,

For fueling my legs and feet for all they do.

Thank you.

Thank you lower back.

Actually,

Let's look at our entire spine up to the base of our neck.

Thank you back for supporting me my entire life.

Thank you.

What do you feel?

Witness it.

Notice it.

Acknowledge it.

Thank you back.

Thank you for being literally and figuratively the backbone to my life here in this body.

Thank you for supporting me with everything that I do.

Thank you.

I love you.

I love you belly.

I love you back.

And I accept you just as you are.

Now move your consciousness and awareness to your heart center.

Focus on your beating heart,

Your breathing lungs,

And your whole upper torso.

What do you feel?

Honor those feelings,

Those physical sensations.

Just acknowledge them and allow them.

You've been giving love to your body already,

So your heart center may feel alive,

Vibrant,

Energized.

Let's take a deep breath in once again.

Fill your lungs to the top and hold.

And let it go.

Let it go.

Hello heart.

Hello lungs.

Hello.

Thank you.

Thank you for laboring continuously to keep this sacred machine that is my body moving.

Thank you.

I love you lungs.

I love you heart.

Even though you,

My heart,

May have been broken now and then,

You still keep beating and you still keep loving.

Thank you.

Let your awareness float up higher to your shoulders.

Hello shoulders.

Hello.

What do you feel right now?

Allow it.

Let it be.

Thank you dear shoulders.

Thank you for carrying the weight of the world for me,

Even though you never had to.

Thank you for your strength that got me to here and now.

I witness you shoulders and I acknowledge you.

I love you,

My shoulders.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now let's drop down to the fingertips.

Feel the sensations as your awareness lands on them.

Move up your fingers and thumbs and include your whole hands.

Thank you my hands for all the things that you've handled for me.

Thank you for all the gestures you've made,

Both good and bad,

That helped me communicate.

Thank you for supporting my head when it was tired.

Thank you for reaching out for help when I needed it.

Thank you for reaching out to help when it was needed.

I love you,

Beautiful hands.

Thank you.

Notice now your arms.

Acknowledge any sensations or feelings.

Thank you,

My arms,

That guided my hands.

Thank you for all the hugs that you gave.

And thank you for all the hugs you opened up to receive.

Thank you for all the work you have done.

I love you,

Arms.

Thank you.

I love you.

Now move your awareness up to your neck.

Witness it as it is right now and just acknowledge it.

Don't try to change anything.

Let it be as it is.

Thank you,

Neck,

For holding up my head every day so I could witness and experience this beautiful life that I live.

And thank you for holding my head up high and looking people in the eye when I speak to them.

Thank you for your tireless service.

I appreciate you.

I love you,

Dear neck.

Thank you.

Now move your awareness to your head,

The place where all the thinky stuff goes on.

Do you feel any sensations?

Allow them.

Just witness them.

Thank you to my head for holding my brains,

My ears,

My nose,

My eyes,

And my mouth,

All of which I use to experience this life.

Thank you,

My brain,

For consulting my heart when you felt lost and didn't know what to do.

Thank you for the wisdom you hold that guides and protects me.

Thank you.

I love you.

I'd like you to expand your view out a bit more now so that you can take in and become aware of your whole body.

Look at yourself in the same way you would look at a person you deeply love.

Look at yourself with gratitude,

With compassion,

With understanding.

You better than anyone else in this existence understand what your body has been through.

There may have been times that you almost didn't make it.

There were all the bumps and bruises and scrapes and breaks and cuts and scars.

If someone else had endured all of those things only to serve you and you alone and never gave up their loyalty to you,

Wouldn't you hug them?

Wouldn't you love them dearly and be grateful for their service to you?

Okay,

Place your awareness now back in your body.

Imagine you are giving yourself a hug.

Say to yourself,

Thank you,

I love you,

And I am so very grateful for you.

Focus your attention on your breath,

Slow and steady breathing.

Fresh air in,

Stale air out.

Fresh light energy in,

Stale dense energy out.

Peace and calm in,

Tension and anxiety out.

Feel how relaxed and calm your body is.

Feel your chest gently rise and fall with each breath.

Feel your bed supporting you on this earth.

No matter where you are in this world,

You are always connected by gravity to Mother Earth.

She's got you.

She will never let you go.

Feel the deep,

Calm relaxation that your body is experiencing.

This is the way to peace.

Peace is always in your heart.

You can return to it any time you need to.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now just relax and enjoy this calm and peaceful moment and listen to the ocean and the birds.

Reviews

Thank you for this truly uplifting time and inspiring message that makes me feel like I am part of the daily existence.

Loved.. Loved.. Loved this. Thank you for your great heart.

Very nice way to remember to have gratitude for your body. Soothing voice

Very relaxing track! My breathing slowed, I became centered and appreciated the focus on the positive points of my body.

Another stunning,beautiful heartfelt meditation, you have the most relaxing beautiful voice. Thankyou once more Henry.
With metta and gratitude. Namaste 🙏 ❤️🤗💐

Thank you , perfect to cultivate kindness and acceptance to this body 💙