Body Scan Relaxation

This is a body scan relaxation exercise.

If you like,

Close your eyes and find a comfortable position.

Somewhere where you can really rest for the next 15 minutes.

And let's start by taking five deep breaths.

And you can breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.

And expand your ribs,

Expand your chest,

Fill your whole upper body with air.

Throughout this exercise,

Every time you get distracted,

Every time your mind is taking you somewhere else,

It's perfectly fine.

But try to notice it and gently let it go.

We can't stop our mind from thinking,

But we can try to let the thoughts go.

Bring your attention to all those points where your body is in contact with the chair.

So your feet touching the chair,

The back of your legs,

Your buttocks,

Your back,

Your arms,

Shoulders,

The back of your head.

Bringing the attention to the sensation of your body touching the chair.

We're now going to scan our bodies for any signs of tension or discomfort.

With some parts of your body,

It might be really obvious,

While other parts of your body might feel neutral.

There is no right or wrong way to feel.

We're not judging,

We're not analyzing,

We're simply observing.

Starting from the top of your head,

Your forehead,

Your eyes,

The area behind your eyes,

Your eyebrows,

Eyelashes,

Your nose and your cheeks.

Remember every time your mind is taking you somewhere else outside of this exercise,

Of this room,

It's perfectly fine.

Notice it,

But gently try to come back to the point of focus.

And while scanning the body,

If you notice any signs of tension or discomfort,

Try to relax a little.

Bring the attention to your jaw,

Your lips,

Your tongue,

Back of your head,

Back of your neck,

Your throat.

Scanning for any signs of tension or discomfort.

Your collarbones and your chest.

Your shoulders,

Arms,

Elbows.

Down to your wrists and your hands.

All the way to the tips of your fingers.

Your upper back,

Your middle back,

Your ribs.

Down to your belly,

Your lower back and your pelvis.

Your hips,

Your buttocks and your thighs.

Your knees,

Your shins,

Your ankles and your feet.

If there is a place in your body where you could sense tension,

Discomfort,

Focus on that part of your body for a moment.

And try to imagine that you're breathing into that part of your body.

Consciously direct your breath to that area.

As if you were expanding your body from the inside.

If you like,

You can place your hand over that part of the body and imagine you're breathing into your hand.

Noticing your hand rising and falling.

Every time you're breathing in,

You're expanding and you're breathing out the tension.

Breathing in relaxation.

Breathing out tension.

Breathing in spaciousness.

Breathing out tightness.

Relax your jaw.

Relax your eyes.

Relax your neck.

Relax your belly.

Imagine that you're sinking in.

Imagine that you're sinking into the chair.

You fully support it.

Try to let go of all the things that you need to do later today and all the things that happened earlier before you got here.

Let go of the future and let go of the past.

Be fully present in the here and now.

So that you can truly rest.

Think of a place where you can truly relax.

A physical place where you rest.

Bring it to your attention for a moment.

What can you see?

What does this space look like?

What's in front of you?

What's behind you?

What's above you?

If you're sitting or standing,

What can you feel underneath your feet?

What can you touch with your hands?

What can you smell?

Is it warm?

Is there a breeze?

What can you sense?

Can you hear any sounds?

Maybe it's someone's voice.

Maybe it's the sound of the sea.

Maybe it's the sound of the burning fire.

And just rest in that place for a moment.

When you're ready,

Bring your attention back to your breath.

And just notice your breathing.

Where does it sit in your body?

What is the quality of your breath right now?

Bring the attention to your legs touching the chair,

Your back touching the chair,

Your arms resting on your legs,

Maybe touching one another.

Let's take three deeper breaths.

Breathing in through your nose and breathing out through your mouth.

Every time you breathe out,

Let go of the tension.

Let go of the worrying.

Let go of the planning.

Let go of looking back.

Taking a moment to recharge,

To rest,

To calm your mind so that you can see clearly.

So that you can engage with the world in a positive way.

So that you can make the right choices and the right decisions.

Gently moving your fingers.

Moving your toes.

And slowly,

Slowly coming back to the room.

Maybe stretching out.

Maybe shifting your head from side to side.

Waking up.

In your own time,

Opening the eyes and coming back to the room.