One of the ways you can cherish and care for your body is by laying down and bringing gentle awareness to how your body is feeling using the body scan exercise. Because you lay down to do the body scan it can feel like its purpose is only to relax the body. Although it is a generally relaxing exercise to do, it is more about placing your attention on each different part of your body and being aware of how they feel, without initially changing anything. Of course, during a body scan you become aware of how your body feels and then you can breathe into any areas of discomfort to release any tension and any emotional or mental attachment. Allow yourself to acknowledge and sit with how the body feels first before rushing to let go of the tension. Our bodies can communicate a lot to us, but sometimes we simply don’t take the time to listen.

Try following this (you can have gentle music playing in the background if you wish, but I’d advise against ear or headphones for this practice as you need to listen to your body)

~ Lay down on your bed or on the floor with your arms by your side and bring your attention to your breath. 

~ Closing your eyes take a few deep breaths in and out.

~ Now bring your attention to the top of your head and start scanning through the top, back and sides of the head, including the ears, nose, eyes and mouth. Soften as you go taking some slow comfortable breaths.

~ Lighten the expression on your face. Soften your jaw. Relax your facial muscles and the muscles around the eyes. Smooth out the worry lines on your forehead after paying attention to how they felt and what they may represent to you. Were you frowning and why? Acknowledge it and send your self kindness. As you let the frown go maybe consider letting go of the issue that caused the frown, or at least the tension surrounding it.

~ Notice your neck and throat, how they feel and soften them. Put some gentle movement though the neck by gently moving your head from side to side.

~ Notice how your shoulders and arms feel and release any tension. Drop the shoulders back and down, and if you’re lying on the floor, intentionally draw the shoulders back to the floor. Moving slowly down the arms one at a time, again notice how they feel. From the shoulder, the elbow and into the hands. Notice your hands. If your hands feel tense allow them to soften.

~ Bring your attention into your chest and notice the chest as it rises and falls as you breathe naturally in and out. We’re not going to be too concerned about our breath, let it simply enter and leave the body naturally.

~ Moving down into the stomach area, notice how your tummy feels and sensations from within.  If your tummy is tense or tight, let it soften. Take a breath.

~ Travel round the back and from the tops of the shoulders gently scan through the back, again, simply noticing how the back feels and breathe into any areas of tension or soreness.

~ Continue to scan through the hips and buttocks, travelling down each leg one at a time noticing any sensations and breathe into them.  Although the heart is the hardest working muscle in the body the leg muscles and the glutes are the largest as they hold your body erect and carry you around each day. As you scan down each leg send some kindness and gratitude to them. Believe me, they need it!

~ Notice the knees and ankles, again breathing into these. Finishing at the feet, where we began. Spreading out the toes once again and noticing if they feel different from the first-time round.

~ Now notice your whole-body present and take another deep breath in and out. Bring gentle awareness to the whole of your body and take another breath in and out. When you’re ready, you can open your eyes.

If you’re taking a break at work, you can do this practice sitting on a chair and feel the weight of your body on the chair. Notice your back against the chair and how your feet feel planted on the ground. If you can remove your shoes and spread out the toes and bring your attention to the toes, you can slowly scan through. Send some kindness and gratitude to the feet acknowledging that they carry you around every day.

This mindful body scan can be done in around 5-10minutes if you’re at work and time is an issue, or if you have more time you can take 30 or so minutes. It’s really up to you. You can even just take sections of the body and simply scan gently through them. Listen to your body and what it is communicating to you and acknowledge the message. Sometimes we neglect our bodies and then when they can become ill, we ignore their cry for help.

They are the sacred vessel that carry you around every day, so take some time to love and accept them and treat them with kindness. Again, start small and celebrate even the tiniest changes that you are able to make.

I look forward to seeing you next week and I pray that you find some peace in each day.

Love & blessings, Sam 🥰