Body Scan

So,

Beginning this body scan practice by first just noticing the position that the body is in.

So,

Perhaps standing,

Seated,

Or lying down.

So knowing that throughout this practice you have choices,

Choices that you can make to allow yourself to be comfortable,

To be awake,

To feel safe.

So making any adjustments that you need to make so that you can maintain an intention of stillness during the practice,

Which by no means means that you can't move or reposition if sometime during the practice that seems called for.

So now settling in to whatever position feels friendliest to you.

Then having an awareness of the entirety of the body.

Perhaps just noticing how things are in this body in this moment.

Not trying to change anything.

So mindfulness can be defined as the awareness that arises upon paying attention on purpose to what's happening in the present moment with kindness and non-judgmentally.

So there may be a sense of relaxation and that's not necessarily better than a sense of agitation which might be present.

Or there may be areas of the body that are really calling themselves out for your attention.

Seeing if you can simply allow things to be as they are in this body right now.

And now taking one hand and just resting it on the low belly so that you can feel the movement of the breath with that hand on the belly.

And if for some reason this is not a comfortable place for you to focus your attention or it's more suitable for you not to have your hand on the belly but let the attention rest there.

Not feeling obligated to follow that suggestion.

So if the breath is not a comfortable place for you to focus right now then you can allow your attention to just rest with a different part of the body or just allowing sounds to be your anchor right now.

If you are working with the breath just noticing how the belly rises with the inhale,

Falls with the exhale,

Perhaps even noticing the pauses that show up between the breaths.

Now allowing that hand to settle wherever is most comfortable for you.

And letting the attention now be focused at the left big toe.

So as we move through the body scan we may come to parts of the body that have history of strength or weakness,

Of health or illness.

There may be parts of the body where things have been taken away or added.

And as we come to these historically interesting areas finding different ways to work with breath,

So one way is just to allow things to be as they are.

To really explore that area with curiosity.

But if we come to an area that gets you out of a zone that we might call your comfort or growth zone and into the overwhelmed zone then this too is a reason to refocus the attention someplace else.

So just a word about comfort,

Growth and overwhelm zones.

If you think of them like a bullseye target and the center most circle is your comfort zone.

And this is an area where you are not feeling at all challenged and it's a great area to come back to if you start to feel ungrounded in some way.

The next circle out is the growth zone and the growth zone is associated with a little bit of discomfort of perhaps uneasiness.

It also can be more interesting or exciting.

And so we have to be able to tolerate sometimes some discomfort to be able to grow.

But we don't want to tolerate or push ourselves into so much discomfort that we get into our overwhelm zone.

So if at any time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed in some way whether the body or the mind tells you that then going back to a safe area in the comfort zone so that might be going back to the breath or to some other anchor in the body that feels supportive to you.

So right now if it works for you letting that attention rest at the left big toe.

Not moving the toe to create sensations but rather just noticing can you perceive the touch of cloth on the toe.

And now expanding the attention to include all the toes of the left foot.

Perhaps there's a sensation of moisture or dryness between the toes.

Again just bringing some curiosity to this exploration of whatever sensations can be appreciated and even no sensations at all is something to be aware of and to cultivate being okay with.

And now letting the attention move to the sole of the foot.

So sensing into the ball,

The arch,

The heel of the left foot.

And letting the attention now wrap around to the top of the left foot.

There may be tingling,

Warmth,

Coolness.

Just noticing things as they are right now.

And now holding the entirety of the left foot in your attention and if it works for you having a sense of breathing into and out of the left foot.

Now shifting the focus to the left ankle.

Thinking if any portion of the left ankle is bearing weight or not.

And letting the focus now move to the lower leg.

So just above the ankle and just below the knee.

Again some curiosity.

What can be perceived as the mind is focused on the left lower leg?

And of course it's the nature of the mind to wander.

So the mind may have wandered once or twice or twenty times already in today's practice and that doesn't mean that you're a failure at this body scan practice.

So one way of working with this wandering mind is first to simply acknowledge that the mind wandered and knowing that that in itself is a success because having noticed that the mind wandered was a moment of mindfulness.

