Body Scan Meditation For Calming And Awareness

Tonight we'll be doing a guided body scan meditation.

Begin by taking as much time as you need to slowly move to a comfortable position lying down on a mat on a couch your bed and if you're lying down on a mat or a bed taking a moment to put a pillow under the back of your head and underneath your knees this will help relieve some of the pressure on your spine and covering yourself with a nice blanket so that you stay warm your arms are alongside your body your palms can be open to the ceiling or a glance the floor whatever feels most comfortable for you and your feet falling away from each other and if during the session you feel uncomfortable and need to change your posture please go ahead and do that any time so that you remain comfortable the body scan is an invitation to fall awake during this session rather than falling asleep no matter how relaxed you may become and if you find yourself getting very drowsy it can be helpful to open your eyes from time to time if any feelings of sleep and drowsiness arise this session is also an invitation to step out of clock time altogether into this very moment and rest in this presence with an open mind and heart following along with the instructions as best you can and keeping in mind that what is most important it's not what I'm saying but your awareness of what you are experiencing and feeling and each and every moment even if perhaps moments arise that are difficult or unpleasant emotions or thoughts things do come up when we do these body scans things we've been holding and when they get released it can have intense sensations it's especially important in such moments to put out the welcome mat for such experiences open-hearted and non-reactive awareness as best you can no one is saying that this is easy but it is the heart of the being mode that we are cultivating as best you can letting go of the tendency we all have to want things to be different from how they are right now allowing things to be exactly as you find them allowing yourself to be exactly as you are knowing that you have given yourself this time entirely for you an opportunity to be by yourself and with yourself fully a nourishing time a time you deserve giving yourself positive energy and attention using the guidance as best you can watching your body and the activity of your mind as we go along letting go of any judgmental or critical thoughts being aware of how you feel knowing that there is no right way to feel as you are doing this accepting yourself as you are moment by moment breath by breath if at any point you need to tune out my voice to find a deeper silence underneath what I am saying then by all means doing so coming back to the guidance if and when you feel appropriate let's begin by bringing your attention to a sense of your body as a whole lying here feeling the contact between your body and those places that your body is being supported by the surface you are lying on feeling how the air surrounds the body caresses the skin as it moves even subtly in the room the breath as it moves through the body feeling the rhythmic waves of the breath as it moves in and out floating on the waves of the breaths sensations perhaps at the belly which rises and falls with each in-breath and each out-breath perhaps at the nostrils bringing your awareness to wherever the feeling of breath moving is most vivid as we lie here opening to and resting in an awareness of the body as a whole breathing moment-by-moment breath by breath feeling your body sinking deeper and deeper into the surface you are lying on with every out-breath the muscles of your body letting go noting if there are times that the mind wanders in those moments noticing what is on your mind gently bringing your attention back to the breath to the body lying here knowing that is the nature of the mind to wander to think so it's bound to happen a lot it's not a sign that you were doing anything wrong when you feel ready let go of the body as a whole and shift the focus of your attention to the toes of the left foot featuring them center stage in the field of your awareness taking a moment to really tune into them distinguishing each toe from all the others with a gentle curious affectionate attention to the various sensations we find here a sense of contact between the toes where they are touching a sense of coolness or warmth tingling or numbness whatever the particular sensations are is not important just feeling your toes and that might include no sensations at all being aware and experiencing these sensations or lack of sensations as pleasant unpleasant or neither pleasant or unpleasant being aware of any emotional reactions that may arise aversion impatience boredom sadness judging yourself harshly whatever happens allowing all of this to be held in awareness moment by moment as we lie here without having to do anything at all being present with whatever is unfolding continually coming back to the toes themselves as we lie here attending to the toes of the left foot see if you can feel or imagine the breath entering your lungs and then passing all the way down through the body into the left leg and down into the toes of the left foot and as you breathe out imagining the breath going all the way back up from the left toes through the foot up the leg and out your nose taking a slow deep intentional breath in down into the toes cradling it for a moment and on the out breath as the breath lets go letting go of the toes watching them dissolve in your mind's eye and shifting the focus of your awareness to the bottom of the left foot the soul in the instep to the heel in contact with the surface you are lying on the top of the foot the ankle the surface of the skin and into the bones and joints of the whole foot and as you breathe in imagine your breath going all the way down into the left foot and as you breathe out traveling back out again and with the next out breath letting go of the entirety of the foot dropping into a deeper stillness and shifting your awareness to the region of the lower left leg the shin in front the calf and back the surface of the skin and deep inside bringing your breath into this region of your lower left leg and with the next out breath letting go as you come to focus your attention on your left knee the kneecap the back of the knee the sides of the knee as you breathe out letting the knee fade and moving your awareness to the left upper leg the thigh all the way up to the groin on the inside and the left hip on the outside breathing into your thigh and breathing out from it when you're ready taking a deep breath down into the thigh and then on the out breath letting go shifting your awareness to the toes on your right foot opening to whatever you find the bottom of your right foot the heel the top of the foot and the ankle breathing into the hole of the right foot tuning into whatever is here to be felt and on the next out breath letting go of the hole of the right foot moving awareness into the right lower leg and knee allowing our