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10 Minute Body Scan Meditation
400 Plays15 days ago
As a special bonus episode for the festive period, the PDA Society invites you to join us for 10 minutes to pause, rest and relax with our guided ten-minute meditation.
We’ve also be released an episode on Relaxation and Breathwork all our podcast platforms, as well as a Soundbath episode from Forgotten Forest, available for free to subscribers on our website. You can find more details here: PDA Podcasts - PDA Society
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by guest speakers in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the PDA Society. While we aim to provide balanced and inclusive discussions, individual experiences and perspectives may vary. The PDA Society is committed to using language and terminology that reflects the preferences of PDA and autistic people, but sometimes our guests may use language and terminology which differs. Appearance on our podcast is not an endorsement of an individual, and not all of our guests will align with our position on the issues discussed.
Further sources of support and information
- PDA Society Training Hub: https://training.pdasociety.org.uk/pda-podcasts/
- PDA Society Website: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/
- PDA Society Training: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/support-and-training/training/
- PDA Society Support Service: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/support-and-training/support/
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Transcript
Introduction to the PDA Society Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the PDA Society's podcast. We're here to chat about all things PDA to help you understand what people with this profile of autism are experiencing and how you can help.
00:00:13
Speaker
We'll be sharing research, professional expertise and the insights of people with lived experience to help you understand PDA and have more tools to make life easier. So, whether you're a PDA yourself, family member, friend or professional trying to make a difference, welcome from everybody at the PDA Society. We hope you'll find this useful.
Guided Body Scan Meditation
00:00:58
Speaker
We're going to do a 10 minute body scan meditation today to try and slow down both our minds and our bodies. This can be done anywhere, but ideally you'll be somewhere you feel safe and where you won't be disturbed.
00:01:21
Speaker
For neurodivergent people especially, Being aware of the body might be uncomfortable, might bring things up. So please feel free to adapt or ignore any suggestions in a way that works for you.
00:01:38
Speaker
And if at any point you want to stop the recording, please do. There's no obligation to stay to the end.
00:01:48
Speaker
So now, try to find a comfortable seat. Or if you prefer, you can do this lying down on the floor or the bed. Into the next few minutes, we're going to try and put anything else we have to do today on hold.
00:02:05
Speaker
And give yourself permission to really just be here in the moment.
00:02:13
Speaker
Now, if you feel comfortable with it, close your eyes.
00:02:20
Speaker
Or if you prefer, you can pick a point in front of you and gently rest your gaze on an object or a place on the wall.
00:02:31
Speaker
See if you can read relax it's your eyes and your face.
00:02:38
Speaker
Now start to notice the breath moving in and out of the body.
00:02:44
Speaker
We're not trying to change the breath, but just seeing if you can observe how it feels to be breathing today.
00:02:52
Speaker
Feeling the ribs expand with the inhale as your lungs fill with air. And relax on the exhale as the diaphragm contracts.
00:03:05
Speaker
Start to notice the speed of the breath, whether it feels short and shallow or slow and deep.
00:03:15
Speaker
There isn't a right or wrong. We're not trying to force the breath to be any different from what it already is.
00:03:25
Speaker
If you can, begin to notice if there's a slight pause between the breaths as inhale turns to exhale and as exhale turns to inhale.
00:03:39
Speaker
In these moments, the body is completely still and at rest.
00:03:46
Speaker
And see if just by noticing this pause, it naturally starts to lengthen a little without force.
00:03:57
Speaker
Suspending you in that moment of stillness between the breaths.
00:04:04
Speaker
Breathing in, pause.
00:04:09
Speaker
And breathing out, pause.
Focusing on the Body
00:04:17
Speaker
We're going to start to move our awareness from the breath to the body now.
00:04:24
Speaker
But again, you're welcome to continue focusing on the breath instead, or simply gazing at point in front of you.
00:04:35
Speaker
With your eyes closed, see if you can move your attention to the feet now, feeling into the sensations of both feet. The place where they're touching the ground or the chair or the bed where you are.
00:04:52
Speaker
Feeling their position in space.
00:04:56
Speaker
And noticing any sensations without trying to change them or make them be any different.
