Body Scan Mindfulness Meditation

Hello,

Hello,

It is Laura Plahuta here again with you today.

So today we are going to be moving into a body scan.

And so our body has a voice and it's here to guide us.

And as we deepen our connection to our bodies,

We begin realizing that there is actually very deep wisdom held in ourselves.

And it's very normal when we have lived through trauma that we may be very mind dominant,

Very in our heads a lot more than we are in our bodies.

When we hold trauma and suppressed emotions stored in our bodies,

It's kind of like a backpack full of rocks.

So despite our best efforts to get to that top of that mountain,

Like we desperately desire,

We cannot seem to get there despite our best efforts.

Things seem too heavy,

They seem too hard.

And when we eventually begin believing that our innermost desires or our life missions are truly not for us because it seems so hard,

And we begin doubting that inner voice that we have within that is actually telling us and guiding us where we're feeling called to go throughout this lifetime.

And so doing these body scans will help you to begin reconnecting to your body and in turn strengthening your connection to your inner guidance system and rebuilding that sense of trust within yourself to be able to lead yourself in this lifetime.

And this voice that's within it is our connection to our higher power.

Some people call this spiritual connection or something greater than ourselves.

The universe,

Spirit,

God,

Goddess,

The name in which we mentally call it,

It really doesn't matter that much.

What is important is the connection or feeling that it actually brings to you,

Which is unique to each one of us.

So it is this connection that is within that actually allows us to connect with the vibrations of peace and love and joy,

And they get unlocked and they become available when we start learning how to tap back into this part of ourselves.

It's just simply that we haven't remembered how to do it.

So this is a remembering.

And so the body's voice will lead you there.

You don't need to know how you're going to get there.

You simply need to have faith that you've been divinely guided here with me,

And you'll learn something new along this journey that will help you to shift your perspective of life and of how you really see yourself being in the world.

So I'll just invite you,

If you haven't already,

To just find somewhere that you feel very safe,

That you feel very comfortable,

And that you can have some quiet time and some space to just be with yourself here for a moment.

Feel free to pause this if you need to go find that space.

I always love personally doing these in my bed,

Underneath my blankets where I'm nice and cozy.

But feel free to do this exercise sitting up or laying down,

However you feel most comfortable.

So let's begin by taking a moment to just allow your body to settle into a comfortable position.

Inviting you to close your eyes down if you feel comfortable.

Just allowing your shoulders to soften.

Inviting you to just begin tuning into your breath.

Just feeling your belly and your hands onto your stomach.

Noticing if you're breathing out of your chest.

Are you breathing very shallowly out of your chest?

Or are you breathing very deep,

Big belly breaths?

Just bringing awareness to that.

You'll notice that the more that you continue doing these exercises with me,

The more you'll realize that your body may be under a lot more stress than you may have imagined.

And sometimes it's just little shifts that we can make throughout our everyday life that really allows us to be able to have a great impact on our overall health and vitality and well-being.

I want to invite you as you're taking these big deep breaths to just start at the very bottom of your stomach.

And as you breathe in,

Allowing your belly to expand out like a balloon,

As big as it can possibly go.

And then allowing your rib cage to expand and then having your chest be the very last thing that rises.

And just holding it up at the top for a brief moment.

And then exhaling through your mouth.

And then just repeating this two or three times.

It's a nice slow inhale through your nose as your belly expands out like a balloon,

Your rib cage expands,

And then your chest expands,

Holding it up at the top.

And then exhaling through your mouth.

Feel free to have any audible exhales or sighs.

This helps to release some extra energy that may be pent up inside your body.

With every breath,

Just letting your body know that it's safe.

Noticing the feeling of the weight of your body on the surface beneath you.

And as you breathe,

Feeling the air moving in and out of your lungs.

And on your next exhale,

Maybe just hold it at the bottom there.

And just bring awareness to the stillness.

And notice the sense of relaxing a little bit more deeply.

With every exhale,

Releasing anything that's no longer serving you.

Every inhale,

Breathing in new life,

New energy.

I want to invite you to bring your awareness and your attention up to the top of your head,

Just up to your crown.

And just noticing any sensations in the scalp.

Just being curious as to what's present.

And there's no right or wrong to any of it.

It's just your current experience that's happening in this present moment.

Now bringing your awareness down to the back of your head.

And just breathing into it,

Into the sides of your head,

To your temples,

Your forehead,

Your eyelids,

Your cheekbones,

Over your lips.

Noticing your jaw,

If you're holding any tension in your jaw.

Allowing everything to relax and settle in that little bit more.

Allowing everything to soften.

Every exhale,

Exhaling whatever no longer is serving you.

With every inhale,

Breathing in a softness,

A gentleness.

Safe warm nurturing energy.

Just allows you to just be.

Just relaxing the muscles around your eyes and your mouth.

Breathing in and slowly breathing out.

Breathing in and slowly breathing out.

Ready to bring your awareness into your neck and your throat.

Just let them be soft.

Noticing your shoulders and your arms.

Feeling any sensations as you allow your attention to move from your shoulders down to your upper arms,

Your elbows,

To your forearms,

Your wrists,

Your hands,

All the way down to the tips of your fingers.

Seeing if you can notice any tightness,

Any temperature sensations.

Feeling what the fabric of your clothing feels like against your skin.

Continuing to breathe in and to breathe out.

Now bring your awareness into your chest and your abdomen.

Feeling the movement in your chest as you breathe.

Bringing your attention to your stomach.

Being curious and noticing if your stomach feels tense or tight.

Just letting it soften.

Breathing into it.

Noticing your upper back and your lower back.

If you're holding any tension there,

Also letting that release.

Continuing to use your breath to gently just breathe as you exhale into those parts of your body that feel that tension.

Noticing that as you do this,

Your body begins to soften and release.

Now continue traveling down your legs,

Your thighs,

Your knees,

Your calves,

Your shins,

Your ankles.

And finally bringing attention to your feet.

All the way down to the tips of your toes,

Down through the arches of your feet.

Noticing any weight,

Any tension,

Any sense of temperature.

Feeling of any energy that's perhaps present in the feet.

And as you continue breathing in and breathing out,

Now noticing the whole body from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.

Staying with a sense of the whole body for a few more breaths.

And as we close,

Continue remaining aware of your body as best as you can.

As you finish with a full,

Big deep breath in and a long deep breath out.

And slowly starting to bring movement back into your body.

Inviting you to wiggle your fingers and your toes.

Allowing things to start speeding up a little tiny bit.

Inviting you to maybe bring some movement into your body.

When you're ready,

Slowly beginning to open up your eyes.

Taking a look around the room that you're in and just noticing the difference.

Allowing you now to take some time to be able to do some writing.

Just allow yourself to write what came up for you through this.

What was your experience?

What are some things that maybe you learned about yourself?

Inviting you to take part in an integration practice with somebody today or tomorrow,

Depending on when you're listening to this.

So practice generous listening with somebody today.

So what does that mean?

It means when you're in a conversation.

Beginning to place all of your attention on the other person.

Not only listening with your ears,

But listening with your heart as well.

Feeling into the energy that's present.

And after doing that,

Inviting you to reflect on a few questions of how that generous listening shifts the experience of the conversation for you.

And also reflecting on how you feel that experience was different for them.

I just wanted to say thank you for being here.

I'm proud of you for leaning into this journey.

And I look forward to being with you on the next one.

Ciao for now.