Welcome and thank you for taking a moment for yourself today and also thank you for choosing me as your guide for this brief five-minute body scan meditation.
To start,
Find a comfortable spot sitting or lying down with your back straight and begin to settle in for the practice.
Let your arms fall where they do naturally in your lap or beside you.
Feel free to close your eyes or soften your gaze and begin to relax into the present moment.
We will start by taking three deep breaths together.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
In and out through your nose.
In and out through the nose.
Continue to observe the breath slowly flowing in and out of the body.
On your next in-breath,
Begin to bring your attention to your head and face and as you breathe out,
Notice any sensations that you may feel there.
You may notice a buzzy feeling or a light sensation.
Whatever you feel in the moment,
Just acknowledge it and let it go.
Bring your attention down to your neck and shoulders.
This is an area where we often store a lot of our stress and tension.
If you feel any tightness here,
Use the breath to soften and bring ease into this area.
Bring your attention down to your arms,
To your hands and fingers.
Begin to soften in this area and release any tension that you may feel here.
Bring your attention to your chest and heart center.
Breathe into this area.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest as you notice the natural flow of breath here.
Observe the flow of the breath and let it go.
Bring your attention down to your stomach and abdomen.
If you feel any tension in this area,
Use the breath to soften.
Notice where your seat meets the ground or chair beneath you and notice if you're holding any tension in this area.
Use the breath to bring ease here.
Bring your attention down to your thighs,
Your knees,
Your shins.
Notice any sensations that you feel here.
Begin to soften and let them go.
Finally,
Bring your attention down to your ankles,
Your feet and toes.
Notice if you feel any tension there.
Notice if you're holding or you feel any tightness.
Begin to soften here and release any tension.
In our busy lives,
It can be difficult to carve out even a few moments for rest and reflection.
So today,
Congratulate yourself for taking a few moments for your own mental and physical well-being.
It's not easy,
But you did it and that's important.
As we come to the end of our practice,
Bring yourself back to the room around you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Rotate your shoulders,
Roll your neck if that feels good.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
I hope that this brief moment of mindfulness allows you to be more at peace and at ease throughout your day.
