Insight Meditation 
(Vipassana)

Guided Meditation 

Mindfulness of the Body Scan

​

20- 40-minute meditation

 

• Sit tall and upright. Be still for a minute or two.

 

• Direct the attention to a full awareness of the direct body experience. Be mindful of sensati0ns, tingling, throbbing, vibrations, itching, hot, cool, cold, comfortable and uncomfortable.

 

• Then direct attention to the top of the head and slowly around sides of the head. Then slowly direct mindfulness to the chin.

 

• Then explore the neck. Go in clockwise direction around the neck starting and ending with the throat - used for talking. Be mindful of the throat for a minute or two.

 

• Experience both shoulders, arms and hands. Be mindful of the hands, often used to reveal calmness or agitation, creativity or destructive behaviour, kindness or anger, generosity or greed.

 

• Experience directly the sensations and vibrations of the remaining parts of the body.

 

• Move attention from the top of the back to the base of the spine and contact of backside with the meditation cushion or chair.

 

• Witness changing sensations in the body during the body scan.

 

• Direct mindfulness to the front of the body from top of the chest down to the genitals. Does the body feel expanded or contracted, tense or at ease?

 

• Use mindfulness of breathing to stay steady with unpleasant bodily sensations/pain, which can lead to reactivity on issues.

 

• Turn to both legs. Experience both logs while directing mindfulness through the legs to the feet and toes.

 

• Meditation supports direct contact with the body rather than living in the spell of an image of the body or parts of the body.

 

• Be mindful of descriptions/judgement/views about the body – health/sickness/colour/ weight/appearance.

 

• Experience with respect and support for the body as organic life, as various vibrations and sensations, as nature.

 

Realise the body emerges and returns to the nature of things rather than being in the spell of "I" or "my body." 

 

Be grounded in direct bodily experience.