Body Scan Practice

Body scan.

Finding a place where you can be warm and comfortable for this practice,

Which will last about 15 minutes.

The body scan is usually done lying down and there are many benefits to doing it lying down.

However,

If your circumstances are such that sitting is better for you at the moment,

Finding a comfortable place where the body can feel supported in a sitting posture.

The intention of this practice is to simply allow awareness of the body as it is.

Spend time getting to know each region of the body in turn.

We're not trying to change anything.

There is no goal.

No place to get to.

So letting go of any tendency to judge or to try to create a particular experience.

Taking a moment or two to get yourself comfortable whether you're lying down or sitting.

It is particularly important to make sure you're going to be warm enough.

So getting into a comfortable position,

Closing the eyes.

Begin by tuning into the sensations of the body lying or sitting here.

Becoming aware of letting go into the support.

Perhaps noticing how some parts of the body are more ready to let go than others.

During this practice,

It's fine if you need to move to ease any discomfort.

And you will find that moving can simply be another aspect of your practice.

So noticing the sensations of moving and then the experience of settling.

And then the experience of moving to a more comfortable position.

And then the experience of moving to a more comfortable position.

So noticing the sensations of moving and then the experience of settling down again.

Gently allowing yourself now to become aware of the breath in the body.

Feeling the sensations of the breath as it moves into and out of the body.

Then gathering your attention and moving it down to your feet.

Noticing the sensations in your feet.

In both feet at the same time.

The toes,

The bottom of both feet,

The heels,

The tops of the feet.

Exploring with your attention any sensations present here.

Maybe tingling or throbbing,

Warmth or coolness.

And maybe all or parts of your feet,

There's no experience of sensation at all.

And that's fine too.

Just being with that experience.

So as best you can,

Keeping your attention with whatever you're noticing.

Whatever is your experience of your feet in this moment.

And now expanding your field of attention to include the lower legs.

From the ankles up to the knees.

Exploring any sensations here.

What are you noticing?

Bringing a sense of curiosity,

Interest.

On your next out breath,

Expanding the field of attention once more to include the upper legs.

The thighs.

Once again,

Tuning into any sensations here.

What are you noticing?

So now holding the whole of both legs in your field of attention from the toes up to the hips.

And on your next out breath,

Shifting the attention to the region of the pelvis.

The buttocks,

The hips,

The lower abdomen.

And then continuing to expand your field of attention up the torso.

So including the lower back,

The belly,

Feeling the sensations of the breath moving into and out of the body.

Having your awareness from time to time inside the body,

Experiences from within.

And at times on the surface of the body,

Feeling sensations of contact or temperature of the air.

So continuing to allow your field of attention to expand slowly up the body,

Front and back.

Feeling the pressure of your back against the floor if you're lying down.

The sensations of the breath as it comes into and out of the body.

The region of the ribs,

Front and back.

And then the area of the chest and the shoulder blades at the back of the body.

As best you can throughout this practice regarding your experience with the sense of openness,

Curiosity and in particular regarding your experience with kindness and patience.

With several repetitions,

You may notice that thoughts of boredom or frustration creep in.

And that's okay,

Just allowing them to be there as part of your experience of this body scan,

Just the same as the sensation of contact with the floor or any other experience.

Being distracted by thoughts is completely normal.

When you notice that the mind has wandered,

Congratulate yourself for being awake and aware in that moment.

And coming back to the part of the body that you're focusing on.

So now holding the whole of the torso in your field of attention.

Body front and back.

And with your next out breath,

Allowing awareness of the body to just dissolve away and bringing your attention into both hands.

The fingers,

The thumbs,

The palms and the backs of the hands.

And then expanding your field of attention up the lower arms to the elbows.

The upper arms.

And coming to the shoulders.

So now holding awareness of both hands and arms.

And with your next out breath,

Allowing that to dissolve and bringing your attention into the shoulders.

Expanding your attention now up into the neck,

The back of the neck and the throat.

And up into the head.

The sides and the back of the head.

Including your face.

Bringing your attention into the jaw,

The cheeks,

The nose,

The eyes,

The forehead and the temples.

And then holding the neck and the head in your field of attention.

And as you breathe in,

Imagine if this is okay with you.

Imagine that the breath could sweep around the inside of your head.

Nourishing and refreshing.

And then with your next in breath,

Imagining that the breath can come into the head and sweep down through the whole of the body.

From the top of the head all the way down through the torso,

Down the arms to the tips of the fingers,

Down the legs to the tips of the toes as you breathe in.

Then as you breathe out,

The breath could come up from the toes and the fingers up through the body to the top of the head and out through the nose or mouth.

Perhaps taking a couple of slow deep breaths in this way.

Imagining the breath,

Nourishing,

Refreshing the whole body.

And then with your next breath,

Imagining that the breath could sweep around the entire body.

As we come to the end of this body scan practice,

Remembering each time you do this practice,

You're making an active contribution to your own health.

And wellbeing.