Hello,
My name is Styramanus and this is a 20 minute body awareness practice that we'll be doing.
So to get yourself ready I'd suggest finding somewhere quiet where you're unlikely to be disturbed.
And you could probably leave your phone somewhere else unless you're listening to this on your phone,
In which case maybe turn it on to aeroplane mode.
You'll also want to find somewhere you can sit,
Probably not a sofa or something that you're going to slouch back into,
But maybe a chair where you can plant your feet firmly on the ground and sit forward and upright and alert,
Where you'll also be comfortable for 20 minutes.
So why don't you pause this and get yourself ready and then we'll carry on.
So the real value of cultivating body awareness is that it gives you perspective on what's going on with your mind.
So by deliberately and repeatedly turning your attention to the direct experience of physical sensations in the body,
You step out of the usual patterns of your mind,
The usual stuff that's running through your mind,
Whether that's planning what you're going to do later or worrying,
Ruminating about something that's bothering you or fantasising about something,
Whatever it is,
The usual stuff and nonsense of the mind,
It just enables you just to step out of that and into something much more immediate and much more real.
So let's give that a go.
So you can begin just by closing your eyes.
And notice the weight of your body as it rests on the seat.
And the firmness,
The support of the seat coming up to meet it.
Just letting go of the weight of your body and sitting upright and alert.
Letting your body and your mind just start to settle down.
And you can turn your awareness to the sensations of your feet on the floor.
So you don't need to think about your feet.
You don't need to try and cultivate a mental image of your feet.
You don't even need to use the word feet.
Just trying to tune in as you would with your ear when you're listening to music,
Just with the touch sense to the direct experience of those sensations in your feet.
Sensations of pressure on the floor.
Any differences in temperature between the soles and the tops of the feet.
Any sensations around your ankles.
And even inside your feet.
The array of changing sensations across that whole area of your feet.
And drawing your awareness up to your lower leg.
The muscle of your calf,
Your shins up to your knees.
What does that feel like?
You might find that in some areas you don't feel very much.
And that's fine.
Just see what that feels like to not feel very much.
As you tune into the sensations in your lower leg.
And now becoming aware of your upper leg,
Your thighs,
Your buttocks,
Your waist.
The contact with the seat.
You might notice the textures of the clothes that you're wearing.
Some places might be tighter,
Others looser.
Some warmer,
Other cooler.
Really focusing in on the subtle sensations of your clothing on your legs.
And feeling into the sensations inside that large area of the thighs and the buttocks.
Again you don't need to picture all the muscles and the bones,
All that.
You might experience it more just as an area of energy.
Notice what that's like.
What are the qualities of that area?
Perhaps there's some sense of movement.
You might even notice a subtle sense of tightness or gripping.
You don't need to try and do anything about that.
Just notice what that feels like.
And if you notice that relaxing at all,
Then what does that feel like?
And bringing your awareness up into your belly.
All the area of sensations in your belly.
Sometimes we're slightly sucking our bellies in,
Slightly sort of clenching.
But you don't need to do that now.
And turning your awareness to the whole area of your back.
Noticing the sensations in your lower back of holding up your body.
All the way up to the shoulders.
And it's such a strong habit to hold your shoulders up close to your ears.
And you could just notice if you're doing that at all.
And see if you can let them just melt with your shoulder blades down your back.
Aware of the breadth of sensations across your back.
And now turning your attention into the space in your chest.
This whole area inside your chest.
Particularly the sensations right at the heart of that area.
And just see if you can notice not what you think you should feel there.
But what you actually feel in that area.
And just welcoming whatever's there.
Just becoming interested in it.
And noticing the weight of your arms.
All down past your elbows.
All the way to your hands as they rest on your lap.
And just notice all the subtlety of sensation in your hands.
All the detail.
Across the palms of your hands.
Any warmth or cool.
Your fingers all the way to your fingertips.
And any sensations,
Any tingling,
Any movement through the whole of your hands.
What's that like?
And bringing your awareness to your neck.
Your throat.
And your head mounted at the top of your neck.
Noticing any sensations across your scalp and your forehead.
See if you're bunching up your eyebrows at all.
Or holding on in your cheeks or your eyes.
Your jaw.
Or your tongue in your mouth.
And just take an interest in all the sensations across your face.
The contact of the air.
Any slight movement.
And now expanding your awareness to fill the whole of your body.
Your face and your neck.
Your chest.
Your belly.
Your hands.
Stretching out your awareness.
Through your upper legs.
Lower legs.
And all the way to your feet.
As you sit here.
Just breathing.
With a broad awareness of your body.
And in a moment,
You can open your eyes.
And just take a few moments to look around.
And stay sitting still.
Before you carry on with your day.
Thank you.