You might make a soft mental note of where the mind wandered to,

Perhaps another part of the body,

Perhaps a thought.

You could just note that as feeling or name the body part that it wandered to or if it was a thought just labeling it as thinking.

And then intentionally,

Non-judgmentally,

Bringing the focus back to the left lower leg.

And now bringing the attention to the left knee.

Sensing into the back of the knee,

The right side of the knee,

Front of the knee,

Left side of the knee.

Many sensations coming from deep within the knee joint.

Releasing the attention from the knee and letting it come now to the left thigh.

Exploring for the touch of cloth on the skin of the thigh.

And bringing awareness to the different layers of tissue that comprise the thigh.

The container of the skin.

Underneath the skin the layer of subcutaneous fat which cushions the strong muscles of the thigh which wrap around the femur.

And even inside the femur,

The bone marrow.

All these layers of tissue having specific tasks that they do to maintain the body in its current state of wellness.

Most of the time without any awareness on your part as to the jobs that they are doing.

So perhaps a moment of appreciation for their functioning and realizing that no matter what seems not to function so well in this body,

No matter what might be labeled as being wrong with this body,

We know simply by the virtue of the fact that you are participating in this body scan that there's more right than wrong with this body.

And now expanding the awareness to include the entirety of the left lower extremity.

And if it works having that sense of breathing into and out of this region.

For some people this sense of breathing into and out of a region looks more like being aware of the blood,

Of the oxygen rich blood in the arteries flowing to the tissues and the blood that's been depleted of oxygen flowing away from the tissues.

So that might be your sense of breathing into and out of this lower extremity on the left side.

So remembering how many choices there are that are available to you.

Or maybe not so much how many choices but rather the existence of choices as we move through this body scan.

Now letting the focus flow up into the left buttocks,

Over to the right and all the way down to the right lower extremity till you come to the right big toe.

And hmmm what shows up when you pay attention to the right big toe?

Perhaps noticing differences between the right and the left side.

And expanding the awareness to include all the toes on the right foot.

Sensing into the ball of the right foot,

The arch,

The heel.

Stripping the attention around to the surface,

The top of the right foot.

And exploring that sense of breathing into and out of the right foot in whatever way it works for you,

If it works for you.

So in addition to the wandering mind another challenge that can come up during the body scan is drowsiness.

And while using a body scan before bed to relax can be very helpful for sleep,

Our intention during a mindfulness based stress reduction class is overall to stay awake for the body scan.

So sometimes that can be facilitated by choosing a more upright position or if you're lying down you might lift one arm just from the elbow and hand so the upper part of the arm could still be resting on the mat or bed or floor.

So it's just the forearm and hand that are holding up and that can help you maintain wakefulness.

Another option is to open the eyes.

And never hesitating to make a choice to decide to shift from lying down to seated or even standing.

And should you make one of those shifts knowing that you're not committed to staying in that position through the whole scan at some point it might feel skillful to return to a lying down position.

And so now bringing the focus to the right ankle.

Just noticing any sensations showing up here.

And releasing the focus from the right ankle and letting it come to the right lower leg from just above the ankle to just below the knee.

You might notice which parts of this lower leg are bearing weight and which parts are not.

Starting to shift the attention now to the right knee.

Exploring the back,

Left side,

Front,

Right side of the knee.

Senses from deep within the knee.

Now bringing the sensational awareness to the right thigh.

And with this right thigh starting with the focus deep within all the way into the bone marrow and then being aware of the hard casing of the femur.

The muscles wrapping around the femur.

The layer of subcutaneous fat cushioning the muscles.

And the skin that protects the body.

So exploring for any sensations at the skin of this right thigh.

And holding the entirety of this right lower extremity in your kind attention.

Starting breathing into and out of the right thigh.

And as we proceed through this body scan,

There may be some unpleasant or even painful sensations that arise.

So for instance,

An itch might show up.

For most of us our immediate reaction is to move to scratch the itch.

But in this laboratory of studying the body in a body scan,

We can explore an unpleasant sensation such as an itch.

