Everyday Body Scan

The body scan.

Taking a moment to settle into a place where you will be comfortable and undisturbed.

Lying down if possible.

And if it's comfortable for you,

Allowing your eyes to gently close.

Then taking a few moments to bring your attention into the body.

Getting a sense of the positioning of the body.

Especially the sensations of touch or pressure where the body makes contact with the surface.

Feel yourself being held and supported by the surface you are on.

Taking a few breaths,

Allowing yourself to settle and welcoming yourself into this moment.

And reminding yourself that the intention of this practice is to be aware of your experience as it is unfolding.

However it is.

It is not to change the way you are feeling or to become more relaxed or calmer.

It is to bring awareness to any and all sensations or lack of sensations in the body.

As you systematically move your focus to each part of the body in turn.

Simply noticing what is there.

You may notice sensations such as tingling,

Lightness,

Heaviness,

Itchiness,

Warmth,

Coolness,

Pressure,

Pulsing.

A whole array of sensations as they appear and disappear and change.

Our work is simply to be aware of the sensations that are there and give them space to be exactly as they are.

Being curious about the sensations as if you were noticing them for the first time.

And now coming gently to notice the breath.

Feeling the sensations of breath as it enters and leaves the body.

Perhaps noticing the rise and fall of the abdomen with each cycle of the breath.

Feeling the movement and rhythm of the breath from moment to moment.

And remembering as you do the body scan that you can return to the breath at any time if emotions or sensations in the body become too uncomfortable.

A safe place to rest your attention until you are ready to venture again into the body scan.

And when you are ready,

Directing your attention to the top of your head.

Observing any sensations there.

Perhaps noting tingling or pressure or tightness or perhaps sensing nothing at all.

Allowing yourself to feel whatever you feel.

Then expanding your attention to the back of the head,

The sides of the head,

The entire scalp.

Noticing the sensations that are there.

Then becoming aware of sensations in the forehead,

The temples,

The eyes,

The muscles around the eyes.

And when it feels right,

Moving to the cheeks.

Aware of the bones and the muscles of the cheeks.

Then becoming aware of the nose,

From the bridge of the nose to the tip of the nose.

Then moving to the jaw,

The mouth,

The lips,

The teeth,

The tongue.

Noticing any sensations in the area of the head and the face.

Pressure,

Contact,

Hair on the skin,

Coolness,

Warmth.

And then letting go of your attention from the face and head and shifting your attention down the neck into the shoulders.

Noticing any tightness or softness.

Seeing if you can feel the muscles from the inside out.

Allowing things to be just as they are.

Then moving your attention from the shoulders down the length of your arms.

From the upper arms to the elbows to the forearms.

Feeling into the muscles and joints.

Noticing where the arms make contact with the surface.

Noticing what is here in this moment.

Expanding awareness into the wrists and hands.

To the palms,

The backs of the hands,

The fingers.

All the way into the fingertips.

Noticing sensations of warmth or coolness,

Tingling or pulsing.

Or perhaps there are no sensations at all in this moment.

It is perfectly natural from time to time to notice your attention wandering.

If you notice you're distracted,

Simply acknowledge where the mind has been.

And as gently and as kindly as you can redirect your attention back to the body scan.

And now shifting your attention to your back.

The upper back,

Mid back,

Lower back.

Sensing contact or lack of contact.

Yielding to gravity or resisting.

Perhaps noticing any subtle movement in the back as you breathe.

Then releasing attention from the back and shifting your awareness to the chest.

Aware of the heart and lungs in this space.

Being present to any sensations in this area of the body.

To movement in the body.

The touch of clothing,

Weight,

Lightness.

Perhaps noticing emotions held in this region.

Anxiousness,

Frustration,

Joy,

Calm,

Restlessness.

No need to figure out or analyze anything.

Simply being with what is here.

Now extending attention into the abdomen.

Feeling inside where we have our gut feelings.

And feeling externally.

Perhaps into the motion of the diaphragm or the rise and fall of the belly.

And then releasing attention from the torso and bringing your attention to the pelvic region from hip to hip.

The weight of the lower body where the buttocks make contact with the surface.

Not needing to do anything.

Just experiencing the hip region as it is and letting be.

And now shifting your attention into the legs.

With a sense of curiosity as if your mind were inhabiting the legs.

Just feeling what is there.

Perhaps feeling the legs pressing against the floor.

The quality of the muscles,

The bones,

The skin.

Aware of the thighs,

The knees,

The kneecaps,

The shins.

If there is no feeling,

Just being curious about what that's like.

Then shifting awareness to the ankles and the feet,

The ankle joints,

The soles of the feet,

The heels,

The tops of the feet,

The toes.

Whatever is being experienced,

Letting it be.

Noticing warmth or coolness,

Pressure or tingling or perhaps nothing at all.

And now expanding the attention to include the entire body.

Being present to the totality of the experience of lying here in this moment.

Perhaps feeling the breath as it moves in and out of the body.

Getting a sense of this body as connected and whole.

Dwelling in what the body feels,

What the body knows.

And as we approach the end of this body scan,

Acknowledging the choice you've made to take this time out of your day to nourish yourself in this way.

Perhaps experiencing gratitude for this act of self-care.

Then slowly starting to move your fingers and toes,

Hands and feet.

Perhaps giving the entire body a good stretch.

Knowing that you can carry the awareness of the body's deep wisdom into each moment of your day,

Wherever you may find yourself.

Thank you for watching.