00:05:06
Speaker
Maybe you don't feel the anything at all and that's okay too.
00:05:14
Speaker
We're going to release your attention away from the feet now. can see if you can slowly move your mind's eye towards your lower legs. Feeling the angles of the joints between the ankles and the knees.
00:05:29
Speaker
Any sensations where the legs are touching the surface you're sitting on.
00:05:38
Speaker
And as you move your attention to the upper legs, You might notice whether there's any tingling or numbness or pressure where your legs are meeting the chair or the bed.
00:05:53
Speaker
Just observing what you feel without the need to make it be any different.
00:06:03
Speaker
Moving our attention up through the body now. See if you can let go of the legs and start to feel into the hips and the lower back.
00:06:15
Speaker
An area that might have some aches or discomfort.
00:06:21
Speaker
And see if you can consciously relax the lower back releasing into the surface that's supporting you.
00:06:33
Speaker
Moving into the upper back now. The shoulders. Down into the upper arms and the lower arms.
00:06:45
Speaker
And finally moving your attention into the place where your hands are resting. Maybe that's on your lap or on the surface either side of you.
00:06:56
Speaker
Noticing the sensations in each finger and the palms.
00:07:03
Speaker
And maybe moving your hands just slowly into a fist.
00:07:10
Speaker
And then relaxing them again. Feeling the sensations in your whole arms now. From your shoulders to your fingertips.
00:07:20
Speaker
Before letting it go. We're going to move the awareness back up the body into the neck and the face now. Relaxing the jaw, the tongue and the mouth.
00:07:38
Speaker
The space between the eyebrows, the eyelids, the forehead.
00:07:47
Speaker
See if you can relax any tension in the face which has been stored up throughout the day.
00:07:55
Speaker
And if this brings up any emotions for you, just noticing what you feel without judgment. Good.
Awareness of Environment
00:08:08
Speaker
We're going to let go of the body sensations now, moving your awareness towards what we can hear in the room around us. Noticing any sounds in the room.
00:08:20
Speaker
Maybe you're breathing. Maybe it's cars outside or rain on the window. a dog barking.
00:08:31
Speaker
Noticing any sounds as they move in and out of your awareness.
00:08:36
Speaker
And seeing if you have any reactions to these sounds.
00:08:42
Speaker
Do they make you tense up?
00:08:46
Speaker
Or are you able to let the sounds pulse through your awareness without holding on?
00:08:53
Speaker
And moving our attention away from the sound into what we can see.
00:09:00
Speaker
This might be the backs of our eyelids or we might be gazing a point in front of us.
00:09:11
Speaker
Start to notice the edges of things where one colour moves into another. Just observing the information coming through our eyes without feeling the need to do anything or to move.
00:09:31
Speaker
Just watching.
00:09:40
Speaker
And when you're ready, we're going to move our attention away from the sight now, back towards the breath, as we start to close off this practice.
00:09:51
Speaker
Feeling the sensation of the breath on the lips or under the nose where the air is moving in and out.
00:10:01
Speaker
Noticing the temperature of the breath and feeling the ribs expand with the inhale and contract with the exhale.
00:10:11
Speaker
And maybe noticing if there's any differences in the qualities of the breath compared to a few minutes ago.
00:10:20
Speaker
Not passing judgment on whether the breath is better or worse. Just noticing how the last few minutes might have affected the breath.
00:10:34
Speaker
Breathing in and breathing out.
00:10:45
Speaker
And when you're ready, we're going to move the attention away from the breath completely now. Starting to return to the room we're in Feeling our body in space.
00:11:00
Speaker
Tuning into the sounds around us. And if they aren't already, starting to open your eyes. Thinking, taking in the lights and the colours of the room you're in.
00:11:14
Speaker
Starting to wiggle your fingers and toes and feeling into your body as the meditation draws to a close.
00:11:25
Speaker
and As we move into the rest of our day, trying to move a little slowly at first as our thoughts return to whatever's coming next.
00:11:41
Speaker
And if you do find the sessions brought up any uncomfortable feelings for you, just take a moment to do something soothing and give yourself a little space before you move in to the rest of your day.