awareness to fill and bathe this region of the right foot breathing into the region of the body tuning into whatever sensations are here to be felt on an out breath watching the right lower leg and knee dissolve in your mind's eye moving into the region above the knee the right upper leg and thigh tuning into whatever is here to be felt in the entire area from above the right knee up to the groin on the inside and the right hip on the outside and breathing into the hole of the right thigh and as you breathe out letting go here and as you breathe out letting go here too moving your awareness into the region of the pelvis aware of the hips the groin the genitals the buttocks cradling the whole of this region in awareness in touch with whatever sensations or lack of sensation you are experiencing and knowing that this is one of the regions that the body tends to store stress tighten and clench and as you breathe into and out from this region this region imagine releasing it unclenching and now letting go of the whole of the pelvic region watching it soften and release as you sink even deeper into stillness awareness totally present in each moment content to just be just be right here as you are right now bringing your attention to the lower back the lumbar spine coming out of the sacrum the low back being a region can be particularly prone to tension fatigue and strain imagine sending your breath into this area of the body the lower back breathing into whatever sensations you find letting the breath penetrate the entire region allowing whatever sensations you find experience to be as they are cradling them in awareness letting any tension or tightness holding or bracing any intensity of sensation inviting these sensations to flow out with the out breath letting gravity dissolve them melting into the floor as you breathe out letting go of the lower back moving into the region of the belly the sides of the lower torso right up to the bottom of the lower rib cage all around feeling the belly rising with each in breath and falling back towards the spine with each out breath in touch with any and all sensations in this region and recognizing any thoughts and emotions that might be arising and passing away as we rest here in awareness moment by moment breath by breath by breath when you're ready taking a slow deep intentional breath allowing the entirety of this region of the body to fade away as you breathe out bringing your awareness to the region of the upper torso the rib cage and the chest housing the heart and the lungs and the great vessels of the bloodstream the chest wall upper back shoulder blades collarbones shoulders shoulders breathing with and into any and all sensations in this region of the body perhaps seeing if you can be in touch with the heart beating in the chest feeling the rib cage expanding and contracting as the lungs fill with air on each in breath and release it with each out breath noticing if there are any sensations of tightness or tension that may have accumulated in this region any thoughts or emotions that may also be arising and passing away as we lay here and when you're ready taking in a long slow intentional breath feeling the rib cage expanding all around in back as well as in front the sides cradling it for a moment in the lungs and letting the breath release as the breath let's go noticing what happens as the mind let's go of this region of the body as well bringing your attention to focus on your hands both left and right at the same time both left and right at the same time feeling the sensations of the fingers the thumbs the palms the back wrists forearms elbows upper arms armpits shoulders breathing into the entirety of your hands and arms from the tips of the fingers up to the shoulders breathing out releasing and letting go of the hands dropping deeper and deeper into awareness itself present in each timeless moment as best you can letting go of whatever thoughts may come up or impulses to move just experiencing yourself lying here resting in awareness moving into the region of the neck and throat opening to whatever is here to be felt this region along with the lower back and shoulders is another one in which tension and stress tend to accumulate if you find any tension or fatigue other sensations in the throat larynx resting in this entire region and awareness as it is breathing into and out from the neck and throat and with the next out breath letting go of the neck and throat letting them dissolve as we move into the next breath letting go of the neck and throat letting them dissolve as we move into the region of the head and face another region that stores tension over the course of a day experiencing it as it is in this moment perhaps feeling the place where the back of the head is in contact with the surface you are lying on feeling the whole of your face allowing it to be at rest as it is feeling the breath moving in and out past the gateways of your body allowing the breath moving in and out past the gateways of the nostrils your jaw chin lips mouth teeth tongue your nose the inside of the nose feeling where is the sensation of breath as the cool air enters and the warm air passes out your cheeks your ears your eyes forehead temples scalp your ears all the way to the crown of your head allowing awareness to hold and embrace with a friendly acceptance the whole of your face and head just as they are in this moment breathing with them into them cradling them in awareness as we lie here moment by moment recognizing as well as we have been doing any thoughts or emotions that might be moving through the mind like clouds across the sky across the sky taking a deep slow intentional breath in right into the whole of your face and head and on the next out breath letting go of this region of the body as well watching it dissolve into stillness into a natural peacefulness as the breath lets go and as the mind itself lets go we come to rest in awareness itself an awareness in which we once again hold our whole body from the toes and the bottoms of the feet up through the legs torso hands arms shoulders neck and face all the way up to the top of the head embracing the whole of the body as we find it however it is in the moment resting in awareness and stillness deep inner silence and wakefulness complete whole integrated in touch with your essential completeness a realm of well-being so so as this practice tonight comes to a natural conclusion opening again to the world of clock time and take a moment to thank yourself for having made time to nurture yourself in this way befriending yourself in this healing nurturing way letting your deep inner resources nourish your life remember and know that this awareness is portable it is always as close as your breath and resting here now as long as you like beginning to emerge from your meditation taking a deep breath in and opening your eyes moving very slowly finding your way to a sitting position first by rolling on to your side taking a few breaths to reorient to a new orientation and slowly beginning to sit up