Body Scan

Welcoming yourself to the body scan meditation.

This practice can be done sitting in a comfortable posture or lying down.

If you choose to lie down on the floor perhaps lying on a yoga mat or a folded blanket or a pad.

It can sometimes be useful to place a bolster or rolled blanket underneath the knees.

The bend in the knees can take any strain out of the lower back.

Also checking in with your neck,

Throat,

Placing maybe a roll under the neck,

A rolled bath towel or a small pillow or cushion under the head.

Checking if you can swallow easily at the throat.

If the body temperature will cool down so perhaps a blanket over the legs,

Belly area,

Chest or kidneys.

So taking your time to be comfortable,

Finding a place where you won't be interrupted as you pay attention to the physical body and opening to the language of sensation.

So the legs rest over the bolster,

The arms come out long from the shoulders,

Palms can be up or down,

Fingers curled,

Hands soft or sitting with an upright spine in a chair or on a zafu or cushion.

So this practice is cultivating attention coming home again and again to the physical body in the present moment.

Letting go of judgments,

Dropping your awareness in the direct experience,

Sensing and feeling what is here.

So when you're ready placing both hands on the belly and notice as you breathe in the belly expands and as you breathe out the belly releases back towards the spine.

Noticing the changing shape of the belly with each breath.

And can you rest your attention here,

Bring the mind down to the belly breathing.

And when the mind wanders it's not a problem.

Notice what distracted you and guide your attention back to the body as an object of concentration.

So resting your awareness now at the belly breathing,

The rise and fall.

Coming home to the body in this moment,

Sensing the natural breath here.

So the natural breath will continue as we journey through the physical body part by part.

So if it's a comfort for you,

You might keep the hands there or release the arms long.

And moving your attention from the belly breathing,

Moving down the left leg all the way down to where the heel is making contact with the blanket,

Floor,

Yoga mat.

And what are you noticing here?

Maybe pressure,

Contact,

Warmth and if there's no sensations being aware of that.

From the heel being aware of the arch and the sole of the foot.

The body remains still and we move our attention to different parts,

Feeling into the body moment to moment.

Sensing the toes of the left foot from the big toe to the little toe and all the toes in between.

Top of the left foot,

Skin,

Bones,

The sides of the foot.

Perhaps noticing contact with the socks,

The blanket.

Being curious about the body.

Bringing this attitude of a beginner's mind as you observe and sense.

So we can focus on one part or we can broaden our awareness.

So can you broaden your awareness now to include the whole of the foot as you naturally breathe in and out.

Paying attention to the left ankle,

Sides,

Front,

Back and deep inside the ankle joint.

What is present in the ankle in this moment?

Noticing the left lower leg from the ankle to the knee.

Slowly moving your attention through the calf muscle,

Perhaps heavy,

Soft and the shin bone.

Allowing your attention to rest here.

Left knee,

What sensations are letting you know that the knee is bent.

Maybe having a sense of the back of the knee,

Pressing into the bolster,

A rolled up blanket,

Sides of the knee,

Front of the knee.

Paying attention in a very direct way,

Directly sensing moment to moment.

Left upper thigh from the knee to the hip.

Being aware of the thigh bone,

The muscles.

Maybe noticing pressure,

Vibration,

Tingling.

Sensations might be pleasurable.

Or you might notice some unpleasant sensations or even neutral if you're not noticing much at all.

Being present to what you're discovering in the physical body.

Being aware of the left buttock.

Making contact with the floor beneath you or the chair or cushion.

And once again being flexible with your attention.

Expanding your awareness to include the whole of the left leg,

Hip,

Buttock,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle.

As you naturally breathe in and out.

From the left hip,

Moving your attention across through the pelvis to the right hip.

And moving your attention down through the right leg to where the right heel gently presses down.

What are you sensing here?

The sole of the foot,

Heel,

Arch,

Ball.

Toes of the right foot.

