Body Scan
This meditation is a form of body scan. It keeps the mind
occupied while allowing for a deep level of rest for the body mind and
spirit. It can be done sitting in a comfortable chair or laying down. Some
use this meditation during the rest time at the end of a yoga session.
How to Practice
Find a comfortable position, sitting or laying down on
your back. If sitting, fix your seat so that you are sitting comfortably
upright with a balanced posture. No slumping.
Close your eyes and imagine your busy thoughts and
emotions are slowing down a bit and then floating away on clouds. Breathe
easily and normally.
As you breathe, pay attention to each of these points in
the body and go through them systematically, inhaling and exhaling at each
point. Start with the centre of your forehead, between your brows. Breathe
in and out while paying attention to that spot. Then move to the front of
your throat. Breathe in and out. Then continue in this way through: right
shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, right hand, right wrist, right elbow,
right shoulder, throat, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, left hand,
left wrist, left elbow, left shoulder, throat, heart, navel, lower belly,
right hip, right knee, right ankle, right foot, right ankle, right knee,
right hip, lower belly, left hip, left knee, left ankle, left foot, left
ankle, left knee, left hip, lower belly, navel, heart, throat, eyebrow
centre.
Stop at the brow and get a sense of the breath flowing
through your whole body while paying attention to your eyebrow centre. Relax
there and let yourself draw deeper into that mindspace.
Rest there as long as you like.
To finish, open your eyes and bring your awareness back
gently into the room. Stretch, breathe deeply and let that deep restful
energy inform the remainder of your day.
Notes:
If you fall asleep during this meditation, try sitting
rather than laying down. But if you do tend to fall asleep, it's quite all
right. It will leave you refreshed when you awaken.
If you find something comes up during the meditation that
is really distracting or something you must remember, pop it into an
imaginary box and imagine tucking that box behind you. You can always
recover the mental note or thought when the meditation is done.
Feel free to revise the list of centres you pay attention
to. Some people do not do the centres on the legs. Others do fingertips
starting with the thumbs and toe tips starting with the big toes instead of
hands. Adjust it to suit your needs.
Final Notes:
There are no right or wrong ways to do a meditation. The
instructions are guidelines; adapt them to who you are and to your needs at
that particular time. Be curious about the process itself.
Remember most meditations become richer the more you
practice them. They reveal more of themselves. It can take practice to
remember to do a meditation when you need to, and it can take practice to go
through the steps. But that's why it is called practice, and for most of us,
we practice for the rest of our lives.
Meditations like these are a regular feature of my free monthly Ezine, Starry Night.
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