The body scan.
The body scan invites us to make contact with the body,
To inhabit the body fully.
It invites us to gently move our attention around the body,
Holding each part of the body in non-judgmental awareness.
As we do this we are developing our capacity to pay sustained attention with openness,
Care and kindness.
As we pay attention in this way,
We may also discover a special flavor of awareness,
One of gentleness and curiosity.
We can do the body scan anywhere,
Sitting or lying down.
We may find it helpful to close our eyes,
But do feel free to keep them open if you prefer,
Or to open them at any time during the practice if that feels right and helpful.
Also do feel free to change posture during the practice.
If you are lying down and you need to sit or stand up,
Sit or stand up.
If you are sitting and you need to lie down,
Do lie down.
Beginning now by taking a moment to bring awareness to the whole body breathing,
Sitting or lying here.
Noticing the contact point of the body with the surface you are sitting or lying on.
Sensing the earth beneath.
Feeling the whole body being held by the earth.
If you are lying down you might want to lie in a semi supine position with your feet flat on the floor and your knees pointing to the ceiling.
To make this position even more stable you can also lean your knees against each other.
This way of lying down is easy on your lower back and also helps your whole body to stay alert and awake.
On each out breath we can allow the body to give its weight fully up to gravity.
Then gently taking the attention to the feet in contact with the ground.
Noticing to sense any bodily sensations here with an open,
Kind and curious attitude.
Are they pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral?
What can you notice here in the feet?
You may sense a tingly feeling and that feels pleasant.
Or you may feel an ache or pain and that feels unpleasant.
Or you may not feel very much at all.
That's okay.
Then that's the experience right now.
And now slowly moving up the ankles.
Resting the awareness in the ankles.
What do they feel like?
From the ankles moving up the lower legs.
The calves and shin bones.
What's happening here?
If the mind has wandered off that's okay.
It's what the mind does.
Everything that the mind has wandered off is a great moment of awareness.
A moment we can appreciate and then bringing the attention back to the body.
Moving further up now into the thighs.
Taking a moment to explore any bodily sensations here.
Maybe there's a tingly feeling.
Maybe some tension.
And now gently guiding the awareness into the pelvis,
Buttocks and hip area.
What do you notice?
Taking the attention now to the belly.
You may want to place your hands on the belly to the left and right of the navel.
And feeling the breath in the palms of the hands with each in and out breath.
What does it feel like to sense the breath in the palms of the hands?
Again if the mind has wandered off it's okay.
We can notice it and then bring the attention back to the belly.
To the gentle rising and falling of the breath in the belly.
Simply guiding the awareness now through the solar plexus,
The soft part just beneath the ribcage and into the chest and heart area.
Sensing for what's here.
You may feel a tightness or pressure here in the chest.
Or you may feel the heart beating.
Or you may sense spaciousness,
Softness.
Coming around the shoulders now down the upper arms.
Lower arms and the hands,
Palms,
Back of the hands,
Fingers,
Fingertips.
Are the hands soft and relaxed or tense,
Tingly,
Chilly or warm?
And now gently moving the awareness into the lower back.
What does it feel like?
Often we hold tension or pain here.
If that's the case we can breathe in being aware of the tension here in the lower back.
Feeling it in the body and on the out breath finding ease and release.
And now from the lower back moving the awareness along the spine,
Following its natural curve.
The middle back,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades.
Moving the awareness now into the throat and neck.
What are some bodily sensations here?
Does the throat feel constrained,
Sore or open?
What does it feel like when you swallow?
Simply now beginning to feel sensations around the head,
The back of the head,
The crown of the head,
The ears,
The forehead and the face,
The eyes,
Nose,
Lips,
The jaws.
If there's tension in the jaws you may want to gently move the jaws from side to side.
Releasing.
Letting go.
Soft forehead,
Soft eyes,
Soft lips.
Soft face.
What happens to the rest of the body when the face is soft?
Now gently broadening the awareness to include the whole body breathing.
Bringing an awareness of the whole body breathing.
Very slowly now bringing the body scan to a close.
Beginning to move the body,
The toes,
Feet,
Fingers,
Hands,
Stretching the shoulders a little.
If you're lying down and when you're ready gently rolling to one side.
Resting here for a few breaths or as long as you like.
Or gently coming up into sitting,
Standing.
Taking some time to transition to whatever's coming next.
