Guided Vipassana Meditation For Beginners (20 minutes | Body Scan)

Hello, this is Julia and today I'm going to guide you through a Vipassana meditation. Vipassana means to see reality as it is. If you want to learn more about it, I made a video where I talk in great detail about Vipassana. So there will be a link of the video in the description box below. The Vipassana technique focuses on feeling the sensations throughout the body. So in this meditation I am going to guide you through the body scan. All you have to do is relax, listen to my voice and feel every sensation in the body. You are going to follow a certain sequence. You'll have to feel everything but react to nothing. This is what Vipassana is. To observe sensations you are feeling with equanimity without reacting to any of them. The recommended position for this meditation is seated with your legs crossed and your back straight unsupported. The lotus or half lotus position would be great if you can do it because it will bring more sensations to the surface. But feel free to sit in a position that suits you. I recommend using headphones. Find a quiet place and let's begin. If you're settled and you are in position, start by taking a couple of deep breaths. And close your eyes. Let your hands rest gently on your legs. And start feeling the air coming into the nose. Inhale. And exhale through your mouth. Once again, inhale. And exhale. Now I want you to focus only on your breathing. Bring your mind's attention to your nose. And feel the air coming in and out of your nostrils. Do not control the breathing. Do not deepen it. Do not slow it down. Just breathe normally and naturally. And simply observe the breath. If any thoughts come to your mind, just let them pass by. Just like you would see some clouds passing over the sky. Don't react to these thoughts. Don't get caught up in them. And don't get caught up in a narrative. Make a mental note of what these thoughts are. And keep focusing on your breathing. In and out. In your own rhythm. Just a few more seconds. Let's continue to focus on the breathing. In and out. Good. Now I want you to focus your attention on the tip of your nose. Gather all your focus. At your nose. And continue to feel the breath coming in and out of the nostrils. Then move your attention towards the bridge of your nose. And feel any sensation. Maybe you feel the air coming in and out of your nose. Or you feel a slight breeze. A tickling. Or maybe you don't feel any sensation at all. And that's okay. And move your attention to the spot between the eyebrows. And feel all the sensations here. A lot of people start seeing the bright lights when their focus is here. No matter what you experience. Just feel that sensation. Then move to the forehead. The temples. Do you feel anything? A pulsation maybe. A breeze. A thread of energy. We go up to the head. And then higher to the top of the head. And let's just stay here for a little bit. Feeling all the sensations. And then going down to the back of your head. And the back of your neck. Moving up to the top of your head. And down to the shoulders. We generally hold a lot of tension in our shoulders. Try to release it if you feel a tension or pain. Relax your shoulders and notice any other sensation there might be. Move your attention to your arms now. The biceps. The inner side of the elbows. The inner side of the forearms. Wrists. Palms. Fingers. You might feel some energy flowing in your palms. Or feel them against your legs. Then focusing on sensations on the hands. And going back up to the wrists. Forearms. Elbows. Triceps. And back to the shoulders. Are your shoulders relaxed now? Move your attention to the upper back now. And the middle back. And the lower back. Is there any tension? Pain? Or any other sensations? Is there a sensation within a sensation? Feel them completely. Even the smaller ones. Then move your attention to the sacrum. And down to the posterior. Feeling the glute muscles. And moving down towards the inner thighs. The back of the knees. Calfs. And toes. Heels. Sole of the feet. Balls of the feet. Toes. And going to the front of the feet. And ankles. Shins. Knees. Outer thighs. And let's focus the attention a little bit more here. See if you can feel any tension or pain in the knees. Or the legs. And then moving up to the pelvic floor. The genitals. Going up to the hips. And then to the lower belly. The belly button. Feel the belly go up and down with your breath. We tend to criticize our bellies so often. Most of the times we're not pleased about the way they look. Because they store fat. So feel every sensation here. If maybe there is a tension or a blockage. And then move to the upper belly. The ribs. All the way to the chest and heart. Perhaps you can feel your heart beat. Or a sensation of warmth. Feel your chest. Your armpits. And then moving up to the collarbones. And the space between them. And then up to your neck. And your throat. Feel every sensation in your throat. See if maybe there is a blockage. A knot. Or a discomfort. Feel the air going up and down your throat. And move your attention to your jaw. The chin. The lips. Tongue. The back of your throat. The teeth. The upper lip. The cheeks. Back to the nose. And then left ear. Right ear. The temples. And back to the place between your eyebrows. We stop the attention here. In between the eyes. Continue to feel sensations. The body scan is now complete. I hope you're feeling a wave of relaxation at this point. And that you will carry this wave with you for the rest of the day. Or if you're about to go to sleep. It will help you to rest well. This is what Vipassana is. To see reality as it is. To feel sensations in every part of the body. And not reacting to them. This is how we get to know ourselves better. And how we can dissolve any conflicts we might have. Repeat this meditation anytime you feel the need to. You can start wiggling your toes. Move your fingers. And open your eyes. I wish you a wonderful day. Or a good night.