Begin by making yourself comfortable.
Sit in a chair and allow your back to be straight,
But not stiff,
With your feet on the ground.
You could also do this practice standing,
Or if you prefer,
You can lie down and have your head supported.
Your hands can be resting gently in your lap or at your side.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in,
Breathing in fully and exhale fully.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.
Feel your stomach expand on an inhale and relax.
Let go as you exhale.
Begin to let go of noises around you.
Begin the shift of the tension from outside to inside yourself.
If you are distracted by sounds in the room,
Simply notice this and bring your focus back to your breathing.
On the next out breath,
Shift your focus and shift your tension to the scalp,
Head and face.
Observe all of the sensation around your eyes.
Relax your nose,
Relax your ears and your lips.
Feel the sensation of the skin.
Notice the movement of the air as you breathe into or out of the nose or mouth.
As you exhale,
You might notice the softening of any tension you might be holding.
And then on the next out breath,
Shift focus to the neck and throat region.
This is an area where we often have tension.
Be with the sensations here.
Continue to breathe and shift the focus and bring your awareness down into your shoulders.
You may notice your shoulders moving with the breath.
Let go of any thoughts or stories you are telling about this area.
As you breathe,
You may feel tension rolling off your shoulders.
Let's take a deep breath in and out fully.
Bring your focus to your arms and hands.
Relax everything to the tips of your fingers.
Observe the sensations or lack of sensations that might be occurring there.
You might notice some difference between the left and the right.
No need to judge this.
As you exhale,
You may experience the arms soften and release tensions.
Now slowly bring your tension to your chest.
Feel the expansion and contraction of the chest.
Low with the breath is peaceful and comfortable.
Relax your back and belly.
Low with it.
Feel the air go into your belly.
Let's take a deep breath in and breathe out fully.
Begin observing sensations in your hip and thigh.
Observe the sensations you are experiencing throughout your legs.
Breathe into and breathe out of your legs.
Feel your toes against your socks or shoes.
Just notice without judgment.
You might imagine sending your breath down to your feet as if the breath is traveling through the nose to the lungs and through the abdomen all the way down to the feet.
And then back up again out through your nose and lungs.
Perhaps you don't feel anything at all.
That's fine.
Just allow yourself to feel the sensation of not feeling anything.
When you're ready,
Allow your feet to dissolve in your mind's eye and move your attention up to your ankles,
Calves and knees.
If you notice any discomfort,
Pain or stiffness,
Don't judge this.
Just simply notice it.
Observe how all sensations rise and fall,
Shift and change movement to movement.
Notice how the sensation is permanent.
Just observe and allow the sensations to be in the moment,
Just as they are.
Breathe into and out from the legs.
And now let your attention to expand out to include the entire body as a whole.
Bring your awareness to the top of your head down to the bottom of your toes.
Feel the gentle rhythm of the breath as it moves through the body.
As you come to the end of this practice,
Take a full deep breath in and exhale fully.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and return your attention to the present moment.
This is the end of the body scan meditation.
Thank you for joining me today.
Namaste.
