Imagine you are sitting at a desk over your laptop with your neck bent, your shoulders tense, and your back hunched over the screen. Well, you might not even have to imagine this. It could be you at this very moment. Due to the pandemic and social distancing, we have all been spending more time than ever shackled to our desks in a variety of bad postures with more stress than usual. In fact, you might be so focused on the other distractors or stressors in your life that you do not stop to think about how all of this is impacting your body. As humans, our bodily states are very much connected with our emotional states. This can mean that if we are stressed, our body is stressed, but that is not something we pay attention to very often.
In order to check in on your body and relieve some of that hidden tension, we can practice something called body scan meditation. During this practice, you use your mind to scan your entire body in order to bring awareness to the various aches and pains. As you become aware of the problem areas, you can do things to help relieve the pain and give those areas special attention. This is different from other styles of meditation because it draws the focus specifically on your internal bodily sensations. Rather than the goal being a clear mind, this method requires a focus on the internal sensations of specific parts of your body.
Benefits
- Reducing stress: Just by doing this practice once a day, you can reduce the amount of stress that your body is holding within it. This stress reduction will manifest in better physical health including things like less inflammation, better sleep, and more energy.
- Injury prevention: This is also a good technique to employ before you begin a workout or a yoga practice so that you can keep in mind which areas of your body need a little extra attention during your exercise session. You can exercise more caution when working on an area where you felt some pain during your body scan
- Chronic pain management: If you suffer from chronic pain, nothing can undo the fact that your pain exists. What this meditation process can change is how you view the pain and reduce the side effects of it like depression or anxiety. See our post on emotion construction which explains the link between discomfort and suffering.
- Better sleep: Do you constantly lay in bed trying to go to sleep but can’t because your mind is too busy? This technique allows you to get more in-tuned with your body, clear your mind of busy thoughts, and focus simply on the state of your body in the present. By focusing on the tired state of your body, you will be able to fall asleep easier and sleep better. (Author’s note: It used to take me 2-3 hours to fall asleep at night and doing this practice helped me to get that number down to 15-30 minutes!)
How To Do Body Scan Meditation
- Find somewhere comfortable. I like to lay down on my bed or a yoga mat. Relax your body fully and let you back sink into the ground for a neutral spine. Sitting is an alternative option as well but laying down is more beneficial is you are trying to relax before bed.
- Breathe. Take some deep breaths and begin to clear your head of any thoughts. Let your attention rest solely on your breath.
- Start with your toes. Bring attention to your toes and feet. Observe how they feel. Are they tired? Sore? Acknowledge how your feet feel and continue to breathe into the tension if there is any.
- Visualize your pain evaporating. As you notice and acknowledge the tensions/pains in your body, imagine the air you breathe in to be a magical healer that will evaporate anything negative in your body. As you breathe out, visualize all of the toxins, negative energy, and pain leaving your body. This will help you to take control of your own body and facilitate your own healing.
- Scan your whole body. After you have finished scanning your feet, move up to your calves and shins. Then your knees. Continue up your body until you reach your face and head. Make sure you pay attention to all the little muscles in your face as well! Those can hold more tension than we know. Be specific and intentional about where you choose to scan. The more specific you are, the greater attention you can focus on a holistic healing and relaxation practice.
If you enjoyed what you learned about in this post, check out our other posts on meditation. Contact Greg Murray at greg@adaptiveedgecoaching.com for more insight on how to apply this technique in your own life!