Take a moment to settle,
Maybe find your breath,
Maybe even take a moment now to lift your eyes and look around and remind yourself that at this moment,
At this time,
I am safe.
This is a moment for me,
This is a moment for my care.
We're going to do a bit of a body scan tonight,
But we're going to begin with three breaths.
So at your own pace,
Find your breath and inhale deeply,
Letting the belly rise.
Whenever you're ready,
Exhale completely.
Do that two more times,
Seeing what you can let go of,
Inviting the body to soften.
And it's just an invitation,
Maybe the body's ready to soften,
But maybe it's not.
We let the body know that we accept it however it shows up,
Whatever is arising.
We lovingly and tenderly welcome all that is here.
We're going to go ahead and start our scan in our feet,
Just letting our attention rest there for a moment if that feels right.
And if focusing on your feet does not feel comfortable,
Give yourself permission to do something else.
Give yourself permission to honor your own needs.
But if it does feel right,
Just tenderly let your attention rest here.
Give yourself a moment to be with yourself right now.
Offer yourself some care,
Letting the attention be warm.
Moving now to the ankles,
Letting yourself be fully in the body.
Just paying attention to our feet can be grounding.
It can remind us that we are here,
We are here together in this community.
We are here with and for ourselves.
Maybe take a moment to really notice that and say that to yourself,
I am here with and for myself.
And even in my most frightening moments,
I will not leave myself,
I am here for me.
My feet solidly on the floor in my body at this moment,
Available and here for myself.
Inhale and let the attention extend up the legs,
Toward the knees,
And the calves,
The thighs.
Letting yourself be in your body and offering yourself some really gentle compassion.
Yes,
Yes,
Things have been hard,
I've had a hard time,
My heart is heavy.
And at the same time,
I've known joy,
I've known gladness,
I've known gratitude.
It is okay for me to hold it all.
It is okay for me to pay attention to both.
Moving next to your bottom,
Noticing how you are being supported,
Letting your body be heavy,
Letting yourself let go.
Yes,
You have been holding a lot and it's okay to put it down.
Give your weight over to the bed or to the chair or to the floor.
Let yourself surrender,
Let yourself let go,
Let go.
And know that in your surrender,
You will be held because you are never forsaken,
You are not alone.
You are deeply,
Deeply loved and deeply,
Deeply cared for.
Next,
Let your attention move to your back and your belly.
Maybe there's holding or tension there,
See if you can soften.
Maybe noticing the shoulder blades sliding down the back,
The fullness of the belly and your chest.
Maybe you'll even bring your hand to your chest.
It's a good reminder,
I'm here for me.
I'm available to care for me and I will not leave me,
Strong me,
Wise me,
Is here to love and protect,
Frightened me,
Hurt me,
Sad me.
Wise and strong me will not leave me.
Wise and strong you will not leave you.
Let the hand here to the chest be a reminder.
Wise and strong you is here.
And next to your arms,
Maybe offering yourself a little bit of a hug,
Maybe some butterfly taps.
And as you do that,
I invite you to pay attention to any sensations in the body that are pleasant or neutral,
Letting the attention rest there.
It is okay to trust feelings that we like.
It is okay to let ourselves feel ease.
And it's okay to acknowledge when we are safe,
When we are connected,
When we are cared for.
It is okay.
And finally to the head,
The face,
Maybe saying if we can let the muscles around the eyes soften,
The brow.
And finally,
The whole body.
Will you let yourself hold your whole body in open awareness,
Scanning for any sensations that are pleasant or neutral and letting your attention rest there because it is okay to trust the good.
When we care for what we don't like,
Trying not to hate it,
When we give ourselves permission to notice and trust what we do like,
And if it feels right,
I invite you to rub your hands together and put them someplace that feels like it could use a little bit of attention.
Feels nice and warm on my cheeks,
Which is very pleasant.
Thank you so much for allowing me to practice with you today.
May we all be free from our inner and outer harm.
May we all have ease and joy and peace.
May we have courage and freedom from suffering.
May we all be well.
