A thank-you note to the body.
This meditation blends gratitude with compassion in the form of a body scan.
You are invited to move gently through the body with awareness,
Appreciation,
And kindness.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position either lying down or seated and allow your eyes to softly close.
Take a few slow,
Deep breaths.
You might feel a stretch in the chest with the in-breath and maybe a sense of ease in your out-breath.
Take another slow breath in through the nose,
Drawing the breath all the way into the belly.
As you exhale,
Empty your breath.
Now allow your breath to settle into a natural rhythm.
Allow the body to soften.
And let this moment be a moment to bring your precious attention inward,
Keeping in mind that your attention is precious,
Valuable,
And very healing,
And we so easily give it away.
We'll make this meditation a thank-you note to the body.
So often we approach our bodies with critique,
Noticing what hurts,
What we wish were different,
But right now we're choosing something different.
We're choosing to thank this body,
Not because it's perfect or that we've reached all of our goals with our health and well-being,
But because it's ours and our companion in this lifetime.
So we'll send gratitude to different parts of the body,
And as we do,
We'll invite in a sense of compassion.
And you can even imagine this compassion being a golden light of warmth and ease gently flowing through your body.
Now let's bring the attention to the crown of the head.
The scalp.
The forehead.
The space between the eyebrows.
Noticing the variety of sensations.
And soften the crown of the head,
The scalp,
The forehead,
And the space between the eyebrows.
And now add a silent thank you to this part of the body.
Thank you for thoughts,
For dreaming,
For planning,
Learning.
And add a thank you for organizing time to take care for yourself and for others.
Imagine the space being bathed in golden light,
Soft,
Warm,
And healing.
And now let's move our attention to the eyes,
The temples,
The muscles in the face.
Allow all expression to relax from the face and be at ease.
Now add a silent thank you for all you've seen.
The faces of loved ones,
Past and present.
Places in nature you've seen.
And allow that golden light to soften the space around the eyes and all the muscles in the face.
And now let's bring our attention to the jaw,
The mouth,
The tongue,
An area that governs speech and communication.
And let's add a silent thank you to this part of the body.
Thank you for speech,
For taste,
For laughter.
Let compassion flow into this space,
Untying any tension that might be held here.
And now let's bring our awareness to the throat and neck area.
Soften the throat,
The neck.
Add a silent thank you for all the words spoken and unspoken.
Any moments that you spoke up for yourself or for others,
And perhaps any mistakes that you've learned from.
And let's bathe this area in golden light and compassion.
And now let's move our attention to the shoulders where we can carry so much.
Allow your shoulders to soften any amount more.
And add a silent thank you for bearing weight,
For reaching,
For holding.
Allow your shoulders to relax any amount more.
And let warmth fill the joints,
The muscles of this part of the body.
And now let's move our attention down the arms,
Elbows,
The wrists and hands.
Soften these parts of the body.
And add a silent thank you to these parts of the body for all the ways they create,
Connect,
Comfort,
And carry.
Imagine a golden light pouring down from the shoulders all the way into the fingertips.
And now bring your attention to your upper back,
Your chest,
And into your heart space.
And with your next inhalation,
Feeling an expansion in this part of the body as you take a nice slow breath in.
And as you exhale,
See if you can soften the heart space any amount more.
And let's add a silent thank you here to the heart for beating,
For keeping the body moving forward,
For feeling,
For loving and for healing.
And invite in a feeling of warmth and gentle compassion in this part of the body.
Now move your attention into the lower back and the belly,
An area that can be known for intuition and strength.
And we can add a silent thank you for digestion,
For insight,
And for softening.
Soften your softness.
Soften your belly.
And let this area be bathed in a warm,
Glowing light.
And now let's bring the attention into the hips and pelvis,
An area that can keep us stable when life gets unpredictable.
And see if you can soften this part of the body any amount more,
Relaxing deep inside of the hips.
Add a silent thank you to this part of the body.
Thank you for grounding me,
For holding emotion,
For helping me move and stay grounded.
Feel that warm,
Golden light here,
Steady,
Anchoring.
And now bring your attention to the thighs,
The knees,
The calves.
Add a silent thank you for strength,
For support,
For forward movement and resilience.
And finally,
The ankles,
Feet,
And toes.
Silent thank you for carrying me through this life.
Allow this golden beam of light to travel all the way down into your soles,
The soles of the feet.
And now expand your attention to include the entire body as you rest here,
From head to toe,
Held in a golden light,
Held in gratitude and care and compassion.
Use this moment as a simple thank you note to your body.
Your home,
Your companion.
Add a final thank you to the body for continuing even when it's hard.
Thank you for all you do day after day.
And let this feeling of warmth and appreciation linger in your awareness.
Let it be something you return to,
Not just in meditation,
But in the quiet moments of daily life.
And when you're ready,
Begin to deepen your breath.
Wiggle fingers,
Wiggle toes.
And when it feels right,
Slowly open your eyes.
I hope this meditation is something you come back to,
A place where you can return again and again for a moment of gratitude and compassion.
A moment to simply return home to your body,
Your companion for your lifetime.
