Welcome to this practice.
It's a body awareness practice,
And the invitation is to bring awareness to different parts of your body.
As we scan through our body,
There may be awareness of sensation or no sensation.
And we are really welcoming whatever the experience is,
As it is.
All of our bodies look and move differently.
And so although these directions are for everyone,
You can tailor them to your own needs and how things are for you in the moment.
So to start,
Find a position that you are comfortable in.
Lying down is a great position for a body scan.
So considering up,
Really it is finding a position that honors how you are feeling in this moment and what would be most comfortable.
And then settling in.
Any kind of movements that you need to make before inviting some stillness.
And if you need to move during the body scan,
Make those movements with awareness.
And then settling back into stillness.
Noticing your breath in this moment and where you can connect with your breath,
Where your breath feels most alive.
And noticing the pace of your breath and how you are settling into this moment.
Maybe it's the beginning of your day,
The middle of your day,
The end of your day.
And we are letting go of what has happened up until this moment.
Our exhales inviting us to let go.
And our inhales inviting us into this moment.
Right here,
Right now.
Letting all of your attention to rest on your feet.
Noticing the surface that your feet are resting against.
The space between your toes.
The tops of your feet.
The soles of your feet.
And just letting them relax and settle.
Noticing if there's any holding tightness.
And your exhales inviting this tightness to let go.
Awareness moving around your ankles,
Shins and calf muscles.
And resting on your knees.
Back of your knees,
Front of your knees.
Thighs.
Noticing the back of your thighs,
Front of your thighs.
And then resting your awareness on your hips,
Pelvis.
Noticing your mind.
Our mind may pull us away from this moment.
And anytime you notice your mind wandering,
Or maybe just feeling distracted or agitated,
There's different ways to invite your mind back to this present moment.
There is the sensation in this practice.
If that doesn't feel right or is overwhelming,
There's always your breath that is an anchor.
And maybe even the sounds around you.
You can pick your own anchor point at any time that invites you back into this moment with kindness.
Awareness moving to your lower back.
Even noticing if your lower back is touching a surface underneath you.
And then bringing awareness up the natural curves of your spine.
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back.
And then just letting this attention settle on your shoulders.
Feeling a softening,
A letting go.
Surrendering to this moment.
Moving awareness down your arms,
Elbows,
Forearms,
Palms of your hands.
And noticing any aliveness in your hands,
Pulsing or tingling.
Any sensation that you find here.
Maybe even noticing your fingers resting against each other.
And then bringing your awareness to your chest,
Your heart,
As your heart softens.
Our heart lives in trust.
A lot of the times we live in our head.
And the invitation is to drop the mind and drop right into your heart in this moment.
Awareness of your lungs and this expansion and opening as you breathe in.
And then a letting go as you breathe out.
Noticing where you feel your breath in your front body,
Your back body.
Noticing your belly and if there's any holding as you draw awareness to your belly.
Inviting it to let go as you breathe out.
And then inviting your attention to the top of your head and letting it slowly move over your forehead,
Your eyes,
Nose,
Your jaw,
Where we can hold tightness.
All the muscles in your face,
Letting go.
And letting go a little bit more all around your mouth.
Maybe noticing the space that fills your mouth,
Softening the back of your tongue.
Awareness of your chin,
Your throat,
The back of your neck,
Your ears.
And as you take your next breath in,
Receiving this moment.
Noticing the quality of presence that surrounds you as you have moved right into your body.
With this gentle and kind awareness.
And noticing your body from head to toe.
Noticing how you're showing up in this moment.
And letting go of how it should be or how we would like it to be.
And simply noticing how it is.
And you can rest here for as long as you would like.
Or if you are ready to end this practice,
You can slowly introduce a little bit of movement.
And notice how the mind jumps to what's next,
The to-do list,
What do I need to get done?
And see if you can keep this sense of presence,
Of moving with such awareness and attention.
Feet and hands.
If you're laying down,
You might hug your knees in towards your chest to make your way onto your side.
If you're sitting,
Just any kind of movements that feel good.
And thank you for your practice today.
