Body Scan For Kind And Compassionate Awareness Of The Body

This is a guided mindful body scan for you to use regularly to take an active role in caring for your own health and well-being.

We often spend so much time in our minds and in our thoughts and we sometimes forget that the body senses and knows.

This is an opportunity to connect with whatever is present in the body,

Moment to moment,

To gently explore this wonderful sensing physical being that holds wisdom.

As you tune into your experience,

The invitation is to simply be present and awake to any and all sensations as they arise with an attitude of kindness,

Acceptance,

And curiosity,

And without judging,

Analyzing,

Or trying to control or change your experience in any way.

Even if you want it to be different than it is.

Sometimes when we're learning something new,

We try really hard to get it just right.

This striving can lead to tension.

Doing your best to meet each moment with acceptance and letting go,

Knowing that your best will change from moment to moment.

There's no right or wrong way to be present and aware.

It's simply your experience of what's happening in the moment.

It's best to do this practice in a warm and comfortable place where you can feel safe and free from interruption.

This is an opportunity to be fully by yourself and with yourself and to open to your natural capacity for healing.

A body scan can be done lying down on the back,

On the floor,

Or a bed.

Or if lying on your back is challenging,

Lying down in a way that's comfortable for you.

Or you may prefer sitting on the floor or bed or chair.

Once you've chosen a position,

Inviting a sense of wakefulness in the mind and ease in the body.

And if you find yourself becoming sleepy at any time,

You can open your eyes and sit up if you'd like.

Or stand up until you're ready to continue with the body scan.

What really matters is your presence in the moment and that you're choosing to show up for what's happening.

Taking a moment now to settle into a comfortable position.

If you're lying down,

Allowing your arms to rest at your sides with palms facing up if that's okay and legs outstretched.

Or with knees bent and the soles of the feet on the floor if that's more comfortable.

Or sitting in a chair in a relaxed posture,

Closing the eyes.

Or if you prefer to keep the eyes open,

Inviting a soft,

Unfocused gaze.

Maybe noticing how your body is being supported by the floor or bed or chair.

And now making the choice to be exactly as you are in this moment.

Gently coming to notice the natural rhythm of your breath.

The breath is such a constant feature of life that can often go unnoticed.

And tuning into it now without the need to control or change it.

Feeling sensations as the breath enters and leaves the body.

And as best you can,

Being present with the movement of each in-breath and the movement of each out-breath.

Perhaps noticing sensations in the belly as you breathe.

And if you'd like to,

Placing your hands on your belly and feeling the movement of the breath here.

The rise and fall of the belly.

Sensing the rhythm and waves of your breath from moment to moment.

If at any time during this body scan,

Sensations arise that are too uncomfortable or emotions become too difficult,

Knowing that it's always possible to return your attention to the breath.

The breath is a safe place to rest in until you're ready to follow along with the body scan.

And if your hands are on your belly now,

Allowing them to rest at your sides.

With your next exhale,

Gently releasing your attention of the belly.

And guiding your awareness from your belly all the way down the left leg to the toes of the left foot.

And gently being present with whatever sensations are arising in the moment as you focus your attention on the toes here.

Perhaps aware of each toe now.

Maybe sensing the space between your toes.

Perhaps warmth or coolness.

Tingling or pulsing.

Or perhaps there's no sensation and that's okay.

With your next exhale,

Releasing your awareness of the toes.

And sensing the sole of the foot,

The heel of the foot,

The arch,

And the top of the foot.

With your next out breath,

Expanding your awareness to include the entire left foot.

The parts of the foot making contact with the ground.

Sensations on the skin.

Heaviness or lightness.

Perhaps sensing the foot from the inside out.

From the tiny muscles and bones to the skin.

And being with your experience however it is.

Inviting a kind and caring attention.

On your next exhale,

Moving your awareness now to the left ankle.

And being present to any sensations here.

Perhaps noticing the sides,

Top,

And back of the ankle.

Maybe aware of the ankle bone and any sensations on the skin here.

Or perhaps there's no sensation and that's okay.

Simply dwelling in your experience of how it is here in the left ankle.

Whenever you're ready.

As you exhale,

Releasing your attention of the ankle.

And coming to notice the left lower leg.

Perhaps there's a sense of it from the inside out.

The bone of the left lower leg.

The muscles that surround it.

Any sensations on the surface of the skin.

Perhaps there's the feeling of circulation here.

Allowing for the experience of all sensations.

And the experience of no sensations.

Knowing there is no right way to be present and aware.

As you exhale,

Releasing your attending of the left lower leg.

And guiding your awareness now to the left knee.

The kneecap.

Sides of the knee.

Back of the knee.

The inner workings of the left knee joint.

And being with your direct experience of the left knee.

As it is here and now.

No matter how it is.

At times,

You may notice thoughts arising.

Knowing this is okay.

This is simply what the mind does.

And when you notice this happening,

It's a moment of awareness.

Inviting a kind acceptance.

That thinking is arising.

And gently guiding your attention back to the breath and the body.

As an anchor to the moment.

And in this way,

We're learning over time.

