40-Minute Body Scan From February 25, 2023 Live Practice

Hello there.

Good morning,

Good afternoon,

Good evening,

Wherever you are.

I'm Ryan and welcome to this body scan recording.

The following recording will be about 40 minutes long.

It's the recording from the 25th of February live practice and I just wanted to share it with you so that you can use it anytime you like.

So go ahead and get comfortable and the body scan will start shortly.

So find your comfortable posture.

I'm going to lead the meditation today from a seated posture but I would encourage you and you know this is for practical reasons so it's easier for me to project my voice.

However,

I would encourage you to lie down if you have the space,

If you've prepared well enough.

And you know one other thing,

As you lie down your muscles are relaxed and we're going to be together here today for 40 minutes.

So you might start to get cold as you're so relaxed.

So do remember to you know use a blanket,

Find a way to keep yourself warm because you know otherwise it could be uncomfortable in the middle of the meditation to have to go and arrange and rearrange something.

So go ahead and get yourself comfortable.

We're going to get started here.

If you are lying down,

I would encourage you to choose this posture of lying on your back,

Your arms slightly away from the body,

Palms open toward the ceiling,

Legs slightly parted,

Feet gently falling away from each other,

And maybe having something to cushion your head from the hardness of your mat or even your bed.

Make this over 40 minutes you can maybe start to feel a little bit of discomfort in that spot in the back of your head that's in contact with your mat.

And so here we are.

I would encourage you to remain still for the duration of this meditation if you can.

So there's no need for you to generate sensations as we come to a part of the body by moving it.

The idea here is can you really bring your full attention,

Feature that part of your body,

Center stage in the spotlight of your awareness.

So now let's take a moment to start to feel where the body is in contact with the supporting surface.

So if you're lying down,

You may feel your heels in contact,

The backs of the legs,

The buttocks,

The backs of the hands,

The elbows,

The shoulder blades,

Maybe part of the neck and the back of the head.

So let's take just a moment to feel this sensation of being touched,

Sensation of gravity pulling down on the body and the supporting surface pushing back.

So exploring,

Using this pressure,

This sense of being touched as a way to kind of calibrate your awareness.

Remember what it feels like to be touched.

And so now bringing awareness away from those points and towards the belly.

So another kind of calibration before we get started into the main meditation is feeling the belly rising and falling with the breath.

If you're lying down,

One thing you may notice is that there's a little bit more space for the belly to expand and contract as you're lying down.

So noticing this continuous movement,

This continuous change as the belly expands with the in-breath,

Contracts with the out-breath.

So for some of us,

It's helpful to imagine that there's a spotlight shining down on the body,

Shining down on the area of the body that we are currently working on.

At the moment,

We're at the belly.

So can you shine your spotlight of attention down on the belly,

Featuring its center stage in the spotlight of awareness,

Discovering what's here now,

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing awareness of the belly and moving that spotlight down the left side of the body through the left hip,

The left thigh,

The left knee,

The left lower leg,

The left ankle,

All the way out into the left foot and to the left toes,

The toes of the left foot.

Can you feel the big toe?

How about the little toe?

How about the second toe,

The third toe,

And the fourth toe?

So no need to wiggle them,

No need to create sensations,

Just as best you can bring your attention to the toes of the left foot,

Noticing the spaces between the toes,

Expanding awareness to the sole of the left foot,

The arch,

The heel,

The ankle,

The top of the left foot,

And the left ankle.

So shining the spotlight of awareness down on the entirety of the left foot,

Examining all of the sensations that you feel here now,

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the left foot from awareness as we move our spotlight gently and slowly to the left lower leg,

Noticing the shin,

The calf,

The skin on the outside,

The flesh and bones on the inside,

Maybe even noticing blood moving through the left calf,

The left lower leg,

Paying attention to whatever normal natural sensations are here.

It could even be the contact between your skin and your clothing.

Maybe you notice warmth,

Maybe you notice coolness,

Maybe you notice tingling or itching,

Just whatever's here,

Observing,

Welcoming,

I'm not trying to change anything.

Seeing your body and the sensations within exactly as they are,

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the left lower leg from awareness as we guide attention to the left knee,

Noticing the kneecap,

The back of the knee,

The sides of the knee,

The inside of the knee,

Observing,

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the left knee from awareness and moving the attention up to the left thigh,

Noticing the larger muscles here,

Maybe even the fat around the thigh,

The skin,

The bones,

The blood,

Paying kind attention to this very important part of my body,

This part of me.

