Relaxing Body Scan

Welcome to this relaxing body scan meditation.

As our aim for this meditation is to release some tension from the body and to allow the body to rest,

It's especially important that we find ourselves in a comfortable position for our meditation.

So I invite you for this one to be lying down.

Of course you can be seated if that's your preference.

If you are lying down maybe adding a little extra comfort.

That could be a cushion or a bolster under your knees or under your head.

Maybe adding an extra blanket for warmth.

Otherwise trying to lie on your back,

Your head resting down,

The arms by your side.

Knees can be bent or legs straight onto the ground or the mat or the bed.

And then just taking a couple of nice deep breaths in through the nose.

Maybe you're sighing the breath out through the mouth.

Just allowing yourself a few moments to really arrive in your space here wherever you're practicing.

And then when you're ready either gently closing the eyes or just allowing the gaze to soften.

Becoming aware of any sounds that are present inside of the space that you're in or outside.

Scanning just briefly from one sound to the next.

Maybe even becoming aware of the sound of your own breathing.

Staying with your breath,

Just noticing the sensations of breathing.

Could be the slight tingling,

The air flowing in and out through the nostrils.

Or the air brushing the back of the throat as it flows in and out of the body.

Maybe you're simply noticing a gentle rise and fall of the chest or the belly as you breathe.

Allowing the breath just to fall into its own rhythm.

No need to change the breath.

For a body scan there is no movement required.

Simply follow my voice.

And as I say certain parts of the body you can repeat those parts of the body in your own mind.

More importantly simply bring your awareness into any sensations that might be present in those parts of the body.

We're going to start by bringing our awareness into our right hand thumb.

Simply feeling any sensations present in the right hand thumb.

The right index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Feeling into the palm of your right hand.

The back of the hand.

Feeling your wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder.

Right armpit.

Right side of your waist.

Right hip.

Right upper leg.

Knee.

Lower leg.

Feeling into the right ankle.

The right heel.

The top of the right foot.

And the sole of the right foot.

Bringing awareness into the right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And fifth toe.

Now feeling the whole of the right foot and leg.

The whole of the right foot and leg.

And then bringing awareness into your whole right arm and hand.

Simply feeling sensations in the right arm and hand.

And now feeling the whole right side of the body.

Just the right side of the body.

And we're slowly shifting our awareness over to the left side,

Starting with the left hand thumb.

All awareness sensation present in the left hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Feeling into the palm of your left hand.

The back of the hand.

The left wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Left shoulder.

Left armpit.

Side of the left waist.

Your left hip.

Upper leg.

Knee.

Lower leg.

Feeling into the left ankle.

Left heel.

Top of the left foot.

The sole of the left foot.

All awareness sensation present in the left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And fifth toe.

Now feeling the whole left foot and leg.

Any sensation present in the whole left foot and leg.

Then moving your awareness to your whole left arm and hand.

Simply feeling into the left arm and hand.

Bringing your awareness now in the whole left side of the body.

Feeling any sensations present in the whole left side of the body.

Bringing our awareness to the front of the body.

Starting with the toes,

Both feet.

Tops of both feet.

Traveling awareness up along the legs.

Front of the legs.

Front of the hips.

Lower belly.

Upper belly.

Rip cage.

Chest.

All the way up to the collar bones.

Front of the neck.

Then moving your awareness back down into the back of the body.

Starting with the soles of both feet.

Heels of your feet resting in the ground.

Traveling up along the backs of the legs.

Buttocks.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

Shoulder blades resting in the ground.

Traveling your awareness up the back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Moving up along the sides of the head to both ears.

Both temples.

Jaws.

Noticing if you're holding any tension in your jaw.

Can you release the lower teeth from the upper teeth?

Release the chin down ever so slightly.

Releasing the tongue inside the mouth.

Allowing it to rest comfortably inside your mouth.

Finding softness all around the lips.

Softness through the cheeks.

Softness around the eyes and eyebrows.

Bringing your awareness into the very tip of your nose.

Just feeling the tip of your nose.

The bridge of your nose.

The center of your eyebrows.

Full awareness.

Resting in the center of your eyebrows with any sensations that might be present here.

Bringing your awareness to the forehead.

Releasing any tension from the forehead.

Finally bringing your awareness to the very crown of your head.

You may be imagining that any remaining tension from your body is able to be released out through the very tip of your head.

And then feeling the whole face,

Sensations in the whole face.

Expanding your awareness to include the whole head.

Sensation throughout the whole head and face.

Feeling the torso,

Front and back.

Feeling both arms and hands at the same time.

Both arms and hands.

Feeling now both legs and feet.

Just the legs and feet.

Noticing any sensations.

And finally feeling the whole body,

Whole body awareness.

Feeling any sensation present in your body right in this moment.

Be tingling,

Vibrations,

Warmth or cold.

Whatever is present just notice it and be aware of the whole body at once.

And then just being present for a few more moments with that full body awareness.

Slowly becoming aware again of the fact that you are breathing.

Allowing the air to just flow in and out still through the nose.

Maybe slowly taking a few deeper breaths.

Filling your lungs with fresh air and oxygen.

New energy returning into the body with each breath.

Becoming aware again of your surroundings or noticing parts of your body that are connecting you to the support beneath you.

Maybe feeling the mat,

Sofa,

Beach,

Chair beneath you.

Maybe noticing where the air touches your skin.

Expanding your awareness outwards even more.

Becoming aware of any sounds again around you.

Close or distant sounds.

Just scanning your environment for any sound.

And as you feel ready,

Inviting slowly a little bit of movement back into the body.

Those could be little wriggles of the fingers and toes at first.

Maybe you feel like stretching yourself with your arms up overhead,

Stretching right from the toes into the fingertips.

If you're lying down you might want to bring the knees in towards the chest and slowly roll over to one side.

Only when you're ready and your eyes are closed,

Gently start to open the eyes allowing light to flood back in.

Again maybe simply taking a moment to become fully present and aware of the surroundings that you find yourself in,

Of your sense of sight as you're looking out into the world.

And either staying here for a few more moments or slowly getting yourself ready to move back out into your day as your practice is now complete.

Chime