MBSR | Body Scan

Welcome. This is a guided body scan for the mindfulness-based stress reduction program with spirit rising. This meditation practice consists of systematically guiding attention to different parts of the body, a practice of offering compassionate awareness to the body that is so often in constant motion throughout the course of our busy lives. So in preparing for this body scan, finding your way to a space that will support you during this practice, if you haven't already. This might be a quiet area that encourages a sense of both spaciousness and calm and that minimizes any external distractions. So like other MBSR meditations, the body scan can be experienced in a variety of postures. So whether you're meeting this practice in a lying position, you're back resting against the floor, perhaps on a yoga mat or other supportive surface, your legs might be out straight, with the feet gently split to either side. Arms can be resting at your side, palms facing the sky if that feels right to you, or you might be engaging this body scan in a seated or even standing position. So however the body is oriented for this practice, checking to make sure you're inhabiting a posture that minimizes physical discomfort, allows you to breathe freely and naturally, and that supports you to remain fully awake, aware and engaged throughout the body scan. It might feel supportive to have a blanket to drape across the body, or a small pillow for the head or for underneath the knees. So giving yourself full permission to offer comfort and great care during this practice. You may close your eyes for this body scan if that's comfortable, or explore what it's like to leave them open, perhaps with a softened gaze. And should you start to notice yourself becoming drowsy at any point, you can open the eyes, letting the light in, or change positions to support greater levels of wakefulness. During the course of this body scan, along with noticing any physical sensations in the body, you might also become aware of thoughts or emotions that arise. This is a natural and normal experience and can offer a testament to the interconnectedness of our being, of body and heart in mind. So if at any point you become distracted by thoughts, memories, or emotions, you can simply observe the source of distraction, notice seeing the wandering of attention, and invite awareness gently but firmly to return to the body. And if the mind should wander 100 times during this practice, there's an opportunity to return just as many times over, so this embedded invitation to return. Always coming back, so settling into the body, taking some moments to sense into the space that you're in. Perhaps noticing any sounds within the room, maybe even sounds from outside of the room, from the broader surroundings, and maybe even sounds coming from within the body. Perhaps noticing the sense of smell, or maybe being aware that even if the eyes are closed, there might be a sense of color through the eyelids, or an experience of the interplay of light and shadow. So as you settle into the space, perhaps setting an intention, offering an allowance for the space and this practice to be outside of clock time, the space of non-doing and non-striving, which might include a letting go of the planning, fixing, or obtaining mindsets that can often govern our day-to-day lives, so that rather than this body scan, being another thing to do, allowing this practice to simply offer a space for being with the resting body, with curiosity, with compassion, just as it is, and for being with yourself in the context of your own life, exactly as you are. In so doing, this practice can be deeply nourishing to the body and the heart and the mind, a time of stillness, honoring the resting body, both in its wholeness, as well as the specific individuated parts. So coming back to this space that you're in, allowing awareness to encompass and settle on the whole body, from the crown of the head to the hands and the fingers, all the way down the length of the body to the tips of the toes. So with this whole body awareness, there might be a sense of how the body is positioned spatially, of how there can even be a knowing of the body's orientation, even with the eyes closed. And what direct sensations allow for this knowing of whether the body is lying, sitting or standing. Maybe you're aware of the density or weightiness of the body. Noticing perhaps how the body is being supported in this moment, maybe by the floor or a cushion, a chair underneath. These supports that serve as a proxy for the earth below, this earth that's always supporting. And maybe noticing any sensations of contact with your environment. There might be a sense of the temperature of the room that you're in, air coming into direct contact with the body, more sensations of clothing against the skin, noticing perhaps points of contact with the surface beneath you. If you're lying down, this might be points along the back of the body, the shoulder blades or the tailbone and buttocks. There might be light pressure along the backs of the thighs or the calves, or a sense at the base of each heel resting against the ground. And if you're sitting or standing, you might be aware of sensations of contact at the soles of the feet, resting against the floor. So being with whatever is here for you, and from this wide lens, narrowing the scope of awareness to rest with the sensations of breath in the body. If that's available to you, similar to how we