This is a Body Scan Meditation.
Meditation is about being present in body and mind.
Bringing awareness to our body is a powerful exercise in awareness.
The body is our foundation.
Without it, there would be no thought, no breath, and no ability to use our sense organs to experience life.
Often, there's an aversion to being in our body, especially if we're experiencing pain or discomfort, mental or physical.
Paradoxically, the more we're able to actually be in our body with the intention to observe and be with sensation rather than resist it,
the easier it is to cope with thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
By simply observing and allowing ourselves to be with what arises, we're working with ourselves rather than resisting what's beyond our ability to control.
The more we can observe what arises with compassion and care, the easier it is to be at home and relaxed within ourselves and our set of circumstances.
To do the Body Scan, it's best to get into a comfortable position, either lying down with your arms alongside your body or sitting in a comfortable chair, preferably a recliner.
As with the other meditations, it's important to do this in an environment that's protected and quiet and supports your ability to relax.
It can be useful to have a blanket handy should you feel cool as you engage in this meditation and make sure you will not be interrupted.
Carving time to be by yourself and with yourself is important.
This is a time for you to nurture and care for yourself.
To start, bring your awareness to your breath and let it rest in an area that's easy to observe, where you can feel its effect on the body.
If you like, you can rest your hands on your belly, imagining the belly is like a balloon.
Filling with air and rising on the in-breath and falling like a balloon deflating on the out-breath.
Simply notice, do not try to change your breath in any way, but bring awareness to the motion of breathing with kindness and compassion.
You can note whether the breath is slow or fast, even or irregular.
Remember not to judge what's happening.
Simply observe.
As you're ready, you can let your eyes close and mentally sweep through the body, letting yourself experience the body as a whole, and noticing, are there any particular areas that are sensitive?
Notice, is there any resistance to doing this?
Notice, are there parts of the body you can feel easily and others that are barely discernible?
Notice, are you experiencing any sensations you wish would go away?
Allowing yourself to be aware of these sensations.
Doing your best to open to your experience, whatever it is.
And when you do this, you can notice when you want to push away or close down, as well as when you want to linger longer.
When your attention wanders, simply notice and bring it gently but firmly back into your body.
If you like, you can imagine your breath traveling down from its entry point into the body, down into your extremities.
Beginning on the left side, letting your awareness moving down.
Sending your breath down into your foot on the left side.
If you're short for time, you can do both feet together.
However, don't rush the process.
The more carefully you can bring awareness into your body parts, the more precise your attention will be.
Slowly connecting to your feet, beginning with the toes.
Moving into the heel of the foot.
The sole.
The arch.
The top of the foot.
When you feel you've observed it fully, allowing the foot to dissolve in your awareness.
And moving up into the ankle.
Breath by breath.
Noticing what you notice and allowing it.
If you're not experiencing any sensation in any particular part, simply note it.
If there's a vivid experience in another area of your body, you can bring your attention to it.
And then, when you're ready, letting it go.
And returning to here.
Where you are right now.
Simply noticing.
And if you like, if it's comfortable for you, you can breathe with the sensation the best you can.
Noticing what you notice.
We'll be repeating this process throughout the body.
Through your left side first.
And then the right.
Letting the foot dissolve.
And moving into the ankle.
And from the ankle into the lower leg.
The back of the leg.
The front of the leg.
The muscles.
The bones.
Feeling any sensations in the leg itself.
Inside and out.
Even noticing how you notice your lower leg.
Taking this time to be here.
Allowing.
Breathing.
Simply observing.
And noticing.
Whatever arises.
And then when you're ready, releasing the lower leg and moving into the knee.
This joint that connects lower with upper.
Experiencing the knee and any sensations in it.
It's hardness and softness.
Just letting yourself really be with the knee.
And then again on an out-breath if you'd like.
Taking all the time you need.
Just letting my voice be your guide.
Letting the knee dissolve in your awareness.
Moving into your upper leg.
The large muscles of the thigh.
Exploring the expanse of the thigh.
Feeling it inside and out.
Being aware of its position.
The part that may be in contact with the floor or your chair.
And any sensations that may be present in the thigh itself.
Deep down in the marrow.
Or perhaps on the surface of the skin.
And letting it be.
And then as you're ready.
Releasing from the thigh on the left side.
And moving into the hip bone.
The pelvis.
The buttocks.
Lightly touching it with your awareness.
And then moving down.
Through the right leg.
And down into the right foot.
Exploring the heel of your foot on the right side.
And the sole and the toes.
The arch.
And the foot as a whole.
Noticing all you can about it.
Bringing a sense of curiosity.
To this wonderful part of the body.
That allows us to be supported.
And walk.
Touching the earth.
And then releasing the foot.
As you're ready.
Letting it dissolve in your awareness.
And moving into the ankle.
Touching the ankle.
With awareness.
Letting yourself feel sensations.
And then releasing them.
And then moving up from the ankle into the lower leg.
