Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Meditation

Welcome to the body scan meditation.

This is a technique for you to take a break from the headspace and drop into your body to ease stress,

Anxiety,

And pain.

You can choose to do this exercise while sitting in the chair or lying down on the mat or even standing up.

Whatever position you choose to be in,

Just pick one that is the most comfortable to you.

If you're sitting in the chair,

Find your feet grounded flatly on the floor,

Back straight but not too stiff.

If you're lying down on the mat or even in the comfort of your bed,

Allow your feet to gently fall away from each other,

Your hands resting by the sides of your body,

Palm facing the sky,

Fingers gently parted from each other.

Allow your eyelids to drop.

Close your eyes.

Feel the heaviness of your eyelids.

Start to tune into your breath.

Start to feel the natural rhythm of air moving into and out of your body.

Feel the sensation of each breath.

Maybe you're feeling it in your nose or your chest or your belly.

Wherever you are feeling your breath right now,

Know that this is your anchor.

Know that if at any point in the body scan you experienced a discomfort or unpleasant sensation,

You can always return to this breath.

With each exhale,

Allow your body to get a little heavier,

Sink a little deeper,

Fall into the floor or the chair.

Trust that you can melt and there's gravity to hold you,

To support you.

With each exhale,

Let go.

Start to move your attention to your toes.

Feel each of your toes from the inside out.

Maybe feeling the air flowing through your toes.

Maybe feeling your toenails.

Feeling the joints in your toes.

Whatever you are feeling right now,

Acknowledge that and let it go on an exhale.

Expanding to include your feet.

Feeling the tops of your feet,

Soles of your feet.

Heels of your feet to the ankles.

Feeling your feet from the inside out.

What is the pressure the texture,

The weight,

The temperature?

Be curious about your feet.

Not so much in the thought of your feet,

But in the thought of your feet.

More so being with your feet.

Experiencing whatever sensation that comes up in this part of your body.

Breathe into your feet.

Each inhale through your nose,

Traveling across your body down to your feet.

Each exhale through your nose,

Breathing into your feet.

Each inhale through your nose,

Traveling across your body down to your feet.

Each exhale air traveling back up from your feet out your nose.

Feeling air moving across your body with each inhale and exhale down to your feet,

Out from your feet.

Allow air to circulate in and out through this part of your body.

Moving into your lower legs,

Your shins,

Back of your legs,

The calves.

Feeling the sensation of this part of your body.

Maybe you're not feeling anything and that's totally okay.

Maybe try to be with not feeling and then let it go on an exhale.

Whatever you are experiencing right now,

Notice and let go on an exhale.

Maybe you're feeling textures against your skin,

A different temperature in this area.

However you are feeling,

It is okay.

There is no right or wrong way to feel your body.

Moving up to your knees,

Feeling the kneecaps,

The joints,

And the muscles and skin and tendons,

Ligaments.

Feeling this part of your body from the inside out.

Feeling this part of your body from the inside out.

From the inside out.

If you are thinking,

Planning,

Remembering,

Just notice that and gently come back to your knees.

Moving up to your thighs,

Feeling this part of your body,

The muscles,

Bones,

Tendons,

Skin.

Feeling the weight of your thighs,

Being curious about how it's like to be with the thighs.

Breathe into this space,

Breathe out from this space.

Allow air to travel to your thighs and bring it back out through your fat thighs.

Moving to your hips,

Feeling your pelvis,

Feeling the muscles,

Feeling the organs in this part of your body,

Noticing the joints,

The pressure,

Feeling if there's any tension that you've been holding onto in this part of your body.

Breathe into your hips,

Breathe out from your hips.

Each exhale,

Soften,

Soften.

Allow yourself to let go.

Allow yourself to relax.

There is no need to hold on to anything right now.

Moving into your lower belly,

Feeling the organs in this part of your body,

Feeling the weight,

Movement,

Sounds,

Anything that you are noticing right now,

It is okay.

Maybe this is where you're feeling air traveling,

Maybe this is where you notice movement of your body's work.

Acknowledge that and let it go on an exhale.

Again,

Try to soften with each exhale,

Feeling into your belly button,

Feeling into any part that may be gripping right now.

Allow yourself to relax.

Breathe into your lower belly,

Breathing out from your lower belly.

Moving up to your diaphragm,

Rib cage,

Lungs,

Heart,

Feeling your upper body,

Your chest,

Any sensation,

Weight,

Movement,

And texture against your skin.

Remembering there is no right or wrong way to feel your body.

Remembering that this body is uniquely to you.

Feeling into your upper body,

Acknowledge any sensation that comes up,

And let go on an exhale.

Perhaps you're feeling air traveling into your chest,

Your lungs expanding and then contracting as you breathe out,

Feeling the movement of your organs,

Moving to your fingertips,

Feeling your fingertips on the inside out,

Feeling your fingernails,

The skin,

The joints,

Being curious about your fingers,

Moving to feeling your entire fingers,

To your palms,

To the back of your hands,

Are your hands moist,

Dry,

Cool,

Warm?

Feeling the air flowing between your fingers,

And try to feel your hands from the inside out without moving.

