Body Scan - MBSR

This is a body scan.

The benefits of the body scan are numerous.

Use this tool as a way to become aware of the sensations in your body,

Whether they are uncomfortable and ones you might label pain,

Or simply bringing awareness and presence to your physical body in this moment.

Find a comfortable seated position where your chest is open,

Your hips are elevated above your knees,

And one that creates a sensation of wakefulness instead of sleepiness.

Throughout this practice,

When thoughts and sounds distract you,

Acknowledge that this has occurred and gently guide your attention back.

Then begin to breathe slowly and easily.

As long,

Slow,

Intentional breath in and out through the nose.

And you may begin to let the eyes closed if that feels comfortable for you.

And if not,

A soft gaze fixed on the floor.

Each inhale,

Notice your body stretching.

And each exhale,

Allow yourself to let go and release.

As we move through this body scan,

I will direct your attention to parts of your body.

And you might feel the urge to move them or touch them.

Simply notice that,

The desire to move.

Or maybe there's the mental thinking of what does that body part even feel like?

If you can't identify a sensation,

Simply direct your attention to that part of your body as if looking at it from the outside.

And in this way,

We are the witness to our body.

Begin by focusing your attention on your right foot.

Consider the sensations of your right foot.

Temperature.

Textures of fabric or the floor beneath you.

Provide your attention to the ball of your right foot.

The arch.

The heel of the right foot.

And as you take in the right foot in its entirety,

Can you notice the differing sensations between the skin as it touches a sock?

The bones pressing into the floor.

Or maybe even the muscles,

The tissues and tendons.

The blood flow of circulation.

How many layers of awareness can you bring to just one foot?

And then guide your attention up into the right ankle.

What does an ankle feel like?

Can you feel the skin stretching across the bone?

Awareness of the joints.

And again without the need to move.

Noticing sensation or lack of sensation in the ankle.

And tracing your awareness up into the calf of the right leg.

Noticing if the calf is gripping or clenching.

And becoming aware of muscles versus skin.

So if the calf is pressing into anything,

Noticing pressure,

Textures.

And then tracing along to the bone of the shin.

And then up into the right knee.

What is the sensation of the right knee?

Is it bent,

Flexed,

Straight?

Is there any uncomfortable sensations?

Achiness?

Creaking?

When there are uncomfortable or painful sensations,

Can we look at the word painful as a label and simply be in the actual sensation bringing awareness to what is there?

Tingling?

Numbness?

And travel up into the thigh of the right leg.

Noticing first awareness to the underside of the thigh.

Exploring those layers of sensation if sitting in a chair noticing first the pressure,

The weight of your thigh against the chair.

The texture of the fabric pressing against your skin.

The muscles of the hamstring.

The bones.

And becoming aware of the top side of the thigh.

Again working from the outside in noticing if hands are resting against the thigh.

Do you feel their weight or temperature?

The muscles of the top side,

The quadriceps.

And then begin to take in the right leg in its entirety.

As blood moves through the body,

Circulation,

Temperatures,

Textures.

Taking it all in.

And then bringing your awareness back down now to your left foot.

Taking in sensations of the whole left foot.

Noticing its temperature.

Is the sole of the foot warm and the toes cold?

Taking in the ball of the left foot.

The arch of the left foot.

And the heel of the left foot.

Becoming aware of the sensations of the floor.

A shoe or sock.

Perhaps the foot is bare and you feel a breeze.

What are all the sensations of your left foot?

Perhaps at this point bringing awareness between right and left and any differences between them.

And then guiding your attention upward into the left ankle.

Being the witness.

Observing the left ankle,

Observing any sensations or lack of sensation.

Travel up into the left calf.

Skin,

Muscle,

Bone.

Becoming aware of all the layers of sensation.

The shin bone of the left leg.

And travel up to the knee.

Again taking stock of the flexing of joints.

If there's pressure on the underside of the knee from the chair.

Bring attention and awareness into the left thigh.

Begin with the underside of the left thigh.

The weight of your thigh pressing into your seat.

Does your skin feel warm?

Supported?

Is the seat soft,

Resilient,

A cushion underneath you?

If your left hand is on your left thigh,

Notice that temperature and pressure.

Take stock of the muscles of the left thigh,

The hamstrings and the quadriceps.

As we sit in chairs all day long,

Do we notice the sensations of our legs?

Take stock of the left leg in its entirety.

Blood flow,

Muscles,

Bones and skin.

Become aware of your gluteal muscles,

Your sitting bones.

Bring attention and awareness to your seat.

As you sit in your chair or on a mat,

Notice again the support.

What are the sensations of your seat?

At this point in the practice,

Do you still feel comfortable and wakeful?

Or is that urge to move or fidget coming up for you?