Sending your breath deep into the leg if you like.
Feeling the breath.
Moving the body.
Touching.
Any sensations.
With awareness.
And kindness.
And then letting the lower leg dissolve.
As you release.
As you release with the out breath.
And settle a bit more deeply into this moment.
And yourself.
As you are right now.
And moving into the knee.
Connecting.
Lower.
And upper.
And helping us walk and move.
Freely.
Breath.
Bright breath.
Being here.
Fully.
And then releasing.
Letting the knee dissolve.
As you move again.
Into the
Larger area.
Of the thigh.
This time on the right side.
Exploring.
The fullness of your thigh.
The interconnection.
Of bone and tissue.
Muscle.
Mass.
And space.
And then on an out breath.
Releasing.
From the thigh.
And moving again.
Into the pelvis.
And letting yourself feel your pelvis.
From back.
To front.
From side.
To side.
And the breath.
Continues being here.
With us.
Breathing in nutrients.
Cleansing the body.
Of toxins.
And then moving.
From the pelvic region.
Into the spine.
And the base.
Of the spine.
Moving from the spine.
In your lower back.
Up.
Into the vertebrae.
Vertebrae by vertebrae.
Traveling up.
Through your back.
Being aware of the spine.
Supporting you.
And then letting your attention radiate with this support into the lower back, middle back, upper back, including the shoulder blades.
Feeling it and breathing with it.
And traveling from the back, letting it dissolve now in your awareness, and moving up into the shoulders.
And then feeling the shoulders and moving into the upper arm.
You can explore both arms together if you'd like.
Upper arms, noticing symmetry or differences.
And then down into the elbows.
Notice, noticing their position.
Connecting.
Feeling the structure.
And then releasing.
And moving into the lower arms.
Do you feel them together?
Is one a little more prominent than the other?
Simply noticing any sensations present or not.
Perhaps warmth.
Perhaps coolness.
And feeling the breath continuing to sustain us in our body.
Sending nutrients into the body.
Revitalizing and refreshing.
Even as we pay attention now.
And move from the lower arms into the lower arms into the wrist and the hands.
The back of the hands.
Fingers and fingertips.
And then allowing your attention to move from the palms of your hands back up through the wrist into the arms.
And back down through your back.
Following the ribcage down through the diaphragm into your belly.
And just taking a few moments to connect again to the rhythm of your breath.
And the experience of breathing.
Abdominally.
So when you're breathing in, there's an awareness of the in-breath.
And its effect on the belly.
And when you're breathing out, a deep release on the up-breath.
And then moving again through the diaphragm up.
Into the chest cavity.
Being aware of the organs in the chest.
Perhaps feeling the motion of breathing.
In the chest.
Aware of your lungs.
Perhaps bringing attention into your heartbeat.
That pumps nutrients into every part of the body.
Deep down to the cellular level.
Bringing with it ease.
Happiness.
A process where there's nothing we have to do.
But allowing ourselves to be aware.
And moving from the heart into the region around the throat and the esophagus.
And just letting yourself feel the fullness of being here.
The expansiveness present.
And the spaces within the chest.
And the perfection.
Of being alive.
And then releasing from the chest.
Letting it dissolve.
As we move up into the neck.
Exploring the neck.
All those small muscles and bones supporting our head.
And then again, as you're ready, letting the neck dissolve in your awareness.
And moving up into the head itself.
Beginning with the jaw.
And the mouth.
The lips.
The warmth.
Inside your mouth.
Moistness.
Combination of soft and hard.
The balance of opposites.
And then releasing from the mouth.
And moving into your cheekbones.
Out into your ears.
Exploring the ears.
Listening.
Hearing.
Feeling.
And letting be.
And then releasing from the ears.
And moving.
Into the sense organ of the nose.
Perhaps feeling the breath entering or leaving through your nostrils.
Or maybe a smell will reach your awareness.
And simply feeling the structure of the nose.
And the breath.
Moving into the sinus passages.
Up into the eyes and the eye sockets.
Out into the temples.
And the whole area of the eyes.
Out into the eyes.
The eyebrows.
And the region.
In the middle of your forehead.
Sometimes referred to as a third eye.
And then the forehead itself.
And then letting it all go with the out-breath.
As you explore your scalp.
With any hair follicles.
That may or may not be present.
And then if you'd like.
You can imagine an opening.
At the top of your head.
Through which energy enters.
And then let that energy flow through the body as a whole.
Giving yourself permission.
To celebrate the perfection.
Of body.
The awareness of mind.
The balancing.
Of heart.
And head.
And letting the energy.
Flow through the body.
And out into your feet.
Grounding you.
Supporting you.
And then again.
Releasing.
And then letting that energy flow up.
Through the bottom of your feet.
And out through the top of your head.
Energy.
Always moving.
Always bringing with it.
A new opportunity.
To be here.
Fully.
Now.
Kindly.
Giving yourself.
This care.
This attention.
And this opportunity.
To be calm.
And awake.