One of the keys to help us learn to regulate our nervous system is to connect with the sensations that are already being sent from the peripheral nervous system to the brain.
While we live our lives focused on the external world,
It's common for us to ignore signals that are coming from our body.
Often there are small signs of fear that start to arise very early on and they may escalate until they are quite overwhelming before we realize that we are having these sensations.
Practicing body scans on a regular basis help us reconnect our awareness with our nervous system and the signals that are coming through.
Start by placing yourself in a comfortable position.
You can be seated,
Standing,
Lying down,
It doesn't really matter.
As you become comfortable,
Simultaneously allow your awareness to move inward to the body.
The nervous system is already giving feedback to your brain at every moment.
And because of this,
It can be a very easy process to learn to listen to this information.
Start by placing your awareness in your eyelids and just notice how they feel.
Often we hold tension here as we are straining to look out into the world,
As we are watching for danger and watching for things that we need to manage.
So for the next few minutes,
Give your eyelids and eyes permission to relax.
Let them turn their focus inward and to reconnect with the internal environment.
You may start to physically feel that your eyes and your eyelids feel heavier or softer and you may notice less of an outward focus.
Move your awareness into your toes and simply rest there.
Notice how each toe feels,
Developing your awareness of the sensations of the skin,
Of the muscles and tendons,
And even within the joint spaces.
Start by just being still and allowing the information to travel into your awareness.
You're not reaching for information,
Just letting it come to you.
You may notice that where you place your attention,
The energy flows.
Signs of this energy flow can include sensations like tingling,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Pressures,
Tightness,
A sense of flow.
Just note how you feel and understand that every body part and every session can create a different feeling for you,
But this is the beginning of learning to sense the energy and the flow within.
Move your awareness from your toes into your entire foot,
Both left and right.
And again,
Be mindful of how it feels both on the surface of the skin,
Within the tendons and muscles,
All the way to the depths of the bones,
And allow these sensations to guide you.
And this time,
Without altering your breathing pattern,
Allow your breath to move into all of these areas,
As well as the spaces between the bones and within the joints.
With each breath in,
Fill these spaces with a healing breath.
And again,
Notice if you can detect a tingling,
Temperature change,
Pressure change,
And just note it as an indication that your awareness is connecting.
Whatever you feel is correct.
Sometimes our second-guessing and over-concentration is what holds us back from understanding the flows.
And as your toes and feet are in your awareness,
Continue upward into your ankles,
Calves,
Shins,
And knees,
Bringing your awareness from the surface level,
Deeper into the larger musculature,
And into these bones and joints as well.
Still directing the breath into each location.
And as these places expand and improve in their circulation,
Drift your awareness into your thighs,
The bones of your thighs,
The muscles,
And also into your hips and lower back.
These larger muscles play a large role in how we hold our posture and move throughout the day.
So just notice how the muscles feel.
Bring your awareness directly into the muscles.
Instead of thinking about being in the muscles,
Move the awareness really into the muscles so you are existing as the muscle.
Bring your healing breath into the musculature,
Into your thigh bones,
And into your whole pelvic bowl.
Fill the pelvis and the pelvic area and all the organs within with the energy of your breath,
And gently guide your awareness up into your abdominal cavity and to the surrounding muscles,
Skin,
And bones.
This includes your lower back,
Your spine,
All of your abdominal organs,
Your abdominal muscles,
And your diaphragm.
Continue to softly breathe into every area.
I'll name the organs,
But you don't need to know where they are.
As I say the names,
Just allow your breath to move into each organ,
Into your liver,
Your gallbladder,
Your stomach,
Your spleen,
Your pancreas,
Your small intestine,
Your large intestine,
The bladder,
The kidneys,
And your reproductive organs.
Visualize all of them working in harmony with each other.
Visualize a healthy flow between the organs,
Between your breath and the spaces between the organs.
And if you can,
Allow a sensation of expansiveness to move outward from the core of your body into your entire energy field.
And as this envelops you,
Continue your body scan into your chest area,
Which includes your sternum,
Your ribs,
Your intercostal muscles that lie between each rib,
Your upper back,
Mid-back,
Spine,
Your heart and lungs.
And allow that sense of expansiveness to pervade every single molecule and space in your upper body,
Creating openness,
Flow and harmony between every aspect of you.
And as this softness travels from your toes all the way up,
We will continue to move it into the neck,
Shoulders,
Throat,
Back of the head,
Scalp,
Face,
And into each of your arms.
And as you connect with these energies of the upper body,
Head,
Neck and shoulders,
Allow each of your palms to become more prevalent in your awareness.
And just notice if there's tingling,
A faint buzzing feeling,
Again a change in temperature.
Our palms are a great location for us to learn to feel energy.
And as we experience these sensations,
We can note how they change throughout the day every time we do a body scan.
And finally,
As we end in the facial area,
Just allow your forehead to relax.
Allow your eyebrows,
Eyes,
Cheeks and chin to relax.
Let the jaw release the tensions that it holds and even bring your awareness into your mouth,
Into your gums,
Your tongue and your lips.
And let this circuit of smooth energy flow encompass all of you.
And return to your awareness of your entire being and take note of how you feel now after this body scan.
Common reports may be feelings of softness,
Tingling,
Expansion,
Heaviness as our muscles let go.
Some people see colors,
Have muscle twitching,
Sensations of feeling like they're floating.
Being aware of how you feel is your key to unlocking your abilities to connect with your inner self.
So we close by bringing our awareness back into our fingers and toes,
Wiggling each of these areas to bring sensations and awareness back into the physical world and our daily lives.
Just notice yourself in connection with your environment.
And when you feel ready,
Open your eyes and just notice if you see the world with a slightly different viewpoint.
