In this video, I walk you through filling the body with nonjudgmental, non-goal-oriented breath and awareness. This will dissolve blockages, allow for more flow in the body, and build the relationship between your mind and body.
If you tend to be on the active side, it is great for our nervous systems to work in cycles of ~90 minutes of activity, followed by ~10 minutes of rest. I recommend this video as your 10-minute reset throughout the day. It is also excellent for stress, anxiety, speedy thoughts, and winding down before sleep.
How was this practice for you? Let me know!
Body Scan Transcript
Hello. This is Emma Sartwell with Somatic Spiritual Counseling, and today we’re going to do a brief body scan meditation. So, find a comfortable spot. You can be either sitting or lying down. If you need any pillows, blankets, shift around in your seat, now is the time to do it. And see if you can make yourself just a little bit more comfortable. And then you can either close your eyes or keep them softly open, and bring your attention to your scalp, the top of your head. Feeling into the top of your head, into the hair, the little hair follicles. Just filling it with attention. And then letting your awareness drip down into the skull, the brain, saturating it with awareness and breath. Coming down into the nose, cheeks, the ears, all the spaces inside the head, sinuses, nasal cavity. And we’re not trying to change anything. We’re just exploring with inner touch. Touching down into the mouth, the jaw. Feeling the roof of the mouth, the hard palate, soft palate, teeth, chin, upper lip, lower lip, base of the skull.
Scanning the Head
And now, feeling into your head as a whole. And notice the texture, the feeling of the head, the speed, temperature. Is there a color? And continuing down, including the head, but letting the attention go down into the neck, the throat, collarbones, shoulders, shoulder blades. Breathing awareness into the ribs, chest bone, heart, that delicate little bone under the heart where the ribs come together. And take a moment to check in with the heart space as a whole. How does it feel to land your attention in the heart space? Is it open, closed, smooth, sharp, hot, or cold? And there’s no better or worse answer. We’re just gathering information.
Scanning the Heart & Arms
And now, including the head and down to the heart, and letting the awareness spread into the arms, the upper arms, bones, muscles, skin, the blood flowing, down to the elbows, the bony backs of the elbows, and the fleshy fronts of the elbows. Breathing awareness down into the forearms, the two delicate bones of the forearms, and the space in between. Awareness spreading into the wrists, into all the delicate bones and tendons of the hand, the palm, back of the hand, each finger, fingernails. And now, noticing the hands as a whole. How are the hands doing right now?
Scanning the Belly & Pelvis
And then bringing the attention back to under the heart, all the organs of the belly, the ribs around them, the spine, the low belly and pelvis. Letting your awareness pause in the low belly, pelvic area. And notice any textures. How dense is it? How spacious? If it were made out of a material, what material would it be? Just giving your body some curious, non-judgmental attention. Saying hello to all the parts. And now, your entire upper body filled with your own awareness.
Scanning the Hips, Legs & Feet
And continue to breathe it down into the hips, the hip sockets, the femurs, the muscles of the thighs, the skin, the hair, and down into the knees, fronts of the knees, backs of the knees, the hamstrings. And letting your awareness drip down like honey into the shins and the calves, the muscles, the bones, the fluids moving through the legs. Feeling the ankles, 360 degrees around the ankles, and down into the delicate bones and tendons of the feet. Feeling the bottom of the heel, the sole of the foot, the ball of the foot, each toe, the nails, the tips of the toes. Filled with breath, filled with awareness. And taking a moment to feel the feet as a whole. What is it like to rest your awareness on your feet?
And to end, we’ll feel the whole body as one piece, one organism, saturated with awareness. And notice a place where it feels pleasant to feel the movement of your breath. It might be in the belly, in the chest. It might be at the nose. And just take three breaths, feeling that part of the body. Inhale and exhale. And from here, thank yourself for taking this time to be with yourself, to cultivate your relationship with your body. And ask your body what it needs from here. Do you need movements or stillness? And with as much time as you have right now, follow the invitations of your body and see where it leads you.
Thank you for practicing with me, and enjoy taking this awareness into the rest of your day.
If you or someone you know might benefit from nervous system-based therapy and coaching, feel free to reach out to us today.