So seeing if you can simply observe an itch.

Is it getting stronger or weaker?

Is it moving?

Almost every physical sensation has a beginning,

Middle,

And end of its own accord.

So with any unpleasant sensation you might be able to simply observe and discover that the sensation simply goes away.

If it's not an itch,

You might categorize it in some other way.

Is it hot or cold?

Aching?

Throbbing?

Sharp?

And again,

Stronger or weaker?

So after exploring a sensation,

It might become clear that the skillful way to work with it is to reposition the body.

And so that is not a failure in the body scan.

It simply is really an experiment,

An exploration on your part.

So what happens if I reposition the body with mindfulness?

So in repositioning the body,

Being aware of the movements that you make as you're making them and then settling back into stillness.

So now letting the attention come to both buttocks.

Feeling any of the weight of the body if you're in a lying down or seated position.

And exploring for any other sensations here.

And in addition to physical sensations,

Thoughts and emotions are likely to show up as we move through the body scan.

So there may be areas of the body that have been perceived as attractive or unattractive.

And seeing if you can notice those kinds of thoughts or emotions but not necessarily get caught in them.

They might not be true.

Then in a moment we'll be moving to explore the perineum.

This is the floor of the pelvis where the organs of reproduction,

Of sexuality,

Of elimination,

Where these organs open up.

And again,

If this is an area that gets you out of your growth zone and into your overwhelm zone then knowing that you could choose to anchor somewhere else and then rejoin at a place that feels safer.

And if it's comfortable sensing into the perineal region,

It's an area rich in nerve endings.

So simply being aware of what shows up here.

And now letting the attention move to the low belly.

Again,

Feeling for the breath in this region.

Noticing the movement of the low belly,

The touch of clothing there.

And now expanding the awareness to include the entire surface of the abdominal region.

What can be perceived as you focus your attention here?

And now moving the focus to within the pelvic and abdominal regions.

So observing for any sensations,

Pulsations or sensations from the digestive tract.

Again,

This may be an area with history,

With parts added or parts taken away.

And still that vast network of organs within the belly is working well enough to allow you to be here,

To breathe,

To listen,

To attend.

Now letting the focus wrap around to the low back.

So this is an area where many of us carry tension or have different types of discomfort.

And another way of working with a discomfort that proves helpful for some is to have a sense of breathing into and breathing out of an unpleasant sensation.

In a sense,

Cradling that area with the breath.

Or even taking a hand and placing it on an uncomfortable region.

Might be called for.

Now letting the focus move to the mid back.

And the upper back.

The shoulder blades.

Feeling for any movements of the breath as you focus the attention at the back.

Letting the attention wrap back around to the front of the torso at the chest and breast region.

So what sensations can be appreciated as you pay attention here?

And letting the attention move into the chest cavity.

Knowing the expansion and contraction of the lungs.

Feeling for any sensation of the heartbeat.

Being okay with being able or not being able to perceive the heartbeat right now.

And holding the entirety of the torso with your kind attention.

Having an awareness of breathing into and out of the torso.

Good.

And now letting the attention come to the left shoulder.

Exploring for any tightness here.

If it's present,

Seeing if you can allow it to soften,

To relax.

Perhaps breathing into and out of this region.

Or simply allowing any tension to be as it is.

Feeling now into the upper arm.

Any portions that are bearing weight.

And those portions that are not bearing weight.

Feeling into the back of the left elbow.

The front of the left elbow.

Feeling into the forearm.

The left wrist.

Left palm.

Feeling into the back of the left hand.

The left thumb.

Left forefinger.

Noticing if the left forefinger can perceive the touch of the thumb or the middle finger.

Not moving any fingers to create sensations,

But just exploring what can be perceived here in stillness.

Feeling into the middle finger.

Ring finger.

And little finger of the left hand.

And expanding the attention to include the entirety of the left upper extremity.

And breathing into and out of the left upper extremity.

And letting the attention move from the left upper extremity across to the right shoulder.

Noticing any tension if that's available.

