Body Scan and Release
March 30, 2021- 00:00So once again, I'm Michelle Graham,
- 00:02licensed massage therapist
- 00:03at Smilow Cancer Hospital,
- 00:05and it's my honor and privilege
- 00:06to be with you today to lead you
- 00:09in a guided meditation session.
- 00:14Bring yourself into a comfortable position.
- 00:17Whatever is comfortable for you,
- 00:19you could be sitting on a chair with
- 00:22your path back flat against the back of
- 00:26the chair feet planted on the ground.
- 00:29You could be sitting cross legged
- 00:31position if that's comfortable,
- 00:33or you could even be laying
- 00:35down in a reclined position.
- 00:40Now let's begin by taking a deep
- 00:43breath and holding it for five seconds.
- 00:52Exhale. Anne relax.
- 00:59Now take another deep breath as
- 01:02deep as you can and hold it again
- 01:05for a count of five seconds.
- 01:13An as you exhale this time, imagine
- 01:16blowing out all of your stress.
- 01:24Take a third deep breath and hold it.
- 01:28An as you exhale. You blow out
- 01:31any stress you've been holding on
- 01:35to saying to yourself relax now.
- 01:43This is your new solution to stress.
- 01:47Whenever you become stressed
- 01:49in the future, you simply take
- 01:52three fully in and deep breaths.
- 01:56Holding it at the top of the
- 01:59inhalation for five seconds,
- 02:01and when you exhale,
- 02:02you blow out any stresses that you feel.
- 02:11On that third breath. As you exhale,
- 02:15you simply say to yourself. Relax now.
- 02:27Now allow your eyes.
- 02:28If they are not already closed to
- 02:31gently close and when you do this,
- 02:33you feel a wave of relaxation
- 02:37sweep over you. To begin.
- 02:39I'd like you to focus on the
- 02:42sensations at the top of your head.
- 02:45Just notice how the very
- 02:47top of your head feels.
- 02:53And now let your focus
- 02:56move down to your eyes.
- 02:58Just notice how your eyes feel.
- 03:02Just ask them to relax even more.
- 03:09The little movement in your eyes,
- 03:11it's called Rapid eye movement
- 03:13and it's completely normal.
- 03:15These small I movements
- 03:17allow you to feel calm.
- 03:22Now notice how the back of your head feels
- 03:25against the surface that it's touching.
- 03:27How heavy does your head feel right now?
- 03:36Now let your focus move to
- 03:39your nose and feel the slight
- 03:41sensations of the air moving
- 03:44in and out with your breath.
- 03:47When you breathe in.
- 03:50Imagine that you're being filled with
- 03:53calmness and when you breathe out.
- 03:56Imagine your body feels
- 03:58heavy and deeply relaxed.
- 04:03Very good. Now focus on your ears.
- 04:07Notice how they feel and
- 04:10what they hear around you.
- 04:14Just try to hear every single noise.
- 04:23When sound comes into your ears
- 04:25then it acts like little waves of
- 04:28relaxation, taking you even deeper.
- 04:36All other sounds passing only take you
- 04:39deeper into a state of relaxation.
- 04:45I'll focus on your mouth.
- 04:48How does it feel?
- 04:50What do you notice?
- 04:52Can you sense the flavor of
- 04:55something you recently tasted?
- 04:57Perhaps you could imagine biting
- 04:59into a fresh slice of lemon and
- 05:01notice how your mouth waters.
- 05:06Very good.
- 05:11Move your focus down now to your neck,
- 05:14and if there's any tension,
- 05:15just ask it to release a little bit more.
- 05:20Notice how your neck feels right now.
- 05:24Spell all the sensations
- 05:25going on in your neck.
- 05:32Focus on your shoulders.
- 05:35Move your attention slowly.
- 05:37From your shoulders going down each arm
- 05:40down all the way to each fingertip.
- 05:46What, if anything, are your
- 05:49fingertips touching and? What are
- 05:52the sensations on your fingertips?
- 05:57Ice. Allow your focus to go to
- 06:02your chest. Relax in this area
- 06:04as well as your upper back.
- 06:09If you notice any tension, just ask
- 06:12it nicely to release just a little.
- 06:19Now imagine you're focusing on your
- 06:22heart and feeling it beating strongly
- 06:25and supporting you. Relax your heart.
- 06:28And notice how good it feels to do so.
- 06:35Now focus on your lungs and
- 06:38feel them gently expanding and
- 06:40contracting with your breath.
- 06:42Delivering oxygen to your body.
- 06:48Allow your focus to move down your
- 06:52vital organs and digestive system.
- 06:55Notice. Your belly and how it feels.
- 07:00Servite working and digesting
- 07:02effortlessly for you.
- 07:08Now notice your lower back and how it may
- 07:11be pressing against the surface you're on.
- 07:14And if you feel any tension,
- 07:17just say please relax a little bit more.
- 07:24Now focus on your pelvis and hips and notice
- 07:27any sensations you may be having there.
- 07:32This takes you even deeper
- 07:34into a state of relaxation.
- 07:40Allowing your focus to move down each
- 07:44leg now slowly relaxing those as well.
- 07:48Your legs have been taking you
- 07:50so many places over the years
- 07:52and they deserve to fully relax.
