MBSR Body Scan Meditation 45 Minutes

For this practice,

The bodies can practice now.

You can choose any posture.

Yeah.

When I say any posture,

There are a few considerations.

One is being seated however you want to sit.

Yeah.

Chair,

Floor,

Couch.

You can also lie down for this one if you know you're not going to fall asleep.

Yeah.

Because otherwise the attention will not be focused here on it.

So see what,

Choose,

Choosing wisely.

See what you might need right now.

One other posture that you could possibly use is the astronaut posture.

I'll quickly demonstrate it.

And because you could use this throughout this course,

Not only in the class,

But also at home.

Yeah.

So the astronaut posture would look something like,

Often you'll see this floor.

If you lie down on the floor,

Hope you're still able to hear me.

You lie down on the floor like this,

Then your legs are on the chair this way.

Yeah.

So you see how my knees are bent.

I'm on the floor like this.

So it's kind of like an astronaut,

Their feet,

Legs are always bent.

That's the astronaut posture.

All right.

In rare occasions,

This can also be done in a standing posture,

Which depends where you are and whether you really need that.

The safety issues for that,

Choose zone out or doze off.

Yeah.

Standing might be tricky.

So see what posture you need right now.

And whatever we do here,

There's a reason for that.

Like the astronaut posture is meant for supporting the lower back.

Some people have lower back pain,

Or even if they are tired from a strenuous day,

Their back,

Lower back is still sore,

Exercise and so on.

So this comforts that lower back during this time so that you're more able to focus,

You're able to focus more.

Yeah.

And the pain would not be constantly distracting.

So you see how there's an appropriate level of comfort being used for the practice.

Yeah.

And once you choose a posture,

I'm bringing some stability by subsiding movement.

Yeah.

While still remembering you have a choice and permission that you will give yourself to move when needed.

Like sitting in a particular way,

There's excruciating pain here.

And I gently move to relieve it.

Yeah.

And that's okay.

You can do that.

Once the body is comfortable,

Stable,

Calm,

Then you choose whether the eyes should be closed.

Or sometimes they could also be slightly open.

The head is balanced,

But the eyelids are lowered.

You barely see anything in front of you.

But see what feels right for you.

Having the feet and arms comfortably placed somewhere also avoids any tension or pain due to posture.

And the next thing to check in is your breathing.

If the breathing was held up,

Allowing it to flow naturally,

Or even taking a couple of longer breaths.

And then beginning by setting your intentions to be with your practice and to keep coming back to it.

Whenever you find the mind or tension has wandered off somewhere.

And then gradually beginning to take some intentional breaths,

If you weren't.

Taking some abdominal breaths using the diaphragm,

Diaphragmatic breathing,

Where you are intentionally engaging your belly to breathe.

This is very similar to what musical artists practice.

The abdominal or belly breathing,

Which engages the diaphragm,

The belly more than the chest.

Yeah,

As opposed to chest breathing.

So you can even place your one hand on the chest,

One on the belly to really notice how is the breathing happening and see if you can intentionally engage the diaphragm,

The abdomen in the process of breathing.

It might feel slightly effortful and that's okay.

And whenever you feel like you want to let go of the hands,

If they were placed on your body,

Just resting them somewhere on your knees or lap,

Arm rest.

And you could continue taking intentional diaphragmatic breaths.

Noticing how they feel and where they feel,

Or where are they felt.

Perhaps they are felt at the abdomen,

The diaphragm,

The belly itself,

Through the awareness of expansion and contraction.

Or the breath is felt at the nose,

A touch of it inside the nostrils or the upper lip.

The shifting of the mind is a very natural process.

Just observing where it has shifted and gently bringing it back.

To the breathing.

As you feel ready,

Now bring your attention to your left foot.

So observing your entire left foot.

And the practice here is to simply acknowledge the presence of a particular area of your body.

Right now,

The foot,

The left foot.

And then incidentally,

If something is felt there,

That could be a sense of touch felt from the ground,

The sock,

The chair,

The shoe,

Footrest,

Cushion,

Or even some temperature is felt.

Maybe it feels cool there.

Maybe it feels warm at the left foot.

Maybe a sense of pressure felt at the soles.

Also possible there is some pain there.

Remembering to not expect some sensations to be there.

But being aware of any,

If they are there.

If the attention moves away from your chosen place of focus,

And the attention could go towards any painful sensations in the body,

Difficult thoughts,

Or just thoughts of any kind.

Or the attention also could wander off towards some strong emotions.

Just briefly acknowledging that the thought,

Pain,

Emotion are here.

You're returning back to your left foot.

If it feels supportive and helpful,

To stay aware of the breathing in the background,

While focusing on the body area,

Just allowing yourself to do so.

And then shifting your attention to the lower part of your left leg.

Just observing anything that is noticeable outside or inside of this area of the body,

This part of the body,

This section of the body.

In case the mind or attention distractibility,

Wandering,

Feels overwhelming.

Just taking longer,

Deeper breaths,

While focusing on your lower left leg.

Then shifting further up to the upper section of your left leg.

From the knee all the way up to the waist,

Including the left thigh,

The left hip,

Left buttocks.

Remembering to include any sensory contact you feel from the chair,

Sitting surface,

And the clothing that is felt on this area.

When you're ready,

Passing your attention now towards your right leg.