Maybe even noticing the spaces between the toes,

Toenails.

Exploring the body gently with friendliness,

Kindness.

What is here to be known in the body?

Top of the right foot and the sides of the foot.

Bones,

Skin.

And as you notice the breath,

Being aware of the whole of the right foot.

Notice how you can do this with your attention.

Right ankle,

Circling your awareness in and around the ankle joint.

Attending to the body.

Lower right leg from the ankle to the knee.

Feeling the calf muscle and the shin bone.

Is there a temperature here?

Maybe cool,

Warmth.

Can you sense temperature in the lower right leg?

Right knee,

Front,

Sides,

Back of the knee joint.

Taking the mind to different parts of the body.

Feeling,

Sensing,

Knowing.

And now from the knee to the right upper leg,

From the knee to the hip,

Thigh bone,

Muscles,

Buttock.

And when the mind wanders,

It's not a problem,

It's the nature of the mind.

Notice what is distracting you.

Kindness,

Patience,

Gently direct your attention back to the right upper leg.

Broadening your awareness once again.

Holding the whole right leg in your awareness now.

Sensing the in and the out breath as you pay attention to the right leg.

Tailbone,

The base of the spine.

What sensations are here?

Being aware of the anal region,

Genitals,

Pubic bone.

Being present,

Attentive and awake to what is arising in this moment.

Pelvic floor,

Maybe feeling the movement of the breath here.

Sensing perhaps internal organs.

Organs of elimination,

Organs of reproduction,

Digestion.

And as we breathe in the belly expands and as we breathe out the belly softens back.

Natural rise and fall.

Being aware of what's happening through the belly behind the navel center.

Being aware of the navel center.

Trusting that the body knows how to breathe.

Feeling the movements as you breathe in and out.

Is there a feeling tone here?

In the gut perhaps a place of intuition,

Gut knowing.

Sensing any emotions that might be bubbling up as you pay attention to the belly.

Feeling the movement into the sacrum.

Bony part of the pelvis which is making contact with the floor.

Sensing the spine coming up out of the pelvic region.

All the muscles that support the spine through the lower back,

Kidneys.

Sometimes be a place of tension.

Can you investigate any sensation through this part of the body?

Feeling the movement of the breath here.

Moving your attention further up the back to the ribcage.

Spine moves up through the center of the torso.

Shoulder blades.

Maybe noticing how the shoulder blades move with the breath.

Gently spreading with the in breath.

Really seeing with the out breath.

Maybe noticing the back of the lungs,

Back of the heart.

Feeling the breath back of the torso in this moment.

Bringing your attention now to both armpits.

Can you feel the breath here?

Sides of the ribcage,

Sides of the lungs.

Is there perhaps a lateral movement here as you breathe?

Also noticing the side waist.

Diaphragm.

The large muscle that separates the lower abdominal area with the chest.

This large muscle moves with each in breath and out breath.

So perhaps sensing this now.

As you breathe in diaphragm moves down,

Pressing on the contents of the abdomen.

Massaging the internal organs.

And as you breathe out the diaphragm moves back under the lungs and up underneath the heart.

The diaphragm initiates the breath and massages all the internal organs.

Spleen,

Liver,

Pancreas,

Gallbladder,

Stomach.

Allowing the diaphragm to move freely whilst the spine is in a neutral position.

Receiving the in-breath,

Allowing the out-breath.

Being aware now of the chest area,

Front of the ribcage,

Sternum,

Breasts.

Taking your attention deep inside the torso to the heart.

Can you feel the rhythm of the heart in this moment?

Around the heart is the lobes of the lungs.

So as we breathe in the lungs expand and as we breathe out a sense of returning to centre as the air leaves the lungs.

Are there any feelings here as you pay attention to the heart area,

Chest?

Is there a feeling tone?

Collar bones,

Shoulders.

Taking your attention all the way up to the top of the torso.

Can you feel the breath here?