can narrow and concentrate the beam of a flashlight, gently raining in the spotlight of attention and with a very light touch, resting awareness on the breath. Wherever sensations are most vivid and accessible for you, so in becoming aware of the breath in the body, an awareness of this breathing body, breathing itself. You might be noticing the rhythm and movement of breath in the body. Sensations perhaps at the belly with a gentle rise of the belly on an in-breath, and a gradual lowering back down to the earth on an out-breath, or there might be an awareness of sensations in the chest, with you. the expansion and contraction of the lungs. There might even be a sense of the increased space between the ribs as you draw breath into the body. Or perhaps you're noticing breath at the very tip of the nose, where columns of air move in and out of the body. So just noticing breath as it is in this moment. And if at any point the breath doesn't feel accessible or stops feeling like a supportive place to anchor attention, you always have the choice to let go of this guidance, or to drop beneath these words, or you can shift your awareness to a more supportive focal point. Sometimes focusing attention on sensations at the hands or the feet can be grounding. And still yet there might be times where moving the focus completely off the body might be supportive. Like focusing on sound, or even opening the eyes to receive light and orient the body. So from this whole body awareness, shifting attention here and narrowing it even further to place awareness very precisely at the heel of your left foot. You might notice a sensation of contact or of light pressure if you're lying on your back. And from the heel, fanning awareness across the underside of the whole left foot, up through the soft curve of the instep to the fleshy pad of the forefoot. It's being curious with any sensations. As you now move up to the left big toe, taking time to explore the undersides of each toe on the left foot, the spaces between the toes. Noticing perhaps tingling or throbbing. Maybe there's an experience of temperature, of cool or warmth. So staying very close to any sensations that arise, or offering allowance for the lack of sensation if that's your experience. And wrapping attention to the tips of the left toes, around to the tops of the toes, the left toenails, and bony joints of the toe. And becoming aware of the whole top of the left foot, contours of the left foot, up to the left ankle, circling awareness around the left ankle, the bony inside, around to the bony outer ankle, coming aware of the lower left leg, the calf underneath, perhaps sensations of contact here. And noticing either side and the top of the lower left leg, and placing awareness on the left knee. Perhaps there are sensations on the outside of the knee, the top of the knee cap, the sides or back of the knee. And still perhaps maybe no sensations at all. So being with whatever is here for you, with curiosity, and kindness as best as you can. And moving to the upper left thigh, the tops and sides of the left thigh, and the back of the thigh. Bringing awareness to the left hip, to sensations on the outside of the left hip, as well as deep within the hip socket. Perhaps checking in here on where the mind is at in this moment, perhaps it's wandered off into the past, recalling, rehashing, or into the future, planning and preparing. So I'm just noticing the mind. And if the attention is wandered, simply inviting awareness back to the body. Left hip, left leg, this moment. And broadening awareness now to include the whole left leg from the tips of the toes, all the way up to the ankle, and the knee, the thigh, to the left hip. Just holding the entirety of the left leg in your awareness. And now gathering awareness, letting go of the left leg, and directing attention to the very base of the right heel. Lengthening awareness up from the right heel to the whole underside of the right foot, the instep, the ball of the right foot, all the way up to the bottom of the right big toe. Walking attention across each toe of the right foot, exploring the spaces in between each toe. And staying curious of what's here. Is our tingling, throbbing, pulsing. Rapping around to the tips of the right toes, on over to the tops of the right toes, to the toenails. And see the connective base of the right toes. Spreading awareness across the whole top of the right foot. And looping attention around the right ankle, from the inside of the ankle, round to the outer bony knob of the right ankle. Coming aware of the lower right leg, the calf underneath. Either side of the right leg, the top shin bone. So just sensing into what's here. And up to the right knee. Being curious about any sensations, deep within the right knee, or on either side. Maybe there's a noticing of how it's possible to know something about whether the knee is bent or mostly straight. So that even if the eyes are closed, there can be this knowledge of its positioning. And drawing awareness to the right upper leg. The right thigh, the tops and sides of the thigh. The back of the right thigh. And maybe checking in on the mind. Noticing if it's wandered off. And inviting a return. Always coming back. Right side. This moment. Sensing now into the right hip. Perhaps feeling deep within the right hip socket. And from here, widening the beam of awareness to hold the entire right leg. From the very tips of the toes. All the way up, the ankle, the knee, the thigh. To