Module 14: Episode 1 - Touch–Body Scan–Emotions
Module 14: Episode 1 - Touch–Body Scan–Emotions
Embodied Mindfulness Meditation
Module 14: Episode 1 - Touch–Body Scan–Emotions
Dina Asher Kusnir
This session in a guided body-scan meditation series, this time incorporating physical touch alongside internal awareness, and touching on emotional/somatic release.
Befriending the body through touch and attention, the body (especially the back) as a repository for unexpressed emotion and memory, and treating self-inquiry as an act of intimacy, gratitude, and compassion rather than analysis.
1. Physical touch warm-up: start by rub hands together to generate energy, then gently touch/wash the face, scalp, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, and back with their hands — using touch to "awaken the nervous system" and greet the body ("Good morning, body... good morning, my friend").
2. Breath as inner touch: Attention shifts to how the breath itself "touches" the body internally — the nostrils, lungs (affectionately called "mama lungs," with the heart as "daughter"), diaphragm, and belly — framing the breath as a form of internal contact and aliveness.
3. Guided internal scan (now without hands, using awareness/touch and imagination): Moving from the crown of the head down through:
o Skull, face, forehead, eyes, jaw
o Throat ("the speaking portal")
o Right shoulder, arm, hand — then left shoulder, arm, hand — with gratitude expressed for their service
o Upper back and spine, described as central and protective
o Lower back — described metaphorically as a "backpack" that holds unexpressed emotions, memories, and repressed feelings; the teacher invites participants to meet any surfacing emotion with compassion
o Belly — linked to digestion, intuition, and repressed "knowing"
o Legs, feeling their structure and contact with the chair/ground
4. Closing: you are invited to linger with whatever body part is asking for more attention, even after the bell rings. The session ends with a gratitude reflection and a loving-kindness dedication ("may all beings be free of suffering").
Click here to support the show.
Visit Dina's website, oliveoasis.com, to learn more about her work and her sanctuary in upstate New York.
Click Here to Sign up for Dina's newsletter to receive meditations in your inbox every Wednesday.