In response to a variety of stresses,
It could be mental,
Emotional,
Physical,
We can sometimes be left feeling somewhat disconnected from our bodies.
And when we lose that anchor,
It can be easy to get stuck in our heads as we go throughout our day,
Caught up in that hamster wheel of thoughts and worries and anxiety.
So we'll use the next 10 minutes to slow down and practice bringing our awareness back inside the body.
We'll aim to reconnect with that felt sense a little bit and enjoy some deep rest while we're at it.
To do this,
We're going to go through a body scan inspired by the practice of yoga nidra,
Where we rotate our attention through different parts of the body.
Just a heads up that it may be that your ability to connect to the body and visualize the body scan might be a little hazy at first,
As it was for me.
So this is normal,
And with practice and patience it does get a little easier and the body can become a safer,
More comfortable place to inhabit.
If at any point you start to experience any sensations or emotions that are overwhelming or feel unsafe,
You can come out of the meditation at any point to find whatever support you need.
So let's start by settling down into a comfortable position.
You could sit or lie down for this one.
Just get as comfortable as you possibly can and take a few slow deep breaths in your own time,
In and out through the nose.
You can relax the gaze or close the eyes completely if that feels right.
So as you breathe,
Feel the the torso rising on the inhale and then falling as you exhale,
Expanding and then letting go.
If you can adjust your body to get even just a few percent more comfortable,
Please do that.
All you need to do is listen to my voice and as I name a part of the body,
See if you can bring your attention to that area.
Just noticing how that part of the body feels,
Whether there's any sensation there or a lack of sensation.
Just remembering that there's no right or wrong,
No judgment.
We're just acting as the neutral observer.
As you move your attention around the body,
You might discover some areas of built-up tension that you hadn't really acknowledged before.
You may even find that simply being aware of that tension is a big step towards letting some of it go.
So let's begin now by bringing your attention to the top of the head.
Can you focus on that area and notice if there's any sensation there or an absence of sensation?
Either is fine.
So you're just resting your attention there,
The top of your head.
Moving on down then to the center of the forehead.
Same thing,
Just lightly resting your attention on that area and any sensations that may or may not be there.
How about the temples now on the side of the head?
The eyes and the small muscles behind both eyes,
Both cheekbones,
The jaw and the muscles around the jaw.
The sensation of the roof of your mouth,
The tip of the tongue,
The back of the neck,
The throat,
The trapezius muscles on the top of the shoulders.
Any sensations or lack of sensations there?
Moving down to the upper arms,
Biceps and triceps,
Both elbow joints,
The forearms,
Any tension or lack of sensation there?
Both wrist joints,
Both hands,
The thumbs,
Index fingers,
Middle fingers,
Fourth fingers,
Little fingers.
Back up to the wrists,
The forearms,
Both elbows,
Upper arms,
Shoulders,
The width of the chest,
The mid-back,
The abdomen,
The lower back.
Any sensations there?
The bowl of your pelvis and hips,
The upper legs,
Hamstrings and quads,
Adductors and abductors,
Both knees,
The front and the back of the knee,
The calves and the shins,
Both ankle joints,
Ankle joints,
The soles of the feet,
The big toes,
Second toes,
Third toes,
Fourth toes,
Little toes,
The whole of both feet,
Both ankle joints,
The lower leg,
Both knees,
The thighs,
The hips and the pelvis.
And zooming out now,
Rest your attention on the whole of the lower body,
The pelvis,
The upper and lower legs,
Feet,
Letting that go and moving to the upper body,
The arms,
Shoulders,
Torso,
Spine,
Neck and head,
The whole of the left side of your body,
As if you're split down the middle.
All of your attention resting on the sensation of the left side of your body and the right side of the body,
Any sensations or lack of sensation through the right side.
Now pulling it all together and resting your attention now on the whole body in its entirety.
Rest in deeply and start to bring your attention back to the breath now,
The sensation of the breath as it comes in and then out.
Slowly we start to wake the body back up.
You can wiggle your fingers,
Your toes,
Slowly stretch out in whatever way feels right to you as you start to come back into the world.
You can flutter the eyes open and take a look around,
Notice your surroundings and maybe notice if there's any difference in how you feel in your body.
Do you maybe feel a little bit more grounded,
A bit more like you're in in this body?
So you might have found that your mind was wandering a lot during the body scan or that it was hard to hone in on any sensations and that's okay,
It's completely normal.
I found this technique was probably the hardest one I'd practiced and I think it's because I spent years ignoring signals from my body and being largely dissociated from that felt sense.
What's helped me is endeavouring to be patient,
To try not to judge myself and keep showing up and over time it has become easier.
Thanks for practicing,
Take care and I'll catch you again soon.