the very top of the right hip. Offering curiosity, offering gentle awareness to whatever sensations might be occurring. And letting go of the right leg, shifting attention, coming aware of the pelvic girdle that spans both right and left hip, unifying and stabilizing the lower body. And there might even be a deep inner knowing here, sensing into systems and organs of reproduction, of waste and elimination. So being with this whole pelvic region. And drawing attention above to the abdomen and to the region of the belly. There might be sensations of breath, expressed through the rising and falling of the belly. This part of the body can often elicit thoughts of judgment or self-criticism. So perhaps also just noticing the quality of mind here. And if thoughts arise or emotions arise. Simply offering the same kind and gentle awareness. Breathing the distraction and returning to the body. Direct sensations of the belly, in abdomen. And wrapping awareness around to the sides of the body. To the curvature around the hips. To the lower back region. An area that works tirelessly to support spinal alignment and posture. That carries us throughout the day. And a place of the body that can often hold great tension. So as best you can, offering a kind and curious exploration. As to what sensations, what qualities of sensations can be felt here. And just like with any region of the body or any focal point of attention. If you experience a challenging sensation. You always have the choice to let go of the guidance. Should it feel supportive to shift attention away for a time? Just finding another stabilizing anchor to rest your attention on. And alternatively, you can also explore moving closer to a difficult sensation. As though you were coming up very close with kindness, with curiosity. So that instead of pulling away from a site of discomfort. Looking towards to explore the textures and granular nuances of the sensation. Can sometimes be supportive. So exploring is it pulsing, radiating. Is there a sense of temperature, of heat or coolness, perhaps tightness or laxity. Does the sensation have sharp edges? Or is it dull and diffuse? Is it changing? So just offering some different options here for dealing with difficult sensations. Always with the encouragement to respond in a way that feels wise and compassionate for your own needs. So from the lower back region, moving to the middle back. And drawing attention all the way to the upper back. To the shoulder blades, both left and right. These tucked wings that allow for upper body motion. Standing between the shoulder blades and up to the base of the neck. This triangular musculature of the trapezius, extending and linking the neck and shoulders and shoulder blades. Contracing the lines of the ribcage, bringing awareness back around to either side of the torso. And letting it rest back again on the chest on the front of the torso. So noticing the sternum's middle point of the chest. Just being aware of the breasts, the collarbone. And noticing any sensations deep within the chest. This vital region of the body that houses systems of circulation and oxygenation. And you might be aware of breath here. The movements of the lungs, filling with air, and gently receding back down as you exhale. Each breath with its own life cycle. Not unsimilar, perhaps, to how bodily sensations rise and stay awhile. And possibly even recede or change and alter over time. So expanding awareness to the whole torso, the front and sides of the body, to the whole back body. Just being with whatever is here for you, just the way that it is. And letting go of this broad awareness and directing attention to the left shoulder. To the front of the left shoulder, deep within the shoulder socket. All the way around to the back side of the left shoulder. Or perhaps there is a sense of gravity gently pulling the shoulder towards the earth. And becoming aware of the left upper arm. The front area of the bicep. Moving to the left elbow. From its inner soft crease. The sides of the elbow. The bony back point of the left elbow. And noticing the left forearm. And drawing attention to the left wrist. Circling around the outside of the left wrist. Aware of the inside of the wrist. And extending down into the top of the left hand. Awareness that's canvassing the bony intricacies of joints, sockets, soft connective tissue. And allowing awareness to rest for a moment. The tips of the left fingers. Is there throbbing, pulsing, tingling, sensations of temperature? Maybe nothing at all. Rapping around the tips of the fingers to the underside of the left fingers. Into the flushy palm of the left hand. And bringing awareness now to the whole left arm. From the palm and tips of the fingers. Up through the forearm. Elbow and upper arm. All the way to the left shoulder. Holding this broadened soft gaze of awareness on the entire left arm. And letting go of the left arm, drawing awareness to the right shoulder. Aware of the front of the right shoulder. Sensing perhaps deep within the shoulder socket. Around to the backside of the shoulder. Aware of the upper right arm. Now, bicep in front and tricep behind. The right elbow. Sensing into the slight bend. Noticing the sides of the elbow and the back of the elbow. Drawing attention to the right forearm. And circling awareness around the right wrist. Exploring the outer circumference of the right wrist. And any sensations within the right wrist. Feeling into the backside of the right hand. Gliding