Welcome,
My name is Phyllis and this is a guided body scan meditation for mental balance.
So settle into a comfortable resting position,
Lying down or seated,
Supported in a way that allows your body to fully let go,
Gathering any props to give comfort,
Maybe dimming the lights.
Allow your eyes to gently close and give yourself permission to turn inward.
This is your time to restore balance,
Calm and ease.
This practice can begin to help you find mental balance,
A resilience to face life's challenges.
We will always have challenges in life,
But we can have the ability to face them with courage and steadiness.
This is my wish for you as you continue in your journey.
Begin by noticing the simple fact that you have arrived here.
You have carved out this time for yourself.
Let the outer world start to grow quieter.
Shift your awareness from the outside to the inside.
A slow turning inward,
Like drawing a curtain across the senses.
The mind begins to settle and the body begins to melt into stillness.
Take a slow breath in and an exhale out through the mouth.
Do that two more times.
Deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale,
Letting go.
One more breath that way.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Know that there is nothing to fix and nothing to change.
Bring your attention to your natural breath.
Feel the breath like a gentle tide moving through you.
Notice the coolness as you inhale,
And the warmth as you exhale.
Imagine that each inhale creates space inside your mind,
And each exhale clears out the clutter.
Breathing in space.
Breathing out release.
Breathing in clarity.
Breathing out letting go.
Stay with this gentle rhythm of your breath.
And now let all your awareness go to your left nostril.
Breathing in and out through the left nostril.
And now bring all your awareness to the right nostril.
Breathing in and out through the right nostril.
And now inhaling through the left nostril.
Exhaling out through the right nostril.
Inhaling left,
Feel the coolness of the air.
Exhale right,
Feel the warmth of the air.
Keeping your breath without any effort,
Just imagine breathing in through the left,
And breathing out through the right.
And now letting that go.
Allow your awareness now to rest attention briefly on each body part as you hear it is mentioned.
As your attention touches an area,
Imagine it softening.
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head.
Feel softening cascading down from the crown of the head.
Forehead,
Feel the forehead smoothing out.
Both eyebrows,
Both eyelids,
Both eyes,
Allowing the eyes to rest back into their sockets.
Cheeks,
Temples,
Releasing any tightness,
Softening.
Both cheeks,
Both ears,
Jaw,
Unclench the jaw.
Softening.
Throat,
Back of the head,
Shoulders,
Imagine a weight you've been carrying sliding off your shoulders,
Melting downward.
Both arms,
The upper arms,
Elbows,
Wrists,
Both hands,
Sensing the palms,
The back of the hands.
Each finger,
And the space between each finger.
Feel the sensations of both hands,
The chest and heart space.
Feel it expanding with every inhale,
Softening with every exhale.
Upper back,
Mid back,
Lower back,
Releasing into the surface that holds you.
Let the back widen and settle.
And the belly,
The belly softening,
No tension.
The hips,
Pelvis,
Softening down.
Shins,
A wave of relaxation traveling downward.
Ankles,
Heels,
Wrists,
Soles of the feet.
The whole body now rests.
The whole body supported by earth.
And now allow your awareness to settle between the eyebrows.
A quiet inner space that feels calm and steady.
Imagine a small light there.
This light represents your natural balance,
Your inner clarity.
Allowing that soft light to spread through the mind,
Through the body,
Dissolving any leftover tension or noise.
And returning home to yourself.
And now I will speak out some of the words affirmations for you.
You might repeat them silently to yourself.
I am steady.
I am steady.
I am centered.
I am centered.
I am balanced.
I am balanced.
My mind can rest.
My mind can rest.
Feel these words becoming true in your inner space.
And allow yourself now to rest in this spacious quietness where there is no effort,
Just ease.
Float in this feeling of mental balance,
Supported,
Grounded,
And safe.
Imagine yourself surrounded by a soft atmosphere of calm,
A cocoon of stillness where there is nothing to do,
Nowhere to be,
Resting in complete ease.
Stay here for a little while,
Letting the body gently breathe itself.
Now returning gently,
Begin by deepening your breath.
You might take a deep inhale through the nose again,
And an exhale,
Maybe an audible sigh,
Ah,
Begin to bring in a little bit of movement,
Wiggling the fingers,
Starting to bring awareness back into the room.
But notice that you can carry this sense of balance with you.
You might stretch if that feels good,
Extending the legs and the arms.
And there is no rush here,
Stay as long as you need to.
And you could bring your knees in towards your chest,
Hugging them inward towards you.
Feeling gratitude,
Rolling over to one side,
Bringing yourself up to a seated position.
Take your time as you integrate back into the world,
Moving slow,
Maybe pausing,
To place your hand on your heart every once in a while,
As a memory that you can come back to this sense of balance.
You can come back to this practice at any time.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Namaste.
