Meditation

Body Scan

April 25, 2021

Jarell Myers, PhD

View Transcript

I’d like to take you through a brief, guided meditation.

This is one of many ways you can create some space, or ‘hit the pause button’ for yourself.

We hope this can give you a chance to check in with yourself and arrive in this moment, letting yourself step away from those worries and concerns about the future and the past…what might happen later today or tonight…or even what happened earlier today or this week..and just let yourself settle for a moment, here and now.

There are many ways to create some space. This is just one brief one, for right now.

Let’s start by finding a comfortable position, resting with your arms on your chair or in your lap.

Now, if you’re comfortable doing this exercise with your eyes closed, let yourself close your eyes. If you’re not, you can certainly leave them slightly open and gaze toward the floor just a bit in front of you.

Next let’s take a couple of deeper breaths than usual, letting the air fill your lungs, allowing your stomach to expand, and then breathing it out fully…2 or 3 breaths full.

And now you can return to normal, gentle breathing..no special kind of breathing, just gentle in and out. Let yourself pay attention to this…your breathing.

You might notice the steady rise and fall of your chest, or you might notice the air coming in and out through your nose…but just notice your gentle breathing to start.

Again, you don’t need to do any special kind of breathing, just let your breath come in and out.

And when your thoughts drift off to something else, just notice it, and let yourself come back to gentle breathing and notice that.

Now let’s take a moment to notice that we are here. You can notice your shoulders, and just let the muscles relax.

And notice your stomach, and just let the muscles relax.

Take a moment to notice your arms, and let the muscles in your forearms… and hands…and fingers relax.

Now go back to your breathing and just let yourself breathe easily…gently in and out.

Now, if you can notice the feeling of your feet resting on the floor…the weight of your legs pressing down…the feeling of contact with the floor.

…and breathe.

And as you sit, you can also let yourself become aware that you are here, sitting with your body and breath, with others also sitting with their bodies and breath, all quietly here.

To just give yourself this time, without having to DO anything next, except be here, with yourself, and with others.

And when you are ready, you can open your eyes and return to this group.

Jarell Myers, PhD

Jarell R.O. Myers, PhD is a clinical psychologist, licensed in both New York and Massachusetts, with training in cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavioral approaches to treatment. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and completed an APA-accredited internship at Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital on the child and adolescent track. In addition, Dr. Myers completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center in White Plains, New York where the focus was on treatment for anxiety. He used that experience at McLean Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he worked with children and adolescents diagnosed with Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in an intensive outpatient clinic. Dr. Myers has expertise in working with adolescents and young adults with comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders and adopts a harm reduction approach when appropriate.