Can I become aware of the sensations here?

And remember,

If you have difficulty in this practice,

If you find that your mind is wandering,

Remember that this is a natural and normal part of the meditation process.

Every time you notice that your mind has wandered away,

Gently acknowledge for a moment that the mind has wandered because,

Of course,

It already has.

No need to beat yourself up for it,

And gently escort the mind back,

Back to whatever part of the body we're working on.

And right now,

We're at the left thigh.

Feel the sensations here,

The sensation of being touched,

Clothing,

Whatever else is showing up here for you now.

And on your next exhalation,

Releasing the left thigh from awareness and gently guiding the attention across the pelvis to the right hip and down the right leg,

Past the knee,

Past the lower leg,

Past the ankle,

Into the foot,

And all the way out into the toes of the right foot.

Can you feel the big toe?

Can you feel the little toe?

What normal natural sensations are there?

Maybe your toes are cool or cold.

Maybe they're warm.

Maybe you find moisture here.

What is it that I experience when I examine my toes?

Can I feel the second toe?

The third toe?

The fourth toe?

The fifth toe?

The fourth toe?

The spaces between the toes?

And now how about the sole of the foot?

The arch of the right foot?

The heel?

The ankle?

The top of the foot?

So center stage now,

The spotlight of awareness shining down on the right foot,

This very important part of the body.

Maybe even having some gratitude that I have a right foot.

Or for those that are missing pieces or all,

Scanning other parts of the body on the next exhalation,

Releasing the right foot from awareness,

Guiding attention into the right lower leg,

Noticing the shin,

The calf muscle,

The bones,

Noticing the blood flowing through the right calf,

The right lower leg,

Holding awareness here,

Examining whatever subtle sensations you may be feeling.

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the right lower leg from awareness.

As we guide attention into the right knee,

The kneecap,

The back of the knee,

The sides of the knee,

The inside of the knee,

What can I feel?

What do I experience in this region of my body?

Maybe bringing some kind attention and some gratitude to the fact that I have a knee.

I use this knee for mobility.

And for those who are missing body parts today,

You can always rest your attention at your breath.

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the right knee from awareness.

As we guide attention to the right thigh,

The front of the thigh,

The back of the thigh,

The inner thigh,

The outer thigh,

The muscles,

The bones,

All the way up to the hip,

Featuring this very important part of the body,

Center stage in your awareness today.

Now is the time for us to explore the region of the right thigh.

And as you breathe out,

Releasing the right thigh from awareness and focusing attention on the right hip around the back to the right buttock.

Noticing the contact between the buttock and the supporting surface.

Noticing the tailbone,

Bringing attention to the left buttock,

To the left hip,

To the front of the pelvis.

Maybe also noticing the internal organs here,

The urinary bladder,

Noticing the genital region,

The perineum,

The anal region,

As we hold the entirety of our pelvic region in the forefront of awareness.

Noticing what is here now,

What physical sensations can I experience in my pelvis.

And on the next exhale,

Releasing the pelvis from awareness,

And bringing attention to the tailbone,

And slowly moving up the tailbone.

Noticing the sacrum,

The lower vertebrae,

As we expand into the muscles of the lower back.

Maybe you can even feel some indications of your breathing here.

Can you feel some slight expansion in the lower back as you breathe in?

So continuing now to move up the back,

Into the mid-back,

Maybe starting to notice where the ribs are coming out of the vertebrae.

Noticing the rib cage,

As it comes around the body.

Then as we continue climbing the vertebrae into the upper back,

Noticing the shoulder blades,

Is there any tightness in the back,

In the upper back?

And so as we hold the entirety of the back body in awareness,

Just observing what is here now,

What is here now,

And then moving up the pelvis,

Just observing what is here now.

What are you experiencing now in this region of the back body?

And if at this point in the meditation you find yourself starting to drift off,

Remember that this is an invitation to fall awake.

So if you find yourself drifting off,

Maybe opening the eyes,

Looking at a light on the ceiling,

Using this as a time to stay focused,

To observe these sensations in the back body,

To continue to hold awareness in whatever region of the body we're working on.

And right now we're at the back body,

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the back body from awareness,

Guiding attention around to the front of the body,

Noticing the abdomen,

The movement of the abdomen with the breath once again.

Expansion and contraction,

Maybe the slight expansion of the clothing across the skin as the belly contracts and expands.

And what about the inside?

Can you feel your digestive organs?

Can you feel any movement there?

Expanding and contracting,

Feeling the movement of the belly as you breathe.

