Body Scan in Silence
We'll conclude this session by doing the body scan practice in silence, using the instructions from last week:
- Begin by bringing attention to your breath and body
- When you're ready, following an inbreath all the way down into your toes
- Paying attention to the sensations in your body:
- starting at your toes
- moving up through your feet, legs (either doing both sets or toes, feet and legs together, or starting with the left leg and then moving to the right leg), torso, arms, shoulders, neck, face and head,
- concluding by returning your attention to your breath and following the rising and falling of your abdomen as you breathe.
- Since you’re lying down and usually quite relaxed, doing the body scan in silence can often lead to falling asleep. Anytime you notice yourself getting drowsy or starting to fall asleep:
- open your eyes
- acknowledge these feelings
- take a few breaths until you become more alert
- redirect your attention back to the sensations in your body as you continue the body scan, perhaps allowing your eyes to remain open
When you're ready, do the body scan in silence. Once you've finished, continue on to the next page which describes the Home Practice for this week.