Deep Sensory Body Scan

Deep Sensory Body Scan by Kirsten Dossel,

Still Potential.

We begin this session in standing and then move to your position of comfort.

Have your space ready with the supports that you may require,

Perhaps a pillow or a light cover.

Start in your usual posture.

If you had to describe how you felt physically now,

What words would you use?

Perhaps one area of your body is drawing your attention.

You may notice pain or hunger or perhaps you feel neutral.

Maybe you feel relaxed and strong or tired.

Is there an overall sense or can you notice different sensations from different areas?

Often our body language vocabulary and awareness of sensations is quite limited.

Of course being able to lessen the volume of our body's voice is useful.

We don't really want to be aware of that annoying shirt tag all day.

However,

In our modern mind focus world,

Some people have come to realise that they feel quite disconnected from their body.

This routine will help you to open the lines of communication to this your body.

As you practice tuning into your body,

You will also begin to notice the subtle or not so subtle changes that occur with your different emotions and thoughts.

Begin by noticing your base,

The position of your feet,

The areas that have contact and pressure,

The difference between right and left.

Are your feet comfortable?

Continue to scan up your body now and observe generally for comfort or discomfort.

If it is not uncomfortable,

It's comfortable.

This is a surprise for some people.

If you notice discomfort,

Observe it more closely.

Is it sharp or dull?

Is there a relation to temperature?

Perhaps moving a sense of tingliness or throbbing?

Is it itchy?

Achey?

Stabbing?

Aim to notice these sensations in an open,

Curious and non-judgmental manner.

Simply accept them as they are.

You don't have to like them or want them.

You are just noticing them with interest.

Now move to your position of comfort.

If there were parts that were uncomfortable,

Aim to position yourself in a way to ease discomfort and support comfort.

This may take a little moving around and as always,

Please do make changes to your position if you notice discomfort through the session.

Sitting or lying now,

You are ready to transition into this time of rest and observation.

Notice your breath.

Empty your lungs fully,

Helping a little with firming of the tummy muscles as you breathe out.

And now take a couple of deeper breath cycles.

Noticing the sensation of stretch and expansion with your breath in and the sensation of release and let go with your breath out.

We are focusing now on the sensations that you recognise both from external stimulation,

For example temperature and the touch of your clothing,

And also from the sensations from internal awareness.

Should you notice sensations that are unpleasant,

Seek to adjust and accommodate to achieve relaxation and pleasure.

The benefit of enhancing this awareness is an improved ability to care for and nurture and respect your body.

An example of this is awareness during eating a meal.

Tuning in to noticing when you are satisfied allows you to avoid overeating.

Noticing an ache in muscles allows you to change position.

Becoming aware that a sensation is pleasurable invites in a sense of gratitude and joy.

Often our emotional state is accompanied by a physical sensation,

So the more we can speak our body's language,

The more literate we can become in understanding our emotions and feelings.

Place your awareness on your scalp.

Begin by noticing the external sensations such as temperature,

Pressure and then other sensations from the internal noticing.

If you are comfortable,

Words such as soft,

Open,

Light and sparkly may feel appropriate.

If you notice a sensation that you would rate as discomfort,

Explore it more.

Tight,

Stuck,

Throbbing,

Perhaps heavy.

Can you breathe ease and release into this area?

Soothe your scalp.

Move your awareness to your face.

Include here your jaw and forehead.

Notice the external sensations,

Temperature,

Position.

Then rate the overall sensory experience.

Pleasurable or not?

If it is pleasurable,

Rest into that sensation fully.

Enjoy the feeling of your face,

Jaw and forehead.

If the sensations are not pleasure or neutral,

Describe in more detail the discomfort.

Taut,

Stingy,

Itchy,

Tender,

Numb.

Again caress this area with your soothing attention.

You may picture light flowing easily around your face and jaw.

Move to your neck.

Notice the obvious senses of pressure and touch.

Then assess your neck.

Is it pain free or painful?

Perhaps it's neutral,

Which I register as pain free.

Breathe a lightening and fluid sensation into your neck.

Should your neck feel painful,

Peel away the layers.

What is the pain made of?

Perhaps it feels throbbing or burning,

Blocked or thick.

Offer your gentle non-judgmental attention to your neck.

Can you move to a position that offers more comfort for your neck?

Drop your awareness to your shoulders.

The same routine.

Notice the external sensations of temperature,

Touch and pressure.

And from the inside,

Pleasure or pain.

If you have pain or discomfort,

Open that sensation of pain.

What makes up that sensation?

Perhaps it feels closed,

Hard,

Brittle,

Stretched,

Bruised.

Bring a sense of compassion and kindness to your shoulders.

Take a load off being shoulders in your body.

If your shoulders feel good,

Unpack that.

Is there a sense of feeling supple,

Firm,

Loose or rested?

Notice now your arms and hands.