To let go of getting caught up in the stories of the mind.

And allowing for our experience to be as it is in the moment.

As you're ready,

With your next out breath.

Releasing your attention of the left knee.

And gathering your awareness.

And how it is in the left upper leg.

And any sensations that are present here.

Maybe noticing the long bone of the left upper leg.

And the muscles that surround it.

Perhaps there's a sense of heaviness.

Or lightness.

Sensations of the texture of your clothing on the skin.

Maybe feeling where the leg makes contact with the ground or the chair.

Or maybe not.

And as you exhale,

Releasing your attention of the left upper leg.

And moving your awareness across the pelvic region to the right upper leg.

And all the way down the right leg to the toes of the right foot.

Being with your direct sensations here.

Perhaps there's warmth or coolness.

Tingling,

Pulsing.

Or maybe there's no sensation in the toes of the right foot.

As you exhale,

Releasing your attention of the toes here.

And becoming aware of the sole of the right foot.

The heel,

The arch of the foot.

And the top of the foot.

Now bringing the entire right foot into your field of awareness.

And exploring it with a kind curiosity.

Knowing that if there are no sensations here,

That's okay.

There's no right or wrong way to be present and aware.

With your next exhale,

Releasing your awareness of the right foot.

And gently guiding your attention now to notice the right ankle.

Perhaps feeling it from the inside out.

The bones,

Muscles.

Any sensations on the surface of the skin.

Perhaps there's a sensation of pulsing or no sensations.

On the next out breath,

Releasing your attention of the right ankle.

And moving your awareness along with the breath to the right lower leg.

Aware of how it is for you now in the right lower leg.

And any and all sensations that are here.

Maybe noticing the length of the lower leg.

The calf muscle here.

And the back of the leg.

The shin bone.

And the front of the leg.

And any sensations on the skin here.

Allowing for all sensations.

And the experience of no sensation.

Perhaps there's awareness of any mood states that are present for you.

Boredom.

Frustration.

Irritability.

Or perhaps there's a sense of ease and calm.

Allowing for your experience to be as it is.

And holding it with a kind,

Compassionate attention.

As best you can.

And with your next out breath,

Releasing your awareness of the right lower leg.

And gathering your attention in the right knee.

The front.

Back.

And sides of the right knee.

The kneecap.

Moving your attention inward.

Deep inside the joint.

With your next exhale,

Releasing your attention of the right knee.

And guiding your awareness to the right upper leg.

Perhaps sensing the long bone of the right thigh.

Any tightness.

Or softness.

Warmth.

Or coolness.

Perhaps feeling into the parts of the leg that touch the ground or chair.

And any sensations along the surface of the skin.

With your next exhale,

Releasing your attention of the right upper leg.

And gently bringing your awareness to the pelvic region.

From hip to hip.

The buttocks.

The genitals.

And kindly allowing for whatever is present for you here and now.

The pelvic region can be an area that holds strong feelings and emotions.

If these are arising for you now,

Or at any time in the body scan.

Being with these strong emotions,

With an open hearted kindness.

Allowing them to be present.

And if that feels too challenging or overwhelming.

You can always return your attention to the breath.

As a safe refuge.

Being with the sensations of breathing.

And returning to the body scan whenever you're ready.

On the next out breath.

Gently letting go of your attention to the pelvic region.

And bringing your attention to the low back.

Noticing any sense of contact or no contact with the floor.

Or chair here at the low back.

Perhaps there's a sense of yielding to gravity.

Or resisting.

Maybe noticing tightness or softness.

Aware of how the breath moves in this area.

Perhaps becoming aware of any tendency to move towards.

Or away from any sensations.

Or thoughts.

Or feelings.

And gently coming to know your experience of the lower back.

In this moment.

With kindness.

As you breathe.

Releasing your attention of the low back.

And moving your attention to the belly.

The lower torso.

Perhaps noticing the rising and falling of the belly with breathing.

And sensing into the belly.

The place where we have our gut feelings.

There really are nerves here that sense and know.

Allowing your experience to be as it is right now.

Resting your awareness in the sensations of the lower torso.

And with your next out breath.

Releasing your attention of this area.

And moving your awareness to the upper torso.

Where the heart and lungs reside.

Bringing your kind attention to whatever is present for you here.

At times when we attend to the area of the heart.

We may become aware of emotions arising here.

Perhaps joy.

Sadness.

Fear.

Compassion.

And at other times emotions might not be felt here.

And that's okay.

Perhaps sensing the heartbeat.

And maybe not.

Maybe experiencing the filling and emptying of the lungs as you breathe.

And any movement of the ribcage and the skin that surrounds it.

Perhaps noticing sensations in the shoulder blades.

And muscles of the upper back.

Tightness or softness.

Points of contact the upper back mix with the ground if you're lying down.

Breathing here.

And resting in the sensations of the upper torso.

With your next exhale.

Releasing your attention of the upper torso.

And guiding your attention and breath.

All the way down both arms to your hands.

Aware of how both hands can be held in awareness at the same time.

Perhaps sensing each finger.

The bones of the hands.

The back of the hands.

