Body Scan For Deep Sleep

Getting into a comfortable position,

Whether it be on your bed or yoga mat,

Just making yourself as comfortable as you can.

Lying on your back or on your side.

If you'd like to use a thin pillow to make your head and neck a little more aligned and a little more comfortable.

Making sure your legs are in a position to give your back support,

Whether they be up on a chair or a cushion or lying flat out in savasana,

Shape of a V with the feet splayed out.

Just allowing yourself,

Giving yourself permission to be as comfortable and relaxed as you can,

With nothing to do for the next period of time we do this practice,

But to relax,

Be aware and just follow the directions of this guided practice.

So first,

Just get a sense of your body as a whole,

Lying here.

Just a very slow but smooth scan,

Making sure the shoulders are relaxed,

Feeling your arms,

Whether they're lying on your side of the body or palms gently on your belly.

Taking a couple moments,

Making sure your whole body is aligned,

Yet comfortable and relaxed.

Feeling the body on your surface,

Feeling the body as it connects to the air and feeling any sensations whatsoever,

Being open,

We're not trying to control or manipulate feelings right now,

We're not trying to force relaxation.

So just being with felt sensations of the body as a whole.

Now bring your attention to the breath,

Experiencing the breath in the body,

Connect to the rise and a falling of the abdomen,

As you breathe in,

As you breathe out and the belly sinks,

Rising with the inhale and falling with the exhale.

Connect to the rhythm,

Feeling the breath and connect to the rhythm of the breath.

Is it smooth?

Are you holding?

Is it deep and long or is it short?

We're not trying to control or manipulate,

We're just experiencing the breathing body,

Almost like the ocean waves just moving.

And before we move into the formal practice of the body skin,

Remembering that we want to take a non-judgmental attitude,

Where when the mind probably is going to wander at some point,

That we don't judge it,

Doesn't mean we're not doing well or making a mistake,

We're noting the mind wandering,

Recognizing this is just as much a part of the practice,

Is noting the mind wandering non-judgmentally and then bringing it back to the practice.

So just taking this moment-to-moment awareness in a non-judgmental manner,

Being curious,

As we move through the body.

So we're going to bring our attention to the left big toe.

So as you breathe in,

You want to imagine or visualize the air comes in through the nose,

Through the respiration system,

As if with the inhale it goes all the way down to the left big toe,

And as you breathe out,

You just let go.

Just feeling into that left big toe.

Just being with what is.

Note any feelings or emotions.

Just being present.

Experiencing the present moment.

Now move your attention to the second toe.

Move your feeling to the third toe,

The fourth toe and the pinky toe.

Now feel as if you take in the breath.

Breath coming down,

Feeling all five toes of the left foot.

As you exhale,

Just a bit of letting go.

Letting go physically,

Mentally,

Emotionally.

Bring your awareness now to the sole of the left foot,

The bottom,

And the arch,

The inside,

The top.

Taking a breath and feeling the whole foot,

Toes,

Soles,

Arch in the top.

And bringing your attention to the heel of the left foot and the ankle.

Bringing your attention now to the lower left leg.

Feeling it as a whole.

Let the attention in the back of the left leg and the front.

Once again,

Just being with what is.

We're not trying to control or don't try to force relaxation.

Breathe in and feel.

Breathing out,

Just let it be.

Coming into the left knee and bringing that awareness up to the upper part of the left leg.

The thigh in the front,

The hamstring and even up to the psoas in the back.

Now feeling everything from the tips of the toes to the top of the left leg.

So as you breathe in,

As if the breath expands everything from the top of the leg down to the toes like filling up a balloon.

And release.

And bring your attention now to the right side.

Feeling into the right big toe and then move it to the second toe,

The third toe,

Fourth toe and pinky toe.

Feeling all five toes as you breathe in and release.

Bring your awareness now to the sole of the right foot,

The bottom.

Being with any felt sensations,

Letting that inhale enhance any feelings,

Emotions,

Sensations and let that exhale.

Relax and release.

Feeling in the arch of the right foot and the top of the right foot.

Now bring the awareness to the whole of the right foot.

We'll include this time the heel and the ankle as well.

So bringing in the breath,

Enhancing felt sensations and release.

Coming into the lower right leg,

The back,

The calf muscle,

The front.

Feel the bone as it rises from the top of the foot all the way to the base of the knee.

Coming up to the right knee,

The front and the back,

Inside and outside.

And to the upper part of the right leg.

Thigh in front,

Hamstring in the back.

Let the awareness go deep into the leg here.

Now bring your awareness from the tips of the toes to the top of the right leg.

