Body Scan For Pain And Body Acceptance

Hi,

This is Jonathan.

Thank you for joining me today for this body scan meditation.

Let's get started.

I invite you to find a comfortable position,

Either sitting in a chair or a mat or lying down.

And we'll begin by taking two deep breaths through the nose.

And on the last exhale,

Gently close your eyes.

Now,

Allow the breath to return to a normal,

Comfortable pace and become aware of the experience of simply inhabiting your body.

Feel its weight and the pressure below you and know the presence of your body,

That it's safe and stable and relaxed.

And breathe comfortably and easy and move your awareness to your left foot.

Feel its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are there without trying to change anything.

Just observe the left foot from top to bottom and toes to heel.

Now,

Move your focus to your left ankle and feel what it's like to simply have this left ankle.

Observe any physical sensations that are there.

Observe its shape,

Its location and change nothing about it.

Just observe the left ankle from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your focus to your left lower leg,

To your shin and calf muscle and just experience this part of the body.

Observe its location and its shape and its weight.

Observe any physical sensations that are there without trying to change anything.

Just observe the left lower leg from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your focus to your left knee and become aware of the knee and feel having this knee.

Observe any physical sensations that are there.

Observe its shape and its location.

Just observe the knee from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your focus to the left thigh and feel what it's like to simply have a left thigh.

What is here for us to observe?

Experience physical sensations that are there.

Observe its place and its weight and its shape without trying to change anything.

Just observe the left thigh from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Bring your awareness to your right foot and just feel having this foot.

Observe its location and shape.

Observe any physical sensations that are there without trying to change anything.

Just observe the foot from top to bottom and toes to heel.

Now,

Move to your right ankle and feel this part of the body.

Observe its shape and location.

Maybe its temperature.

Observe physical sensations without trying to change anything.

Just feel and observe the right ankle.

Now,

Come up to the right lower leg and feel what it's like to simply experience having this part of the body.

Observe its shape and its location.

And change nothing about it.

And just observe the right lower leg.

Now,

Move your awareness to your right knee and feel what it's like to simply have this part of the body.

Observe its shape and location.

Observe its weight and any physical sensations that are there.

We're not hunting for them.

We're just observing.

And observe this right knee from top to bottom and right to left.

Now,

Move your focus up to the right thigh.

Feel what it's like to simply have a right thigh.

What is here for us to observe?

Physical sensations,

Its shape,

Its location,

Its weight.

Just observe the right thigh from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your awareness into the pelvic region and feel having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are there.

And observe this part of the body from top to bottom,

Left to right.

Now,

Move your awareness to your lower back and feel the lower back.

Observe its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are there,

Outside and inside,

Without trying to change anything.

Just observe the lower back from top to bottom,

Left to right,

And inside to outside.

Move your focus to your upper back and feel having this part of the body.

Feel the shape and location.

Feel it broaden and contract as you breathe.

And observe any physical sensations.

In the upper back,

Without judgment and without trying to change anything.

Just observe the upper back from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Bring your awareness around to your chest and feel and observe this part of the body.

Observe its shape,

Its location,

Maybe its movement as you breathe.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without trying to change anything.

And just observe the chest from left to right and top to bottom.

Move your awareness to your stomach.

Experience having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

Observe its movement as you breathe.

And observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without judgment,

Without reaction.

And without trying to change anything.

Just observe the stomach from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Bring your awareness to your left shoulder and feel having this part of the body.

Observe its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without judgment and without trying to change anything.

Just observe the left shoulder from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your awareness to your left upper arm and feel having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

Feel the muscles of the bicep and the tricep.

And observe any physical sensations that are here.

Just observe the left upper arm from top to bottom.

Now,

Move your awareness to your left elbow and feel this part of the body.

Observe its shape and its location.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without judgment and without trying to change anything.

Just experience and observe the left elbow.

Now,

Move your awareness down to your left forearm and feel this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

And observe any physical sensations that are here.

And just observe the left forearm from top to bottom and left to right.

Now,

Move your awareness into your left wrist and feel this joint.

Feel its location and its shape.

Feel the surface and any physical sensations that are there.

And observe your left wrist,

Without judgment,

From top to bottom and left to right.

And now bring your awareness to your left hand and feel this part of the body.

Observe its shape and location.

Observe the palm,

The fingers,

The thumb,

And the back of the hand.

And observe this part of the body from left to right and top to bottom.

And now bring your awareness to your right shoulder and feel having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are there,

Without trying to change anything.

Just observe the right shoulder from top to bottom and left to right.

Now move your awareness down to your right upper arm and observe this part of the body.

Its shape,

Its location.

The muscles.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without judgment and without trying to change anything.

Just observe the right upper arm.

Now move your awareness down into your right elbow and observe this part of the body.

Observe its shape and location.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without trying to change anything.

Just observe the right elbow.

Now move your focus to your right forearm and feel this part of the body.

Experience the muscles and the skin.

Observe any physical sensations that are here,

Without judging or trying to change anything.

Just observe the right forearm from top to bottom and left to right.

And move your awareness down into your right wrist and feel this part of the body.

What's here for us to observe?

Feel the skin and the shape and the location.

And just observe the right wrist.

And now move down into the right hand.

The palm,

The fingers,

The thumb,

And the back of the hand.

Observe its location and its shape and its weight.

And just observe the right hand.

And now bring your awareness up to the neck and feel having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

And observe any physical sensations that are here.

In the skin.

In the vertebra.

Without trying to change anything.

Just observe the neck from top to bottom and left to right.

Now move the focus up to the face.

And feel having this part of the body.

Feel its shape and location.

And observe sensations in the jaw and the lips and the cheeks and the eye sockets and the eyes and the eyebrows and the forehead.

And observe any physical sensations that are here.

Without judgment and without trying to change anything.

Just observe the face from top to bottom and left to right.

And now move your focus to the scalp and the back of the head.

And feel these parts of the body.

Feel their shape and location.

And observe any physical sensations that are here.

And continue observing the scalp and the back of the head from top to bottom and left to right.

And now bring your awareness down to the breath.

Wherever you feel it the strongest.

In the belly,

In the chest,

Or the tip of the nose.

And keep your focus anchored here for a few moments.

As you allow thoughts to come and go.

Allow distraction to come and go.

And just gently feel and observe the breath.

Now bring your focus back to the body.

Feel the whole body.

Feel the weight of the body.

The sense of gravity and the pressure below you.

Just know the presence of the body.

And that it's safe and stable and relaxed.

And let's bring a little movement to the body.

By moving our toes and our fingers.

And the muscles of the face and the neck.

And take a few deep breaths.

And when you're ready,

Gently open your eyes.

Thank you.