awareness across the contours formed by knuckles and bones and ligaments. And extending awareness into each finger of the right hand. Just noticing what's here. Curling around to the underside of the right fingers. And down into the right palm. Perhaps an awareness here of contact with floor or air, with blanket, with thigh. And widening awareness to encompass the whole right arm. From fingertips and palm to wrist for arm. Up to the elbow, upper arm and right shoulder. And with whatever your experience is. And now moving awareness to the collarbone. Bringing attention to this bony structure that spans and unifies the upper body. Drawing attention to the neck. To the base of the neck in front of the neck. The sides and around to the back of the neck. Another region of the body that can commonly accumulate tension. So just noticing any sensations as you allow the neck to simply be at rest. Sensing into the inside, into the throat. And moving upwards to the very base of the chin. And expanding awareness to either side of the jaw. Up to the muscles of the jaw. Checking perhaps if there's any holding or clenching here. Another part of the body that works very tirelessly for us. So allowing the jaw to simply be at rest receiving this carrying attention. And becoming aware of the inside of the mouth. Of the teeth, the gums. Noticing the tongue, the top of the mouth. And drawing attention on the outside to the lips. Moving up to the nose. Spanning awareness out on either side like the wings of a butterfly. To the right and left cheekbones. And noticing what's here. Coming aware of the eyes, both right and left. And circling awareness around the entire eye socket. Sensing into the delicate muscles around the eye. These muscles that are in constant service to us. Communicating our needs and wants. Expressing emotions. And now allowing them to simply be at rest. Coming aware of deep within the eye. Perhaps there's a sense of the curvature of the eyeball. A sense of the eyelid. Where there might be an awareness of light and shadow. Of color or shapes, even with the eyes closed. Bringing awareness upwards to the forehead. And to the temples on either sides. Extending awareness to the right and the left ear. And allowing awareness to move up to the crown of the head. Taking in the sides of the head, the scalp. All the way around to the back of the head. So cradling the whole head and gentle awareness. Taking in the delicate contours of the face. The ears on either sides. The scalp. Maybe even a sensing deep within. And gradually now expanding awareness back to the body as a whole. So broadening the field of awareness to include the neck and throat. Color bone. Cross to the shoulders. All the way down to the fingertips of both arms. Widening awareness to include the whole torso. Down to the pelvic region. The tailbone behind and the buttocks. The hips on either side. And widening the field of awareness to include the entire left and right leg. So holding this wide scope of awareness. Gently cradling the entirety of the body. From the crown of the head to the very tips of the toes. Alive, awake, aware. Incementally already connected and whole. And just noticing the body being breathed. The body that gently and naturally lifts up as breath enters the body. Failing the lungs on an inhalation. And settling back down into the earth as the breath leaves the body. So aware of this whole resting breathing body. Awareness perhaps that includes the systems and organs of the body. and the cells deep within the body. These tiny building blocks that effortlessly, tirelessly support the body's functioning and well-being. Perhaps entertaining the possibility that even if we feel completely uncertain how to be aware of the body at this granular cellular level, that the act of simply offering ourselves the fullness of this agental, caring awareness, this being present with ourselves and the body in this way, is an act that is deeply healing and nourishing, to mind, to body, to heart. And as this practice draws nearer to its closing, you may want to invite subtle and gentle movements, maybe to the hands and fingers, or to the feet and toes, maybe allowing the jaw to open, feeling breath moving through the open nostrils, noticing the ears open and receptive, and maybe fluttering the eyelids, allowing light to be received, these gestures that remind us of our aliveness, our wakefulness, open and receptive to the world within and the world surrounding. So taking great care to allow for any gentle movement that feels supportive to you, feeling yourself being present to the body, to the breath, and to your own needs in this transition. And perhaps taking a moment to offer yourself appreciation for taking this opportunity to be with yourself in this profoundly nourishing way. To sense into the wholeness, the completeness of the body, this body that contains the means of aliveness, the means of healing and living. And in offering yourself this gentle accepting awareness, recognizing that you have honored yourself and the innate wholeness that already resides within. So soon the bells will ring, signaling the closing of this formal practice, and you might allow awareness to receive the sound, and in receiving it, finding your own way to bring this awareness, this innate, caring quality of awareness back with you to the many precious moments of your life. Equipped with the wisdom that awareness is always this close, as close as this breath, this moment. [BELL RINGING]