All our attention now on the right leg and right foot and toes.

As you breathe in,

A feeling expanding like a balloon.

And let it go.

Bringing your attention to the pelvic region.

We're going to do both sides of the body now at the same time.

So feeling into the hip bones,

Left and right.

And the buttocks,

Left side and right side and the groin.

Just experiencing whatever is.

Once again,

Not trying to control or manipulate.

Experiencing the present moment and in the next moment.

We're going to work with the fingers,

Hands and arms.

One side,

The left side first,

Then the right side.

So coming into your left hand,

Feeling the left big thumb,

The first finger,

Middle finger,

Third finger,

And feeling the pinky.

Feeling all five fingers.

Coming into the palm of the left hand,

Feeling the wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The bicep and tricep,

And the left shoulder.

Now feeling everything from the left shoulder down to the tips of the fingers.

Once again,

Let the breath enhance felt sensation as if it's blowing up.

And then when you exhale,

It's almost as if it deflates,

Softening.

Coming into the right side,

Feeling into the right fingers,

The right thumb,

First finger and middle finger,

Third finger and pinky.

Feeling into the right palm,

The right wrist,

The right forearm and right elbow.

Coming into the bicep and tricep of the upper arm and up to the right shoulder.

Taking everything from the right shoulder down through the arm to the tips of the fingers.

Breathing in,

Feeling the whole right arm and letting it go with the exhale.

Now we're going to bring the awareness to both arms at once from the left and right shoulder down through the arms,

Through the hands and fingers.

Feeling both arms and release.

Bring your attention now to the legs,

Doing both at the same time.

Everything from the top of the legs just below the pelvic region through the toes.

Feeling both the right and left legs as well as the feet and toes and let it go.

Now bring your attention to the left side of your body,

The left arm and left leg.

Taking a breath in,

Feeling the left arm and left leg and release.

Now bringing your awareness to the right side of your body.

Feeling the right arm and the right leg and let it go.

Bring your awareness now to the torso.

Pay attention to the belly.

Note the rise in and falling of the belly.

Notice the feeling in the lower back.

So as you breathe in,

The belly rises and as you breathe out,

Bring your attention to the back.

Let the back relax with the exhale.

Bring your awareness now to the mid-torso,

The ribcage,

The sternum,

The mid-back.

If you feel an expansion of the ribs moving to the sides,

Great.

If not,

That's okay too.

Just keeping your awareness in the mid-torso.

Once again with the exhale,

Shift the awareness from the front of the body to the back.

So on the inhale,

Feeling the front of the body.

We're feeling the belly.

Feeling to the ribs and the sternum and solar plexus.

As you breathe out,

Feeling the mid-back and the lower back.

Giving yourself permission to relax.

Once again,

Don't judge it.

Don't force it.

Let it happen naturally.

And if it doesn't,

That's okay too.

Just be with the experience.

Coming into the upper chest.

Feel the chest gently rise with the inhale.

Feel the upper back and the scapula,

The shoulder blades relax a bit.

Same thing on the inhale.

The awareness in the front of the body and the chest.

And as you exhale,

The awareness in the back of the body,

The upper back.

Before we come up higher,

We're going to take the awareness of the body as a whole.

Everything from the tips of the toes through the legs,

Through the arms,

Through the whole torso up to the base of the neck.

Breathing in,

Feeling the whole body.

Exhale,

Experiencing the whole body.

Do this for a couple breaths and just note if you notice a difference on the inhale compared to the exhale.

Being with what is.

Just experiencing the moment-to-moment sensations.

Coming up to the throat and the neck.

And finally we come to the face.

Let the mouth remain open.

Soften through the jaw and the chin.

Bring your attention now to the nose,

The ears,

The eyes.

Softening,

Letting go.

Coming up and feeling the forehead and the temples at the sides of the eyes.

And finally the skull.

Returning to how we started this practice.

Now return to the feeling of sensing your body as a whole.

Awareness of the whole body lying here on your bed or yoga mat.

Feeling sensations of the body.

Connecting to the floor,

The mat,

The bed.

The feeling of the body.

Air on the skin.

Connect to the rhythmic waves of the breath.

As we finish up this feeling as you breathe in,

Feeling the whole front of the body.

As you breathe out,

Connect to the back of the body melting into the floor.

And just take the last part of this practice.

Inhale,

Feeling the whole front of the body.

Exhale,

Connect your awareness to the whole back of the body.

Melting,

Sinking,

Relaxing into your surface.

And taking this relaxed,

Calm,

Yet aware state with you into the next part of your day or evening.