Pregnancy Body-Scan Meditation

27:44

27:44

Pregnancy Body-Scan Meditation

Type

guided

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

During pregnancy, I find that listening to guided meditations is the most helpful way to practice. It’s a great way to receive in this season, allowing yourself to unwind and be nurtured by the words in the audio recording. Guided meditation can help us connect with our pregnant body and growing baby, show ourselves loving-kindness and compassion, and practice presence rather than getting lost in the worrysome, thinking mind. This is a guided body-scan meditation specifically for pregnancy to help you reduce stress, regulate your emotions, and tune into your ever-changing body. I always recommend listening to a specific meditation daily for an extended period. It’s training the mind like we train muscles; the more we practice, the easier it becomes. Even if you’ve meditated a hundred times, you will likely find new insight and wisdom arising in each session, as every moment has something new to offer.

Pregnancy Body Scan Meditation Stress Reduction Emotional Regulation Mindfulness Loving Kindness Breath Awareness Relaxation Pregnancy Support Acceptance Practice Present Moment Awareness Sensory Awareness Relaxation Techniques

Meet your Teacher

St. Louis, MO, USA

Meet your Teacher

St. Louis, MO, USA

Transcript

Hello, Welcome to this meditation. You're likely listening because you are pregnant. So congratulations. Although pregnancy can be challenging in many ways. This is an open invitation to tune into the body and nurture yourself Often women, We're giving so much of ourselves to others, Especially if you're already a mother. Pouring into others is our nature. So let this be a time where you will be poured into receive these words, Finding somewhere comfortable, To really let this meditation nurture you. You can do this meditation lying down or sitting up. A lot of people do like to do a body scan lying down. And in pregnancy, I find it particularly nurturing just to have a restful moment, Perhaps doing this before bed or first thing in the morning. But carving out space, Making your space special lighting a candle, Some incense, Locking the door, Giving yourself space for you. To pour into yourself. You can begin by. . . Relaxing your body. Lying your arms by your sides, Making sure you're in a comfortable position if you're lying down. Closing down the eyes. And just beginning to really become aware of the body. Of where you are in this moment, Your surroundings, The sounds that you hear. Any smells or anything you feel. Perhaps it's the sheet on the bed, The pillow under your head. If you're sitting. The ground beneath your feet. Connecting to where your body is in this moment in space and time. And tuning in. To the present moment. Through the sensations of the body. We're going to be doing a body scan and the intention of a body scan is to remove ourselves from the rampant thinking mind. That exists in all of us. And can be particularly noisy and busy during pregnancy as so many changes are taking place logistically in our lives, But also within the body. The brain is restructuring. Reorganizing its functions so that you can connect to your baby. And so that you can properly support your baby. Your body is changing. In every way that it needs to without conscious thought to support your baby. So this body scan is to support you. To let go of some of the worry, The planning, The to do list. The incessant daydreaming of the future, Worries of the future. Gripping on to the past fearing the change. This is a practice of letting go of all of that just for a moment to be here. With your body. Your growing baby. You only get this moment once. You only get this pregnancy once. You will only be however many weeks and days you are right now once. So really tuning in. And if you're like me. And have some pregnancy nausea or some undesirable symptoms in the body right now. It's also a practice of acceptance of the body, Not trying to turn it into a positive, But also not trying to push it away. Just really noticing it without judgment. Noticing without judgment. Do the sensations arise and fall? Does the pain rise and fall? Do you get tiny waves of relief? Or what does it feel like to just accept your body for what it is right now? For all that it's doing right now. Without trying to force it to be different. So as we go along, We're going to move through each region of the body. And if you want to eventually spend more time in certain areas, You can continue on after this guided meditation. Ends. But let's go ahead and get started. Tuning in to the body. Starting with the breath. It's going to bring our awareness to the breath. And if at any point you need to lie on your side, Depending on where you are in your pregnancy, Be sure to listen to your body, Doing what's best for you or if you need to sit up or at an angle. But in whatever position you are right now, Watching the breath. Watching it naturally, Without trying to change it. Do you notice your belly rising and falling? What is the sensation on the tip of your nostrils as the air moves through? Your body fills your lungs, Fills your belly. What do you notice on the exhale? Just watching the breath and using each one. As a door to presence. The breath is life right now. If you notice the mind wandering, It's doing its job. That's what it's meant to do. When it's resting, It's meant to wander. So we're practicing focusing. Gently and lovingly notice that the mind has wandered. Can you observe the wandering mind and bring your breath Gently back your attention gently back to the breath And as you watch the breath, Try Too deep. Slow, Controlled breaths. In through the nose, Out through the mouth. Relaxing your body. With each one. And after your next exhale, Slowly bring all of your awareness to your feet, Your toes, The bottoms of your feet, Your ankles. We're starting here in this region of the body for our body scan. Your feet which connect you to the earth throughout