Or just allowing it to be.

And directing the attention into the right upper arm.

Back of the right elbow.

Front of the right elbow.

Feeling into the right forearm.

Right wrist.

Back of the hand.

Palm of the right hand.

Right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Right little finger.

Bringing attention specifically to the fingertips on this right hand.

So this is another area where there's a vast network of sensory nerves.

So exploring what sensations show up at the fingertips.

And here too there may be history of things that have changed.

Of things that were pleasant or unpleasant.

And again cultivating this ability to be okay with things as they are.

So as we continue through the body scan,

You may have already discovered some areas that were more challenging to focus on.

And knowing that it's always okay to approach an area as if you were going to enter a body of water and wondering how the temperature was.

So just dipping in a toe.

Just dipping in a little bit of attention to explore an area.

And knowing that it might be worth going in deeper.

It might provide you some interesting experiences and some growth.

And that if you find that you've gone beyond that growth zone,

Then coming back into a comfortable anchor.

So taking care of oneself is a profoundly important part of mindfulness practice.

This is truly a practice of self-care.

And one that then has the ability to ripple out into our ability to help and to care for others.

But it starts right here with kind attention to this body.

And so now holding the entirety of the right upper extremity with this kind attention and breathing into and out of the right upper extremity.

And letting the focus flow from here to the neck.

And if there's tightness or tension here,

Breathing into it or just allowing it to soften or relax or just allowing it to be as it is.

Or perhaps you find some other way to work with that.

That's the real self-empowerment inherent in mindfulness practice.

So letting the attention now come into the throat and the oral cavity.

Noticing if things feel moist or dry,

Scratchy.

Without moving the tongue,

Noticing how it's resting in the mouth.

When you feel the touch of the tongue against the teeth or the roof of the mouth.

Noticing sensations at the lips.

Are the lips touching each other or not?

And sensing into the external portion of the lips.

Noticing the condition of the muscles around the mouth.

Tight or soft or somewhere in between.

Seeing the focus to the muscles of the jaw.

Seeing if softening them is called for now.

Sensing into the temples,

The forehead,

The brow.

How are the muscles around the eyes?

And just noticing whatever is being perceived with the visual senses.

Whether eyes are closed or open.

Being aware of light or shadow,

Color.

Exploring sensations at the skin of the face.

Noticing any air currents passing by.

Feeling for the movement of the breath on the little patch of skin that's just above the upper lip and just below the nostrils.

And you might notice that on the inhale there's a slight sense of coolness from the room temperature air being pulled across that patch of skin.

And with the exhale just a subtle gradient of warmth from the air that has been warmed within the body.

Feeling for the breath within the nostrils.

And being okay with breathing through the mouth if that's what's called for right now.

And now sensing into the scalp.

And feeling into the external portion of the ears.

And the ear canals.

And now simply opening to awareness of sounds.

So just allowing whatever sounds are around you to enter the ears.

Noticing if they're loud.

Soft.

High or low pitched.

Constant or intermittent.

Regular or irregular in their rhythm.

And now feeling into the entirety of the head.

And from the head coming full circle in this body scan to an awareness of the entirety of the body.

Also noticing what position the body is in in this moment.

And noticing the overall sense of how things are.

And is it the same or different than it was at the beginning of this body scan practice.

And coming again if it's comfortable for you to the breath.

Or to some other anchor in the body that feels friendly.

And we'll close this body scan with an excerpt from a poem.

And I said to my body softly.

I want to be your friend.

It took a long breath and replied.

I have been waiting my whole life for this.

Nayyirah Waheed is the poet.

And I said to my body softly.

I want to be your friend.

It took a long breath and replied.

I have been waiting my whole life for this.

And so the invitation now is to bring some movement back to the body.

Perhaps just wiggling fingers and toes.

Looking at the wrists and ankles little by little moving to larger joints.

Sensing into this body.

Moving in any way that feels supportive and friendly to you.

And knowing that you have performed a profound act of self-care.

We'll close this practice with three chimes of the bell.

And the opportunity to use the bell as a final anchor for the practice.