Hi,
It's Anne.
This is one of my go-to practices when I'm feeling antsy and want to slow my mind down.
There's a reason the mind is often referred to as a monkey.
It was designed to be a little all over the place.
The mind drifts to the past and the future with great ease,
But with the help of the body,
We can train our minds to be present more often.
Our bodies are always present and are a great reminder of what is actually happening in any given moment.
Take right now,
For example.
Maybe your mind is concerned with how long this meditation is going to be or what you're going to eat for lunch tomorrow or where your favorite pair of socks ended up.
But check in with your body.
No matter where your mind is,
Your body is totally and completely here.
The body is the gateway to learning how to be present.
In today's meditation,
I'll be mentioning different body parts,
And as I do,
You'll bring your attention to those areas.
There's nothing you have to do except notice what's present in each part of the body that I mention.
It's common,
Especially if you're new to meditation,
To not always feel a whole lot of sensation in certain areas of your body,
Or to get the feeling that you are thinking about the body part rather than actually feeling it.
Know that both of these experiences are normal,
And that over time,
With practice,
Your body awareness will improve.
Begin by shifting your attention to your right foot.
Feel the whole right foot.
Observe the right ankle,
Calf,
And shin,
Kneecap,
Your whole right thigh,
And the whole right hip.
Move your attention to your left foot now.
Feel the whole left foot and ankle.
Move your attention up and notice what you feel around your calf,
Shin,
Kneecap,
Left thigh,
And left hip.
Zoom out and observe and feel both of your hips and both of your legs now.
Then zoom back in and feel what you feel around your low belly,
Ribcage,
The top of your torso,
And your entire back.
Now feel your right shoulder and upper arm,
Your right elbow,
Forearm,
And hand.
From the base of the knuckles to the tips of the fingers.
Now move your attention to your left shoulder and upper arm.
Moving it down to notice what you feel around your elbow,
Forearm,
Left hand and fingers.
From the base of the knuckles to the very tips.
Move your attention to your neck now.
Feel your right and left ears.
Feel your chin,
Mouth,
Nose,
And right and left eyes.
Feel your forehead and scalp.
Now zoom out as far as you can with your attention to observe your body as a whole.
Tune into the subtlest sensations you are aware of.
Can you sense how in this moment the body is completely here,
No matter how much movement is happening in your life?
Stay with sensations,
The sensations that you feel.
The sensations of the present moment.
When you're ready,
Allow your eyes to open and reorient to the space around you.
Thanks so much for practicing this body scan with me today.
See you next time.