Register the position and the temperature and the pressure.

And now observe the sensations from your internal awareness.

Comfortable arms may feel strong,

Flexible.

The hands may feel sensitive.

Enjoy the feeling of your arms and hands.

Should you notice painful sensations,

Look at the detail.

Is there burning,

Stabbing?

Perhaps they feel shaky,

Stuck or stiff?

Slide your awareness to your chest.

From the shoulder blades at the back through to the front chest,

Breast area.

How is this area receiving sensation right now?

On the pleasure scale you may notice soft,

Open,

Light,

Energised or spacious sensations.

Should you have discomfort here,

Examine it.

What are its more specific aspects?

Perhaps constricted,

Quivery,

Cramping,

Wobbly or blocked?

Breathe into your shoulder blades and feel the expansion spread through your whole chest.

Stay with the movement and opening of breath.

Notice the softening and release as the air flows and releases,

Fluid and easy.

Notice the length of your spine.

There may be varied sensations as you travel the full length of your spine.

Enjoy the areas of comfort.

They may register as clear,

Alive,

Flexible.

Notice the areas that you have allocated to discomfort.

What sensations describe that more clearly?

Pinching,

Pulsing,

Tender,

Blocked?

In your mind's eye,

Soothe and calm and extend kindness to your back.

You may need to move to create more comfort.

Do so.

Respect the messages that your body is communicating to you.

Slide your awareness to your trunk and organs.

You can feel the movement of your belly as you breathe.

How do you rate your sensory feedback from this area?

This is what you can feel,

Not what you think or have an opinion of in this area of the trunk.

This is non-judgmental awareness.

Within comfort and pleasure you may notice a sense of soft,

Smooth,

Luminous,

Sensual.

If you perceive pain in any grade here,

How can you observe it more closely?

Is it nausea?

A sense of congested,

Taut,

Stabbing?

Bring a sense of gratitude to your organs.

Be consciously grateful for your organs that function in the way that they do.

Thank you,

Heart,

Lungs,

Stomach,

Liver,

Gut.

Usually these organs work away without us even noticing.

Bring a sense of gratitude to your trunk and organs.

Sense them absorbing your genuine gratitude and thanks.

Drop your awareness to your pelvis.

Then notice the sensations of pressure,

Support,

Temperature,

Texture.

If you rate your pelvis as comfortable,

You may register sensations of grounded,

Stable,

Supportive.

What are your details of discomfort sensations?

Pulsing,

Stinging,

Bloated,

Wooden.

Breathe and caress your pelvis with attention,

Noticing the detail of discomfort and giving time to this sensation in an open and curious manner.

No judgement.

Breathe in a swirling light.

See this light swirling around the bowl of the pelvis.

Clearing,

Cleansing.

Slide your awareness to your legs.

Notice as before the sensations of position and temperature,

Pressure.

And then notice the sensations from your internal organs of the legs.

Neutral we allocate as pain-free.

So rest into the luxury of pain-free legs.

Sense a joy at the experience of being pain-free in your legs.

You may sense your legs as strong,

Flexible,

Toned,

Supportive.

Should you be experiencing pain,

Look more closely.

What do you feel?

Brittle,

Throbbing,

Stretched,

Contracted or perhaps numb.

Delineate this area of that sensation and let it be.

Allow it to be there.

Make space for that sensation.

In making space for that sensation,

You may observe that it tends to lessen.

Notice your feet now.

Observe the obvious senses.

Then for each foot,

Allocate pleasure or pain.

The sensation of pleasure may feel alive,

Tingly,

Flexible.

Should there be pain,

Seek to know it better.

Is it an ache or a jab?

Perhaps a sensation of sluggishness.

Place your full,

Compassionate attention on your feet.

Without judgement,

Accept them just as they are.

Send your feet gratitude for their function.

Return your awareness to your breath and allow your attention to fade from your body sensation.

Allow your mind to be free as you contemplate these words.

Soft,

Spacious,

Comfortable,

Flowing,

Fluid,

Ease,

Strength,

Flexibility.

Grounded,

Liquid,

Clear,

Smooth,

Enlivened,

Healthy,

Luminous.

Pleasurable,

Sensual,

Grateful.

Rest into that stillness,

The sensation of ease and gratitude.

Notice the gentle tide of your breath.

Notice the overall sensation through your body.

Gently send gratitude to your whole body.

Just feel it moving with breath.

On the top of your head,

Gently flowing over your whole body.

Gratefulness,

Gratitude.

And then drawing in a little deeper breath as you begin to transition from this session.

Enjoying that sensation of a deeper breath.

Begin to move.

Notice the pleasure of the small movements.

Extend those smaller movements to larger pleasurable movements of stretch.

Open your eyes.

Notice the other sensations of the room around you.

And take with you that sense of observation,

That increased awareness of your body language as you move into the rest of your day.