See if you can view that with compassion,

But without the need to fix or change anything.

Become aware of the hips.

Can you pinpoint the spot where the legs join the hips?

The complex blend of muscles and tendons and bones in the hip capsule.

Then guide your attention to your lower back.

What sensations are present in the lower back?

If you begin externally,

Do you notice support of your chair?

Or are the muscles engaged to keep you upright?

If there are uncomfortable sensations that you might label pain,

Can you begin to dive into those,

Exploring the actual sensation instead of the story?

Throbbing,

Sharp,

Tingling,

Static or moving.

Can you look at those uncomfortable sensations without judgment,

Without resistance,

Simply looking as this witness and noticing if the sensations change,

Move,

Radiate,

Lessen or intensify when you look upon them?

Travel up to the mid-back.

With each inhale,

The ribs press into the back body.

Can you become aware of the back muscles and bones that move with each breath in and out?

The upper back,

The shoulder blades.

Many of us who work at desks will feel uncomfortable sensations in this area.

Can you again bring awareness and attention with compassion to the spots that feel tight or sharp?

And notice when we hit these bumps,

What has happened to our breath?

Has it shortened,

Shallowed or become jagged?

Can we purposefully and intentionally elongate our breath?

Bring awareness to your right shoulder.

Starting first with the skin,

The texture of fabric,

The temperature of the skin,

The muscles,

The bone.

Bring your attention and awareness to the bicep and tricep of the right arm.

The elbow,

Which much like an ankle,

You might wonder what does an elbow feel like?

Even if you can't pinpoint a sensation,

Simply observe the elbow,

Acknowledging that it's there,

This joint.

With this body scan,

Allow yourself to have an appreciation for all the mechanics and mechanisms of your body,

So much of which we take for granted,

Or only pay attention to when there is a problem.

Feel into the right forearm,

The right wrist.

Are there any sensations of all the intricate tendons,

Muscles and bones of the wrist?

Listen into the right hand.

What is the temperature of the right hand?

Does it feel warm?

Are the fingertips at different temperature than the palm?

Does it feel heavy?

Has the blood pooled?

Do the fingers feel thick?

And then begin to differentiate between the thumb of the right hand,

The index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger,

The pinky of the right hand.

And if your hand is resting on your thigh,

Can you notice it now from the opposite perspective?

What does the thigh feel like under your hand versus your hand pressing into your thigh?

Or if fingers are clasped together,

Can you notice where the right hand ends and the left hand begins?

Paying your attention to your left hand.

Take in the left hand in its entirety,

Its temperature,

The blood flow,

The weight of the hand,

The left thumb,

The left index finger,

The left middle finger,

The left ring finger,

And the left pinky.

Observing if it was easier to differentiate the fingers as compared to the toes.

Was there more awareness or less of sensation?

Add your attention up the left arm into the wrist,

The left forearm,

The left elbow.

The left bicep and tricep,

The left shoulder,

The skin,

The muscles,

The bones.

Add your attention to the bottom of your torso,

The lower stomach.

As you direct your attention here,

Resting in this spot for a moment,

Become aware of the abdominal muscles.

Do they move in and out with your breath?

Are you holding them in?

As the stomach moves in and out with each breath,

Is there a shift in the fabric of your clothing?

Going deeper inside,

Become aware of any sensations internally of organs.

Are you hungry?

Do you need to use the restroom?

What are the sensations of your body?

Can you observe them?

Pressure,

Digestion,

Paying attention on purpose without judgment,

And becoming aware of the breath in your lungs.

The breath goes in and out.

Watch your body as it moves and expands and contracts.

The rib cage,

The skin.

With each breath,

Do you grow taller,

Wider?

The stretching and then knitting back together.

How does your body breathe?

And then rest your attention at the top of your chest.

Can you feel your heart beating?

As the collarbone moves up and down,

Can you take stock of your entire torso,

Watching your body,

The witness to your breath?

Ride your attention into your neck.

What are the sensations of the neck?

Does it feel elongated,

Centered?

Or are you leaning?

Does it feel crunched or compact?

And if there are uncomfortable sensations,

Can you take note without story or resistance?

What are the sensations?

Pleasant or unpleasant?

Become aware of the muscles of your face.

The jaw.

Are you clenching or gripping?

The tongue.

The cheeks.

The eyebrows.

Taking any areas of held tension and any sensations of the scalp.

Taking in your face and head in its entirety.

Take a final moment to scan the body from the bottom of your feet to the crown of your head.

Taking another moment if there is any area that you wish to direct attention,

Awareness,

And compassion towards.

Noticing if anything in the body physically,

Emotionally,

Or mentally has shifted in your practice.

The change may be subtle.

Bringing that attention and awareness with an appreciation of your body in this moment,

Just as it is.