The palm of the hands.

Maybe noticing how one hand feels differently than the other.

And how they feel similarly.

Our hands move and interact with so much throughout the day.

And being with your direct experience of the hands here and now.

Perhaps feeling the life in your hands.

Warmth.

Coolness.

Tingling.

Or maybe there's no sensation.

Simply being with your experience however it is.

And on your next exhale.

Releasing your attention of the hands.

And moving your awareness to both wrists.

Exploring them with a sense of kind curiosity.

Of whatever you may be experiencing here in the wrists.

Perhaps feeling circulation.

Or pulsing.

Maybe noticing the tiny muscles and bones of the wrists.

Parts of the body we don't usually pay attention to.

And being with your wrists now.

Holding them with your kind attention.

On the next out breath.

Letting go of the wrists.

And bringing your awareness to the forearms.

Maybe sensing them from the inside out.

From the bones.

Muscles.

Tissues.

And skin of the forearms.

Being present to any sensations.

Or no sensations here.

Opening to any and all that's present for you in this moment.

And with your next exhale.

Gently releasing attention of the forearms.

And coming now to notice the elbows.

The inner parts that bend.

And the bones of the elbows.

Allowing for any sensations here.

Tingling.

Pulsing.

Or no sensation.

Perhaps there's a sense of how the elbows are positioned in this moment.

On your out breath.

Releasing attention of the elbows.

And attending now to the upper arms.

Perhaps noticing the length of the upper arms.

And how they're resting here.

The bones.

The muscles.

And any sensations along the surface of the skin of the upper arms.

Maybe there's a sense of gravity here.

And maybe not.

As you're ready.

Releasing your attention of the upper arms.

And shifting your awareness to the shoulders.

The tops and sides of the shoulders.

The armpits.

And the inner workings of the muscles and bones here.

Experiencing the shoulders from the inside out.

Perhaps noticing areas of tightness.

Or tension.

Or maybe the shoulders are relaxed here.

And if the mind has wandered away from the body.

And into thought or story.

Gently holding this in your awareness.

And kindly bringing your attention back to how it is in your shoulders in this moment.

With your next exhale.

Gently guiding your attention from the shoulders to the neck.

Feeling into the strong muscles of the neck.

That hold up the head.

And being present to any sensations here.

Tightness.

Or perhaps softness.

Warmth.

Coolness.

Maybe there's a sense of the breath moving through the throat.

An awareness of the vertebrae of the neck.

Resting into any sensations.

Or no sensations here in the neck.

And on your next exhale.

Gently releasing your awareness of the neck.

And guiding your attention to notice the jaw.

Any sensations of tightness or softness.

And perhaps allowing the jaw to lower slightly.

Maybe noticing any changes in sensations in the muscles of the face.

And neck.

With a small movement as you breathe.

Becoming aware of the mouth.

And lips.

The tongue.

The teeth.

Perhaps sensations of moisture.

Or dryness here in the mouth.

Guiding your attention now to noticing the nose.

From the bridge of the nose.

To the tip of the nose.

Perhaps sensing the breath.

And the temperature of the breath as it moves in and out of the nostrils.

Aware of the cheeks.

Bones.

Muscles and skin of the cheeks.

And any sensations felt here.

Becoming aware of the ears.

And perhaps a sense of hearing.

Moving your attention now to the eyes.

Where the upper lids meet the lower lids.

And underneath the lids.

Sensing the eyes themselves.

Seeing what the eyes see.

Perhaps shades of light and dark.

Or color.

And perhaps not.

As you breathe.

Bringing awareness to the eyebrows.

And the space between them.

Any tightness or softness here.

Coming to notice the forehead.

And where the forehead meets the scalp.

Maybe experiencing sensations of tingling.

Warmth or coolness.

Or perhaps the movement of air here on the skin.

On your next exhale.

Expanding your awareness to include the entire face.

And rather than a picture of your face in the mind.

Bringing a kind and curious attention.

To any sensations in the area we call the face.

Allowing your experience to be just as it is.

And now coming to notice the entire head.

Perhaps sensing the weight of the head.

And how it's resting here in this moment.

As you breathe.

Expanding your attention to include the entire body.

From the soles of the feet to the top of the head.

Being present with your experience of sitting or lying here in this moment.

Maybe noticing the breath moving in and out of the body.

And how it's been a constant companion that brings the entire body together.

Perhaps sensing gravity now.

And how your body is being gently held by the floor.

Or the bed.

Or the chair.

With an open-hearted awareness.

Dwelling in the sensations of what the body feels and knows.

And in the last few moments of this body scan.

If it feels right to you.

Congratulating yourself for taking the time to nurture yourself in this way.

And knowing you can carry the awareness you've practiced here into the moments of your day.

As you're ready.

Bringing movement to your fingers and toes.

Wrists and ankles.

And if it feels right,

Gently rolling your head side to side.

If you're lying down.

Maybe bringing your knees to your chest.

And hugging them with your arms.

As you're ready.

Settling the soles of your feet down.

And carefully rolling to one side.

And whenever you're ready,

Coming to a seated position.