the day. Carrying you through life. Carrying you and your growing baby through the day. Bringing all of your awareness to this region of the body, Your feet, Your toes. Do you notice any sensations arising? And the intention is to observe those sensations without judgment, Without trying to push them away or wishing they were different, Accepting the sensations accepting our body. For exactly as it is. You can visualize a flashlight as we move through the body, Shining your light of attention to the feet, Bringing all of our awareness here. What do you notice? Tingling Warmth, Cool, Nothing. All of it welcome. Each breath deepening our focus into the region of the body. Where our flashlight of attention rests. Taking one final breath in. And out. And letting go and moving our attention up to the bottoms of the legs, The calves, The shins, The knees, Shining our light of attention here. Bringing our awareness to anything that arises here. And with each breath, Can you. . . Deepen into presence of the body. Acceptance of what is here. Can you bring loving awareness to this region of the body? Loving awareness to your body. Remember if the mind wanders simply notice and bring your awareness back. And inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth. And letting go, Moving on to the next region of the body, The thighs, The hips. The pelvis. Observing. This region of the body and any sensations you have right now which you may have more sensations as you have a growing baby in you. As your body adapts and changes. Can you observe any sensations you're experiencing here in this region of the body? The thighs, The hips, The pelvis. The uterus, The womb. Can you observe? With deep presence. And awareness, Loving awareness for your body. Without judgments. Not wishing for the experience, The body to feel different. Or clinging to the experience. Can you? Be with the body here in equanimity. Resting in a calm alert state. In tune with your body sensations. Loving awareness. For all that it takes to create life in this body. The intelligence of the body. To know exactly what it needs. To grow a new organ, To shift your other organs around and make space for a growing baby. Can you feel the tiniest sensations? That connect you to the life growing inside you. Can you bring all of your loving awareness? To your body. Accepting all that it needs to do. And nose. To do. To create life. Let's take one final breath here in this region of the body, In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Letting go and moving on. To the torso, The chest, The shoulders. Can we let go of any tension in this region of the body? And once again, Appreciate the body as it expands. As it develops and stretches and knows exactly How? To alter itself, To support your new role. As mother. Tuning into any sensation you feel right here in this region. And just observing. Without getting lost in any stories related to the sensations. Deepening into loving awareness. Of this region of the body. And taking one final deep breath here in this region of the body, In through the nose. Exhale through the mouth, Letting go and moving on. To the next region of the body, The arms. Resting here. In the arms, The arms that will hold your baby. Very soon. Relaxing them into the bed if you're lying down or the surface below you or by your sides. Tuning into any sensations in the arms and bringing loving awareness to this part of your body that might not get a lot of your attention. Noticing anything that arises and greeting it. Without judgment, Just observing noticing any wisdom that arises. Taking one final deep breath here in through the nose. And out through the mouth. Letting go and moving on to the next. The jaw, The mouth, The forehead, The top of the head, All the way down the back of the head. Relaxing and releasing tension. In the head. Just bringing your awareness, Shining your light of awareness to this region of the body. Noticing any sensations Releasing any tension and accepting anything that arises bringing loving awareness. To the brain. That leads the charge and all the bodily functions that are happening to create life in your body. Taking a few final breaths here at the top of the head, In through the nose. Now through the mouth. Before we let go of this region of the body. And now we're going to end this body scan. By doing a few quick scans from the top of the head all the way down the body through the chest, The arms, The torso, The pelvis, The top of the legs, The bottom of the legs, And the feet, And all the way back up, Shining your light of attention up and back down. Scanning the body slow and controlled with each breath deepening your awareness loving awareness of your pregnant body in all it is working so hard to do. To create life, To support you and your baby. Scanning from top to bottom, Bottom to top, Loving awareness. Imagining with each breath little puffs of oxygen moving through the body, Oscillating through the body. Releasing any intention, Tuning into any sensations just tuning deeper into the body. Letting go of the thinking mind and focusing on our body. Where the present moment lives. Now, If you want to continue on, You absolutely can. If you'd like to end this meditation with me, Take two. Final, Slow, Controlled, Deep breaths in through the nose. And out through the mouth. And slowly wiggling. Your fingers, Your toes. And opening your eyes. Tuning in to the room around you. Awakening. Back to the outside world. Remembering that mindfulness, Tuning into the body, Your body is available at any moment throughout the day. You can practice mindfulness at any moment, Simply by bringing your attention to a specific anchor in the body. You can choose one part of the body that we move through today or your breath. And using that as your anchor as your guide to be present to be here. Getting out of the mind and into the body. Where loving awareness exists. Thank you so much for meditating with me today, Sending you so much love and compassion as you move through your pregnancy.