- 08:00Notice this wonderful wave of relaxation
- 08:02moving down to your knees and down your
- 08:05lower legs all the way to your feet,
- 08:07and the very tip. Of each town.
- 08:15Good you're doing so well.
- 08:23You choose to be in control of
- 08:25all you do because your health
- 08:28is very important to you.
- 08:30Remember that it is natural for
- 08:33you to be healthy and happy,
- 08:36and it's unnatural to
- 08:37have sickness and misery.
- 08:43Now hear yourself saying.
- 08:47Every day in every way.
- 08:51I get better and better.
- 08:58In order to make change I challenge myself.
- 09:09Change is not comfortable.
- 09:11In fact, it is inconvenient.
- 09:13So if I feel comfortable with the
- 09:16change I am making, I am probably
- 09:19not extending myself enough.
- 09:25When I have a negative thought,
- 09:27I acknowledge that I feel this
- 09:29way and then I release it.
- 09:35When another negative thought arises,
- 09:38Eyecatcher quickly an I say with confidence
- 09:43I acknowledge that part of me feels this way.
- 09:48But this thought does not help me right now.
- 09:54Each day in every way.
- 09:58I get better and better.
- 10:04Whenever I am presented with feelings
- 10:06of stress, I know my breath is there to
- 10:10soothe me and guide me into relaxation.
- 10:17Every single day I become more aware
- 10:20of all the good things going on in my
- 10:23community and in the world around me.
- 10:30When I feel that darknesses surrounding me,
- 10:34I know that the way to see light
- 10:37is to take 3 deep breaths.
- 10:41Relaxing my mind and body by doing so.
- 10:49Each day in every way I
- 10:52get better and better.
- 11:00In order to make great change.
- 11:03I challenge my thoughts.
- 11:11From now on, I challenge
- 11:14every single negative,
- 11:16an unproductive thought that arises.
- 11:25This gives you the opportunity to
- 11:28start a new positive thought process.
- 11:37Farts are part of everyones human experience.
- 11:40You don't need to push them
- 11:44away in order to practice.
- 11:47Learning to bring your mind back
- 11:50from its thoughts is the practice.
- 11:53But how do you let go over the
- 11:55thoughts once they've pulled you in?
- 12:00Without pushing the thoughts
- 12:02away or denying their presence.
- 12:05You can be aware of the thinking
- 12:08mind while remaining an attached.
- 12:14You notice the energy in the mind and body.
- 12:18As you come into a period
- 12:21of mindfulness practice,
- 12:22you may notice the energy of your
- 12:26day resting in the mind and body.
- 12:30The mind may be active.
- 12:32The body may feel worked up.
- 12:35Or you might even notice a
- 12:38bit of lingering anxiety.
- 12:43At these moments,
- 12:45think of a shaken snow globe with
- 12:48all that energy swirling around.
- 12:51And as you West, the little
- 12:54snowflakes fall gently to the ground.
- 12:58Think of yourself as a snow globe
- 13:02an every snowflake as a thought.
- 13:06In this way, watch as each and
- 13:09every snowflake falls to the ground.
- 13:14Do not force yourself to be calm,
- 13:18just let it happen slowly. An organically?
- 13:35As you do so,
- 13:36bring your attention to the breath.
- 13:39In your body and choose one spot
- 13:43where the breath is felt easily.
- 13:46It may be the center of the chest,
- 13:49the abdomen, the shoulders,
- 13:51or the nostrils.
- 13:53But just observe the physical
- 13:55sensation of the body breathing.
- 14:01And as you do so, just stay with
- 14:05the snow globe visualization.
- 14:07As you're aware of your breath.
- 14:10Anna's thoughts begin to rise up.
- 14:13Just observe as they slowly settle back down.
- 14:25Whatever you may observe the
- 14:27mind doing, just let it be.
- 14:35Try not to encourage the thought,
- 14:37but don't push it away either.
- 14:40Allow it to be.
- 14:42And allow it to go on its own.
- 14:51See if you can watch the passing of
- 14:54the thought as it follows its natural
- 14:56trajectory and leaves the mind.
- 15:02At this point, we turn to the breath,
- 15:07patiently wait until another thought arises.
- 15:21Notice it? Watch the thought and
- 15:23come back to the breath again.
- 15:33Continue with mindfulness of
- 15:35the breath and the thoughts.
- 15:37And notice when you're lost
- 15:39in the thought or when the
- 15:42mind wanders for some time.
- 15:44If self judgment arises,
- 15:46notice that just as you
- 15:48would any other thought.
- 16:12And we're going to do
- 16:15one last visualization.
- 16:17Of watching our current thought.
- 16:21As if it's a snowflake in a
- 16:24snow globe that's being shaken.
- 16:27And that thought.
- 16:29Falls down to the ground.
- 16:35We're going to return to
- 16:37consciousness of the breath.
- 16:43A deep breath in through the nose.
- 16:47And out through the mouth.
- 16:50Again, in through the nose.
- 16:55Add out through the mouth.
- 16:59And for the third breath will open our eyes.
- 17:05Deep breath in.
- 17:10Exhale. Look around, feel yourself
- 17:13back in the room that you're in.
- 17:19Coming back into the present moment.
- 17:23Stretching out your arms to each side.
- 17:29Circles. In both directions.
- 17:35A deep breath in arms overhead.
- 17:41Adoline into purples.