Welcome to a body scan meditation just for you.
For the next little while,
We're going to become aware of the body and any sensations in the body,
And also try to notice the mind's reactions to these body sensations.
When we practice this repeatedly,
We can begin to recognize and recondition our bodies to relax more quickly when tension develops,
Becoming more resilient.
Getting started by coming to a comfortable posture,
Either seated or laying down.
Just finding what feels right to you today.
Make sure you have all the support you need to remain relaxed but aware.
Taking any last little movements your body is asking for.
And then slowly closing the eyes or lowering the gaze.
Just begin to tune in to your body and feel the connection your body makes with the support below.
Turning your awareness inward,
Begin to tune in to the breath.
Taking a comfortable breath in and then letting go with your exhalation.
Another easy breath in and then exhale,
Letting go of all the moments that led to this one.
As you continue to breathe,
You might increase the lengths of the exhalations by just a little bit.
Stay focused on your breath as you fill up the lungs and release all the way out,
Letting go of tensions,
Sinking into the support below.
Taking another nourishing breath in and then letting go,
Softening into the support below.
And now bring your awareness to the top of your head.
Notice any sensation there.
Travel down to your forehead.
Can you notice any pressure or tension?
Moving to the eyebrows,
The eyeballs resting in their sockets,
All the muscles surrounding the eyes just noticing.
Become aware of your cheeks,
The nose,
And the jaw.
Is there any clenching here?
Noticing the lips,
Your chin,
And now taking your awareness back up to the top of the head again and begin to travel down the back of the head to the occipital ridge.
The neck,
Is there any sensation in the neck,
Any tightness or pulling?
Notice if your mind tries to tell you something about this feeling and just come back to the direct experience of sensation.
Move your awareness back up to the top of the head again and begin to travel down the sides of the head to the temples,
Noticing any sensation or lack thereof in the ears,
The sides of the neck.
Now sliding down both shoulders,
Just observing if there's any lifting in the shoulders,
Any tension.
Becoming aware of the upper arms,
Any sensation in the elbows,
The forearms,
Tuning into both wrists and the space around both wrists.
Noticing your attention on both hands,
The backs of the hands,
The palms of the hands.
Do you notice any sensation in the palms,
Any tingling,
A feeling of coolness or of warmth?
Noticing each individual finger and the space between each finger.
Now bring your awareness to the back of the neck and the area in between the shoulder blades.
What sensation,
If any,
Can you observe here?
Again noticing if your mind tries to tell you something about your sensation and coming back to the direct experience.
Moving your awareness to the middle back,
The lower back.
Is there any tenderness here?
Become aware of the whole spine from the base of the skull down to the tailbone,
Feeling the length in your spine.
Now bring your attention to the throat.
Is there any tightness here?
Moving to the upper chest,
The rib cage,
Noticing any sensations surrounding the lungs,
The heart,
Just feeling whatever is there.
Moving to the upper abdomen,
The lower abdomen,
Feeling the organs inside the abdominal cavity.
Finding the front of the hips now,
The pelvic floor.
Notice any sensation in the buttocks,
Any clenching.
Moving down both thighs,
Any sensation in the knees,
Observing the shins and the calves.
Bringing your awareness to your ankles and the space around both ankles.
And now feeling both feet,
Noticing the tops of both feet,
The soles of both feet.
Is there a lack of sensation there or any coolness?
Just observing,
Feeling what is there in the feet.
Notice all 10 toes,
Each individual toe and the space between the toes.
And now bring your awareness to the whole body,
Noticing your whole entire body.
Finding the breath moving in to the whole body.
Notice how the breath moves the body.
Notice the space with each breath in,
Each breath out.
As you connect to the space within,
Connect to the space outside of you.
Notice the space all around you.
Begin to take a deeper,
Fuller breath in and release any tension out into the space around you.
As you gaze into the space in your mind's eye,
Travel back in your day or past few days in this space of your mind and recall a moment where you allowed yourself to slow down,
Just be present with yourself.
Where you were able to give yourself some space to experience the present moment.
And now fill yourself up with appreciation for the skills you're developing to stay present with the mind and body connected.
As you contemplate the coming days,
Think about a behavior or choice you can make that's in alignment with your goals to stay present,
To stay connected.
And see yourself acting it out.
Imagine you've already accomplished this and allow yourself to be filled with a sense of satisfaction from giving yourself permission to find this time for yourself,
Creating a new relationship with the outer world.
And now beginning to come back into your body by noticing the breath,
Start to come back to your center,
Taking a nourishing breath in and on your exhalation.
Notice the support below you coming back to the home within yourself.
When you're ready,
You can make some small movements in the body,
Perhaps moving the head gently from side to side or licking the lips and slowly blinking your eyes open,
Coming back gently into the room around you and taking this sense of connection with you into the rest of your day or your evening.
Thank you so much for taking the time to take care of yourself.
Namaste.