Slowly taking it through the upper part of your right leg and quickly moving through the lower part and then placing it on the right foot.

Observing all of your right foot,

That includes the toes,

The sole,

The upper part,

The heel and the ankle of your right foot.

And again,

Keeping the awareness of breath in the background if it is supportive.

Also remembering to give yourself permission to do slight adjustments to your posture to relieve any tension,

To relieve any pain.

Subtle movements to adjust.

And during this time remembering to breathe at a natural pace in case the breath is held up longer.

Allowing your attention now to travel further up to the lower part of the right leg.

This entire region between the right ankle and the right knee.

Continuing on further to the upper section of your right leg.

From the knee,

Including the right thigh,

Right hip,

Right buttocks,

All the way up to the waist.

Remembering the practice here is to just focus your attention on that particular area of the body and it's not necessary to feel sensations in that region.

Just capturing what's there,

Which could be blankness sometimes.

Just being aware of blankness.

No sensations.

Now bringing your attention to the entire pelvic region.

This region that feels contact on the seat.

And the various organs there,

Organs of elimination,

Digestion.

Reminding yourself this is an opportunity to be kind to your body and therefore to let go of any judgments.

At the same time acknowledge the ways your body supports you in your various life activities,

Including this practice.

Acknowledging difficulties,

Appreciating capacities of your body.

When they show up,

If they show up,

They're moving upwards.

To notice the lower back and the belly area.

Perhaps some movement is noticeable here.

It's not necessary,

But if it is there.

Observing.

Not expecting,

But capturing anything that is felt on the outside and inside in this region.

Seeing the wandering of the mind,

The attention as a natural part of your practice and an opportunity to be coming back to your childhood.

The chosen place.

Moving further up to notice the middle back and the upper back.

Behind you and the chest,

The ribcage area in the front.

So noticing this upper portion of your torso.

Up to the shoulders,

The collarbones,

And the base of your neck.

Remembering to notice any contact of clothes,

Clothing,

Any movement that may be felt here.

And anything else noticeable to you that includes the blankness.

If there's more restlessness felt,

Then perhaps taking a few intentionally longer,

Deeper breaths.

Once the attention settles down and returning back to your body.

Remembering that it's okay if nothing is felt in certain regions.

Whether or not we feel something,

Knowing that area of the body is still present regardless.

It's acknowledging the presence of that region.

And then letting your attention to now move towards both your hands,

The fingers,

The palms,

The back,

And the wrists of the left and the right hand.

Shifting further towards the forearms,

From the wrists,

Up to the elbows.

And there could be various types of sensations,

If they are present.

Could be warmth or coolness.

Could be tingling,

Numbness,

Itching,

Dryness,

Dampness,

Pulsation.

Or it could be something felt that cannot be named.

Observing it,

Observing what is felt.

And letting go of any striving,

If it shows up.

And then moving your attention now to both of your upper arms,

Including the armpits,

The shoulders,

The shoulder blades.

And going all the way up to the throat in the front and the back of your neck.

And then finally,

Moving your attention to your entire head.

And you could focus first on the scalp,

The entire scalp,

And both the ears.

And then you could move to the front to pay attention to your face.

And then again,

The invitation here is to be with that area of your body and notice any blankness or sensations,

If present.

Perhaps observing the entire scalp area and the two ears.

The area that spans from the bottom of your neck,

Or base of your neck.

Spreading across both your ears and goes all the way up to the forehead.

Just recognizing this area.

And gradually shifting your attention towards your face,

The entire region that includes your forehead,

Temples,

Eyebrows,

Eyes,

Nose,

Cheeks,

Lips,

The mouth,

Outside,

Inside,

The jaw,

And the chin.

So either observing all of these at once or you can gradually lower your attention downwards from forehead to your chin.

Sometimes there could be a desire to shift and move,

Open your eyes.

Just recognizing that,

Lowering your gaze,

Closing your eyes again.

And as we move towards the completion of this practice,

Noticing these words,

Reflecting on them as you hear them.

Perhaps still keeping the awareness of the breathing in the background.

This word by Julia Fernbacher in her poem,

The Most Important Thing,

Where Julia says,

I'm making a home inside myself,

A shelter of kindness where everything is forgiven,

Everything allowed,

A quiet patch of sunlight to stretch out without hurry,

Where all that has been banished and buried is welcomed,

Spoken,

Listened to,

Released.

A fiercely friendly place I can claim as my very own.

I'm throwing arms open to the whole of myself,

Especially the fearful,

Fault-finding,

Falling apart,

Unfinished parts.

Knowing every seed and weed,

Every drop of rain has made the soil richer.

I will light a candle,

Pour a hot cup of tea,

Gather around the warmth of my own blazing fire.

I will howl if I want to,

Knowing this flame can burn through any perceived problem,

Any prescribed perfectionism,

Any lying limitation,

Every heavy thing.

I'm making a home inside myself where grace blooms in grand and glorious abundance,

A shelter of kindness that grows all the truest things.

I whisper hallelujah to the friendly sky.

Watch now as I burst into blossom.

I'm making a home inside myself.

And then taking your time to shift out of this practice,

Beginning by subtle movements at your extremities,

Fingers and toes,

And then moving your body as you wish.

In the end,

Allowing light to enter into your eyes by slowly opening them.