Breathe into your hands,

Breathe out from your hands,

Noticing any sensation that comes up in your hands,

And let it go with an exhale.

Moving to your wrists,

Your lower arms,

Feeling the bones,

The joints,

Muscle,

Skin,

Maybe even feeling your arm hair.

If you're not experiencing anything in this body,

Then it's okay.

Just stay with not experiencing and release that on an exhale.

Moving to your elbows,

Upper arms,

Biceps and triceps,

Maybe feeling the callous skin on your elbows,

Feeling the weight of your arms,

Feeling the temperature of your arms.

How is it like to be with your arms?

Allow your breath to travel to your upper arms,

And let it back out from your upper arms.

Moving to your shoulders,

And your shoulder blades,

Clavicles,

Base of your throat,

Feeling any sensation that is here.

A lot of us may be storing tension and pressure in this part of your body,

And that is okay.

Notice the sensations here and release on an exhale.

With each out breath,

Soften.

With each out breath,

Breathe in spaciousness,

Feeling curious about your shoulders,

Acknowledging your experience of being with your shoulders.

Now moving to your spine.

Scan your spine from the base of your throat all the way down to your tailbone,

Feeling each vertebrae,

Each joint,

Maybe saying hi to your back,

A gentle greeting to this part of your body that works so hard to hold us up.

Breathing into your spine,

Breathing out from your spine.

With each out breath,

Allow yourself to let go.

If you find yourself drifted away from your body,

Come back.

Know that you can always come back.

Moving into your throat and your neck,

Feeling this part of your body,

Feeling air travelling,

Noticing any sensation that comes up.

Acknowledge and let go.

Now feel into your lower jaw,

The back of your jaw,

The inside of your mouth,

Your lips,

Each of your tooth,

Maybe relaxing your jaw so that your lips part naturally,

Fall gently,

Feeling this part of your face from the inside out.

Is your mouth wet or dry?

Is your tongue relaxed or tensed?

Whatever you are feeling right now,

Acknowledge and release on an exhale.

Moving to your cheeks,

Feeling your cheeks from the inside out,

Maybe not feeling so much in this area,

Maybe feeling texture against your skin.

Whatever you are experiencing right now,

It is okay.

Breathe into this part of your face.

Moving to your nose and your eyes,

Feeling the sensation of air travelling through your nostrils,

Feeling your eyelids,

Maybe relaxing each of your eyelash,

Feeling the weight of your eyeballs,

Maybe allowing them to sink a little deeper into your eye sockets,

Breathing in and out from your nose.

Allow any area of tension to melt.

Move into your eyebrows,

The space between your eyebrows,

The space above your eyebrows,

Your forehead,

Feeling whatever sensation that comes up in this part of your body,

Loosening with each exhale,

Breathing into this part of your face,

Breathing out from this part of your face.

Moving to your ears,

Your ear canals,

The back of your ears,

Cartilage,

Maybe the cilia of your ear canals.

I'm being curious about how it's like to be with the ears.

What is the temperature?

Is there any pressure?

How much does it weight?

Not so much thinking about the ears,

And just feeling your ears without judgment.

Now feeling your entire face from the inside,

Noticing each part of your face,

Acknowledging any sensation,

Releasing any judgment that may come up.

Moving to your head,

Your scalp,

Back of your head,

Top of your head,

The sides,

Maybe feeling each pore,

Each follicle,

Being curious about your head,

Maybe feeling the weight of each strand of your hair,

Maybe feeling the temperature of the air moving against your head.

Whatever you are feeling right now,

Know that it is okay.

Know that you can release with each exhale.

For your next breath,

Allow your breath to travel in through your nose,

All the way through your body down into your feet.

Exhale from the feet all the way through the body out your nose,

Feeling air flowing in and out of each cell in your body.

Each in-breath brings in oxygen that nourishes the cells,

Each out-breath releasing whatever gripping and tension we may be holding onto.

Feeling air flowing in and out of your body,

Just as gentle ocean waves,

Feeling supported,

Feeling held.

Try to do a few more breaths like that,

Visualizing and feeling your breath in through your nose,

All the way down to your feet,

Back up from your feet,

All the way out your nose,

Feeling this flow of air,

Feeling whatever movement and sensation that comes up.

When you're ready,

I invite you to deepen your breath.

Be mindful and intentional about bringing in more air,

Releasing with each exhale.

Maybe start to wiggle your toes,

Wiggle your fingers.

Maybe roll your ankles and roll your wrists,

Moving in whatever way that serves your body right now,

Gently rolling your head,

Maybe even stretch.

If you're lying down,

I invite you to roll onto the side of your body.

If you're sitting in a chair,

Maybe rub your hands against your thighs,

Bringing in bigger movements into your body.

If you're lying on the side of your body,

Gently bring yourself back up into a seat.

Continue to breathe.

Whenever you are ready,

Blink your eyes open.

Welcome back.

Thank you for spending this time to drop into your body.

Congratulate yourself for spending this time and attention to this body.

I am grateful to have offered you this practice.

I hope to hear from you again.