Mindfulness-Based Body Scan

Hi,

Thank you for joining this body scan meditation.

My name is Mingzhe and I will be guiding you through this mindfulness-based stress reduction body scan meditation.

So you can start by finding a comfortable place where you won't be disturbed.

You can lay flat on your back,

On a mat,

Or on your bed,

With your arms resting slightly away from your body,

Palms facing up,

And allow your legs to fall open naturally.

And if laying down is uncomfortable,

You can sit upright in a supportive chair,

With your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your lap.

And now allow your eyes to close gently.

If keeping them closed feels uneasy,

You can maintain a soft downward gaze.

The intention of this practice is not to fall asleep,

Nor it is to relax.

The intention is simply to bring a kind,

Curious,

And non-judgmental awareness to the physical sensation in your body,

Moment by moment.

There is no right way to feel.

You might feel tingling,

Warmth,

Coolness,

Pulsation,

Or perhaps nothing at all.

All of that is perfectly okay.

The practice is the noticing itself.

If your mind wanders,

Which it will,

A hundred or a thousand times,

That is not a mistake.

That is a practice.

The moment you notice your mind has wandered gently and without any self-criticism,

Guide your attention back to the part of the body we are focusing on.

I'll take a few moments to settle into your position,

Feel the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you,

And notice the weight of your body.

Now,

Let's begin.

Begin by bringing your awareness to the physical sensation of the breath in your belly.

Feel the belly rise on an inhalation and fall on an exhalation.

There is no need to control the breath in any way.

Simply feel it as it is.

Use the breath as an anchor to the present moment.

Now,

On your next exhale,

Release your tension from the breath and bring your awareness down to your left foot.

Feel the entire left foot from the heel resting on the floor to the ball of the foot,

To the top of the foot,

And each of the toes.

Notice any and all sensations present,

The feeling of the sock or the air against the skin,

Temperature,

Tingling,

Pressure,

Or perhaps an absence of clear sensation.

Just explore this area with a gentle investigative awareness.

Now,

Gently expand your awareness to include your left ankle.

Feel the structure of the ankle joint.

Notice any sensations here.

And let your awareness expand upward into your left lower leg,

The calf muscle,

The shin bone,

The flesh,

And skin surrounding it.

Feel the entire lower leg from the ankle up to the knee,

Breathing into this area,

Not to change it,

But just to feel it more fully.

And now bring your awareness to your left knee.

Feel the kneecap,

The back of the knee.

Notice any sensations of contact,

Temperature,

Or energy in this joint.

And now allow your awareness to move up into your left thigh,

The large muscle at the front,

The hamstring at the back,

The inner and outer thigh.

Feel the weight of the thigh sinking down.

Explore this entire area with a long judgmental curiosity.

And now on an inhalation,

Imagine drawing your awareness up from the left foot,

Past the ankle,

The calf,

The knee,

And the thigh,

All the way into the left hip joint,

And the left buttock.

Feel the deep socket of the hip and the large gluteal muscle.

Sense the entire left leg,

From the hip all the way down to the tip of the toes,

As a single,

Complete field of sensation.

And now on a long exhale,

Release your awareness of the entire left leg.

Let it go completely.

And bring your attention now to your right foot.

Feel the entire right foot,

The heel,

The arch,

The ball,

The top of the foot,

And each individual toe.

Notice the subtle,

Ever-changing sensations in this part of your body.

Now expand your awareness to include your right ankle.

Feel the joint.

Move your awareness up into your right lower leg,

The calf,

The shin.

Feel the leg resting heavily.

Now bring attention to your right knee,

The kneecap,

The soft area behind the knee.

Allow awareness to fill your right thigh.

The large muscle at the front,

Back,

And sides.

Feel the entire thigh,

From the hip to the knee.

On an inhalation,

Draw your awareness up through the entire right leg and into the right hip joint,

And right buttock.

Feel the whole right leg,

Present and alive with sensation.

And on an exhale,

Release awareness of the right leg completely.

Now bring your attention to the pelvic region,

The genitals,

The sitting bones,

And the deep abdominal area below the navel.

Notice the subtle sensations in this central part of your body.

And now allow your awareness to expand upward into your lower back and abdomen.

Feel the curve of the lower spine against the floor or chair.

Feel the softness of the belly,

The rise and fall within the breath.

Notice any sensations of warmth,

Movement,

Or pressure.

Bring your attention now to your upper back,

The shoulder blades,

The muscles between them,

The ribs in the back.

Feel the entire back torso,

From the pelvis all the way up to the base of the neck.

And now bring awareness to your chest and rib cage.

Feel the front of your torso.

Notice the gentle movement of the breasts there,

The expansion and contraction.

Be aware of the heart beating.

See if you can hold this area with a sense of openness and acceptance.

Now bring your awareness to the fingers and thumbs of the left hand.

Notice the tips of the fingers,

The palms,

And the back of the hands.

Feel any sensations present.

And expand awareness to the entire left hand,

Feeling it as a complete unit.

Move up through the left wrist and into the left forearm,

The muscles and bones.

And bring awareness to the left elbow.

And now into the left upper arm,

From the elbow all the way up to the left shoulder joint.

Feel the weight of the arm.

And on an inhalation,

Feel the entire left arm,

From the shoulder all the way up to the fingertips.

On an exhale,

Release awareness of the left arm completely.

And now bring your attention to the fingers and thumbs of the right hand.

Explore all the sensations.

And now expand to the entire right hand.

Move up through the right wrist and into the right forearm.

And now bring awareness to the right elbow.

And further into the right upper arm,

Up to the right shoulder joint.

Feel the entire right arm,

From shoulder to fingertips.

And release.

Now bring your awareness to the neck and throat.

Feel the muscles at the back of the neck,

The sides and the front,

Where the throat is.

Notice any sensations of tightness,

Looseness or movement as you swallow.

Be gentle and soft with your attention here.

Slowly bring your awareness to your face.

Start with the jaw.

Notice if it is clenched or relaxed.

Let it soften.

Move to the lips,

And then the inside of your mouth,

Your cheeks,

Your nose.

Noticing the sensation of air passing in and out as the nostrils.

And now to your eyes,

The eyelids,

The eyeballs resting in their sockets,

The muscles around the eyes.

And now to your eyebrows and the forehead.

See if you can smooth out any tension.

Then your ears and the sides of the head.

And finally the top and back of the head,

The scalp.

Now on a few long breaths,

Expand your awareness to include your entire body.

Feel the body as a whole,

Laying or sitting here.

Breathing,

Sense the entire field of physical sensation,

From the tips of your toes to the top of your head.

A live presence.

Now gently begin to bring your awareness back to the physical sensation of the breath in the belly.

Feel the rhythm of the inhale and exhale.

When you feel ready,

You can slowly and gently begin to deepen your breath.

Bring a small,

Subtle movement to your fingers and toes.

Notice how your body feels after this practice,

Without any judgment or expectation.

Slowly open your eyes if they have been closed.

Take your time to transition.

When you are ready,

Move slowly and mindfully into the next part of your day,

Carrying this quality of open awareness with you.

I hope you have enjoyed this practice and I look forward to be practicing with you again next time.