This is a body scan meditation.
Here we're looking to build interoceptive awareness,
Which is a fancy term for knowing what's going on inside the body.
We're bringing a sense of curiosity to what is present without judgment or an agenda.
Finding a comfortable seat and bringing attention to the feeling of the body sitting.
The feet on the floor,
Legs on the chair.
Closing your eyes or lowering your gaze,
Whatever is more comfortable for you.
Taking a deeper than normal in-breath with an audible exhale to mark the transition into formal practice.
And allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
And stretching up on the in-breath and settling in on the out-breath.
One more time,
Stretching up and settling in.
Now bringing attention to the whole body sitting.
Kindly,
Curiously,
Non-judgmentally noticing what's present without trying to change it.
Now shifting your awareness to the left foot.
Noticing the raw sensory data entering awareness from the foot.
Pressure from the floor,
Tingling,
Perhaps numbness.
Moving to your lower left leg.
And sliding attention up to the knee,
Noticing any tightness.
Now attending to your upper left leg,
Noticing the pressure of the chair,
The touch of clothes.
Sliding attention across your hips and down the right leg to the right foot.
Noticing the sensations present in the foot.
Being aware of the difference between experiencing raw sensory data and thinking about the foot.
And if you find yourself lost in thoughts about the foot,
Future life plans,
Or anything else for that matter,
Gently redirecting your attention back to the sensations present in the right foot.
Shifting attention to your lower right leg.
The right knee.
Your right upper leg.
And if your mind wanders,
Noticing the wandering,
And shepherding the mind back to the sensations in the right upper leg.
Pressure,
Tingling,
Whatever is present right now.
Shifting the spotlight of attention to the pelvis,
Noticing what is present.
Moving to the low back,
Paying attention to any discomfort without immediately trying to change it.
Bringing awareness to sensations in your upper back,
Tightness,
Ease,
And noticing what happens when bringing attention to sensations without immediately trying to change them.
Shifting attention to your left hand.
Left forearm.
Your left elbow.
And moving to your left upper arm.
Now shifting awareness to your right hand.
Right forearm.
Your right elbow.
And now your right upper arm.
Moving to the shoulders and the neck,
Noticing any tension that might be present without immediately trying to change it.
Shifting to the back of the head,
Noticing any sensations present there.
The top of the head.
Bringing awareness to the face,
Noticing any places where you may be holding tension,
And noticing what happens when you bring awareness to this tension.
Shifting your attention to your chest now.
And sliding down to your abdomen,
The stomach,
Noticing the movement of the breath,
Digestion,
Hunger,
Whatever else might be occurring right now.
Resting attention broadly on the body as a whole now.
Noticing whatever sensory data is present.
And now taking one deeper than normal in-breath.
And with an audible exhale,
Opening the eyes,
And raising the gaze,
And orienting to the room around you.
Taking a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to practice today.
Nice work.
See you back here tomorrow.
