The Body Scan

You can do the body scan in any posture,

Sitting,

Lying,

Standing.

I'll lead the practice as though you're lying down and if you are you might just want to get a bolster for your back,

Something to support your back and maybe a bolster or a pillow for the knees,

Just placing that underneath the knees for your comfort and self-care.

And you can lie on your back or lie on your side if that's more comfortable for you.

And at times our body temperature can drop for these slightly longer meditations so you might want to have a blanket and also a pillow for the head.

So if you'd like to close your eyes or lower your gaze,

Whatever's most comfortable for you so you can limit those distractions.

And as you get comfortable maybe softening the body wherever you've got tension.

The face,

The jaw,

The shoulders,

The chest,

The belly.

Can you soften and relax any areas you might hold your tension?

And then maybe setting yourself an intention in this practice to bring a warm and friendly curiosity to the sensations in your body in this moment.

And as we go through the practice we'll be noticing the sensations in the body,

Whatever the sensations are or lack of them.

So we're not creating them,

We're not going looking for them and there might be no sensations,

There might be numbness,

That's all okay.

And throughout the practice staying alert and awake as we go through each of the different body parts.

And as you settle maybe feeling the back of the body,

Making contact with the surface that you're resting on.

Just letting yourself be held and supported so that you can relax that little bit more and soften the body and release the tension.

And if you'd like to,

I'll invite you to come to the breath if that's comfortable for you.

And knowing that you can use alternative anchors,

The feet,

The back of the body if that's more comfortable.

So bringing your own awareness to the breath,

The sensations of breathing in and breathing out.

Noticing the movement of the air as you breathe,

Creating movement in your body in this moment.

Not breathing in a particular way,

Just your natural rhythm.

And the breath creating movements in your body.

Not trying to change anything,

Not trying to get rid of anything.

Just noticing the sensations that are here and allowing them to be here.

So perhaps coming to the feet and the toes and starting here because it's the furthest point away from our busy minds.

So can you sense the part of your foot that's making contact with the surface that you're resting on?

So that might be the back of the heels,

The soles of the feet.

So getting a sense of the points of contact with the surface that's supporting your body.

And in the feet there might be tingling,

There might be numbness.

You might be able to notice the temperature of the feet.

The soles of the feet,

The heels,

The toes.

There might be numbness,

Areas like between the toes,

The middle toes,

That's all okay.

Coming to the ankles,

The skin and the bones of the ankles.

Just noticing the sensations,

If any,

That are here.

Just noticing the sensations,

If any,

That are here.

And coming up the lower leg,

So the calves,

The muscles of the calves,

The shins,

The skin of the lower leg.

Sensing temperature,

Maybe sensing the clothing,

Whatever's touching the skin of the lower leg.

And then coming up to the knees,

The kneecap,

The back of the knee.

The thighs,

The front of the thighs,

The back of the thighs,

The sides.

The temperature,

The feel of clothing,

Whatever's touching the skin of the thighs.

And maybe the back of the thighs,

Making contact with that surface that's supporting you.

And coming to the bum and the hips,

The lower back.

Any sensations that might be there in the lower back.

And then coming up the spine,

The middle of the back.

Perhaps you can feel the back of the ribs,

Maybe subtle movements of breathing,

Maybe not.

And coming up to the shoulders,

The shoulder blades,

The tops of the shoulders.

How do your shoulders feel right now?

Are they tense and tight?

Are they relaxed?

Can you soften them anymore?

And then coming from the top of the shoulders,

Down the upper arm,

The elbows,

The lower arm.

Just noticing any sensations in the arms or lack of them.

And every time your mind wanders,

Knowing that is the moment of success,

The moment of mindfulness,

Bringing your focus back to the body part that we're at.

So,

The arms.

Come to the wrists,

The palms,

The fingers,

The fingertips,

The nails.

The back of the fingers,

The back of the hand.

And holding in your awareness the whole of the hand,

Both hands.

And then if you'd like to,

Coming across to the belly.

Are there any sensations that you can notice in the belly right now?

Maybe the movement of the skin as you breathe,

Maybe temperature,

Maybe the feel of your clothing,

Maybe softness,

Maybe tightness,

Maybe churning,

Or maybe relaxed and soft.

So,

Coming up from the belly to the ribs,

Can you feel the movement of the ribs even if it's subtle as you breathe?

The ribs rising and falling at the front and the sides and the back.

And then maybe coming up to the chest,

Letting your chest open and expand.

Letting your lungs fully expand as you breathe.

And then coming up to the neck.

How does your neck feel?

Is the tension,

Is the softness,

Is it numb?

And then coming to the jaw,

The teeth,

The tongue,

The jawbone,

The lips.

Maybe you can feel the air against the lips,

The upper lip,

The lower lip.

Coming to the nostrils,

If you're breathing through your nose,

You might be able to notice the movement of the air in the nostrils.

The cheeks,

Can you feel the air against your cheeks in the room you're in?

The ears,

The eyes,

The eyelids.

The ears,

The eyes,

The eyelids.

The eyebrows,

The gaps between the eyebrows.

The forehead,

The hairline,

The whole of the scalp and the whole of the head.

And then broadening to the whole of the body,

What sensations,

If any,

Can you sense and notice right now in the whole of the head and the body,

The legs?

So all the way from the feet up to the head.

And any sensations from your inner core to your outer skin.

And any sensations from your inner core to your outer skin.

Just holding any sensations that might be here.

And as I bring the practice to a close,

Just noticing how you feel right now,

Your mental state,

Your physical state,

Your emotional state.

How do you feel right now in this moment?

And when you're ready,

Opening your eyes or raising your gaze,

Taking in the room,

The colours,

Your position in the room,

Maybe the window.

And when you're ready,

Transitioning slowly,

Maybe a bit of movement in the body,

The fingers,

The arms,

The feet,

The legs,

Maybe stretching the arms,

The chest,

The back,

The fingers.

And going about the rest of your day.