And now on the next exhalation,

Releasing the abdomen from awareness,

And guiding attention up towards the chest,

Noticing the rib cage,

The slight expansion and contraction of the rib cage as you breathe.

What about the heart?

Can you feel the heart beating inside your chest?

This muscle that never rests.

Can you feel the lungs?

Can you feel the air moving in and out of your lungs as you breathe?

Can you feel the sternum?

Is there tension here?

What do you notice?

So simply opening up to observe whatever sensations you're feeling in the chest.

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing awareness of the chest and bringing attention down the left arm,

All the way down until we reach the fingers of the left hand.

Can you notice your thumb,

The tip of the thumb,

The index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger,

And the little finger,

The pinky finger?

Pinky finger.

Can you feel the palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The left wrist?

What do you notice?

Can you feel pulsations?

Can you feel moisture?

Can you feel coolness or warmth?

What's here in the left hand?

Expanding awareness into the left forearm,

Into the left elbow,

The left upper arm,

The left armpit,

And the left side body,

Including the sensations here,

And including the left shoulder.

So taking a moment to hold the entirety of the left arm,

As well as the left hand in awareness.

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the left arm,

The left hand from awareness.

As we guide our attention to the right side,

Down the right arm,

Out into the fingers of the right hand,

The right thumb,

The right index finger,

The right middle finger,

The right ring finger,

And the right little finger,

The pinky.

Expanding awareness into the palm of the right hand,

To the back of the right hand,

To the right wrist.

What do you feel?

Pulsations?

Warmth?

Coolness?

Dryness?

Itching?

What is here exploring with that beginner's mind?

What is happening in my body?

What can I feel?

What is here in the present moment?

What do I experience in my right hand?

Continuing to the right forearm,

The right elbow,

The right upper arm,

The right armpit,

The right side body,

And the right shoulder,

An area that may hold tension for some.

Just observing what is here.

What am I experiencing?

The right arm,

The right hand,

The right shoulder,

Featuring the entirety of the right arm and right hand in awareness now.

And on the next exhalation,

Releasing the right arm,

The right hand from awareness,

And guiding attention now into the neck.

So between the shoulder blades,

Between the shoulders,

Coming up into the neck,

Feeling the vertebrae coming upwards,

Feeling the muscles of the neck,

Around to the front of the neck,

To the softer tissue here,

To the blood vessels,

Bringing blood to and from the head,

The larynx,

This conduit,

Bringing air from outside the body,

Inside,

And also taking air from inside and bringing it back out,

Feeling the air moving in the larynx,

The esophagus.

So holding the neck in its entirety in the forefront of your awareness,

Letting it be in the spotlight,

Center stage,

Feeling what's here now.

And then as you breathe out,

Releasing the neck from awareness and beginning to scan into the face,

Feeling the chin,

The jaw,

Noticing any tension in the jaw,

The mouth,

The lips,

The teeth,

The gums,

The tongue,

The nose,

Air moving in and out of the nostrils as you breathe,

The cheeks,

The ears,

Maybe noticing sounds falling on the ears,

And now the eyes.

And if the eyes are open,

What they happen to be drinking in in this moment,

The muscles around the eyes,

How do they feel,

The eyebrows,

The forehead,

The temples,

The scalp,

Exploring the entirety of the scalp,

Including the crown of the head.

What do you feel here in the crown of the head,

The back of the head,

Maybe feeling the place where your head is in contact with your pillow.

And can you bring the awareness into the center of the head,

Noticing that you have a skull,

And inside the skull is your brain.

Can you bring your attention to the center of your head?

What's that like?

Is that possible?

And on the next exhale,

Letting the air flow through the nose,

And on the next exhale,

Letting go of awareness of the head and face.

And now let's expand awareness to the entirety of the body,

From head to toe.

What do you feel?

What loud sensations are there?

What are the obvious sensations for you to tune into?

What are the not so obvious sensations?

Can you feel it all?

Can you feel the body breathing,

The heart beating,

Sensation of touching,

Of clothing,

The supporting surface,

All of it?

Can you drink in all of the sensations the body is experiencing now?

And soon now,

We'll draw our practice to its close.

But before we do,

I'd like to invite you to take a moment to give yourself a little bit of gratitude.

Thank yourself for having made time today to do this powerful practice,

To learn how to get back in touch with your body,

And maybe even setting some intention to do practices like this regularly so that you can continue strengthening that muscle of attention.

So congratulations,

Everyone.

We'll close practice with three rings of the bell.