Welcome to this 20-minute body scan meditation.
It is best to do this meditation in a warm and protected place in which you feel comfortable and secure and in a time you are not interrupted by anyone or by electronic devices.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position for you.
You may lay down onto the back,
Either on the bed or on a yoga mat on the floor.
Spreading the legs and arms out to an angle that feels comfortable.
Simply finding the position that feels right for you today.
Once settled in,
You might want to gently close your eyes.
The intention of this meditation is to gain more awareness.
Awareness gives us the possibility to choose how we react to any given situation,
Event,
Feeling,
Thought or body sensation.
By skillfully responding instead of automatically reacting to such situations,
We are able to significantly reduce stress and thus suffering.
It is important to realize that any given event arising is usually outside our control.
The only thing we can control is how we relate to what is happening.
In other words,
We tend to suffer because we want things to be different than they actually are in the present moment.
We are often resisting,
Striving,
Fighting or avoiding certain feelings,
Thoughts or emotions.
These habits are not doing us well because it increases our stress level.
Thus,
Allowing things and seeing them for what they are in the real,
Present moment can lead to transformation,
Healing and development.
That is why we are practicing bringing an attitude of acceptance,
Allowance and kindness towards even the most difficult thoughts,
Emotions and bodily sensations during this body scan meditation.
These meditations are not about doing something.
They are just about being with what is in an open,
Accepting,
Allowing and maybe even kind way.
In this body scan meditation,
We do this by bringing our attention into our body.
We turn towards,
Inhabiting and checking in with each area of the body,
Staying a while and noticing what is present from an objective point of view.
And remember,
It is completely human and normal to drift off from my spoken words during the meditation.
That is an excellent opportunity to regain awareness and bringing ourselves back to my words.
As we practice this body scan,
If at any time sensations in the body become too uncomfortable,
Thoughts or emotions arise that are too difficult,
Remembering that it is always possible to return to the rhythm of the breath or the places where the body touches the ground as a safe place,
A retreat for us to rest in,
Until we are ready to venture again into the body scan meditation.
Now let's start with the body scan meditation.
I invite you to take a deep breath in and slowly letting the air out.
Perhaps we will repeat this one more time,
Taking a deep breath in and slowly letting the air out.
As you lay here,
Feeling the ground underneath the back,
Noticing the weight of the legs,
Getting a sense of the whole body laying here,
From the soles of the feet to the top of the head,
Allowing to drop in and feeling the groundedness.
Simply allowing ourselves to be exactly as we are in this moment,
Even when pain,
Tightness,
Exhaustion or fatigue are present.
Just noticing what is happening.