Maybe the rise and fall of the shoulders.

And really sensing the whole of the torso now.

Front,

Sides,

Back of the torso.

Spine inside,

Internal organs.

Feeling the natural flow of the in-breath and the out-breath in this moment.

And now when you're ready moving your attention down through the arms to both hands.

Notice how we can hold both hands in our awareness.

The palms of the hands.

Maybe sensing tingling,

Warmth,

Vibration.

Fingers soft,

Curled.

Maybe contact through the back of the hands.

Bringing your attention now to both wrists.

Can you sense the pulse here?

Forearms from the wrists to the elbows.

Being present with the skin,

The bones,

Muscles.

Both elbow joints,

Front and back.

A hinge joint in the body.

Noticing now any sensations.

Both upper arms from the elbows to the shoulders.

Opening to the wisdom of your body as you pay attention.

Directly sensing the upper arms.

And once again expanding your awareness to include both arms.

Hands,

Fingers,

Thumbs.

As you breathe in and out.

Being present with the arms and hands in this moment.

Bringing your attention now to the neck area.

Front of the neck,

Sides of the neck,

Throat.

Can you feel the movement of the breath here?

As the breath moves from the head down to the torso and back out again.

Noticing the spine at the back of the neck leading up to the jaws and the base of the skull.

Moving your attention through the lower jaw coming out to the chin.

Lips gently touching.

Noticing teeth,

Gums,

The upper jaw.

And the tongue resting in the mouth.

Perhaps even noticing the breath at the base of the tongue.

As the air moves down the throat.

Both cheeks.

Maybe noticing the touch of the air on the cheeks.

Back of the head,

Back of the skull.

If you're lying down maybe a sense of weight as the head makes contact with the pillow or blanket.

The weight of the brain inside the skull.

Being present with the scalp,

Hair,

Forehead.

Both temples now.

What are you noticing at the temples?

Pressure,

Vibration,

Tingling.

Both ears,

The outer ears and the inner ears.

Receiving now the sounds from your environment.

Allowing the sounds to touch the inner ears.

Sounds arise,

Dissolve into a background of silence.

Maybe there's even sounds inside your own body.

Sounds of the breath,

Sounds of digestion.

Moving your attention now from the sounds to the eyes,

Eyebrows.

Eyes still,

Eyes closed.

Is there a dark space behind the closed eyelids?

Or maybe you're seeing colors or shapes.

Whatever is present in your visual field.

Observing now.

Cheek bones,

Nose.

Feeling how the breath enters and leaves the body at the nose.

Can you be aware of the direction of the breath as it moves up and down the nostrils?

Being curious about the temperature of the breath.

Having a sense now of the whole of the face,

Scalp,

Head,

Throat,

Neck.

As you breathe naturally in and out.

Being aware now of the whole physical body.

Head,

Torso,

Arms,

Legs.

Noticing now the back of the body.

Any points of contact,

Lightness.

Sides of the body.

Front of the body.

The envelope of the skin,

The container for the body.

Being aware of what's inside the body and the outside edges.

And can you be present now to the breath as it slides into the body?

Nose,

Throat,

Chest,

Diaphragm moves down,

Belly expands,

Breath turns,

Belly draws back to the spine,

Diaphragm moves up,

Breath slides back out through the lungs,

Throat,

Nose.

Feeling this natural filling up and emptying.

Notice how you are feeling as you breathe.

There are a sense of ease,

Groundedness,

Stillness in this moment.

What is the feeling tone of the body?

How are you feeling in this moment?

What is the state of the mind?

Opening now to your internal and external experience.

Being present with the body,

Mind and heart.

So as we finish the body scan,

Notice how you're feeling.

Feel free to stay still for a little bit longer or if you're ready,

Wriggling fingers,

Toes,

Drawing the knees to the chest one at a time,

Rolling off to the sides,

Pausing for a moment before you transition back into your daily life.