Body Scan Meditation
Today let’s practice 1 method of clearing your body. That’s right, I’m talking about Body Scans.
Why would you need to clear your body? That’s a wonderful question! The answer: stagnation, whether that be energetic, emotional or physical. Things just become stuck.
As you move through your day you interact with various spaces, people, and animals, and within each of those interactions it’s possible for energies that are not your own to become stuck or attached to your own energetic field.
Our emotions are genius intuitive guides, safety nets, warning signs, and celebratory bellows. But our emotions- even the ‘good’ ones, if not acknowledged, embodied, felt, released or transmuted, can become stuck in our bodies and manifest as psychological or physical dis-ease.
Physical stagnation can also significantly impact our overall wellbeing. Bruises, stuffy sinuses, lymphatic congestion, pelvic stagnation, cysts, muscular tension and knots each impede the body’s ability to function and flow smoothly which, over time, creates the terrain for imbalance and disease to take hold.
Here’s where the Body Scan comes in. A Body Scan is a mindfulness meditation exercise that’s simple, accessible, free, and effective. It’s a practice of tuning into your physical body from head to toe, noticing any aches, pains or discomforts while remaining present without any judgement or need to make changes. It can be as simple as that- or if you’d like, you can go on to send compassion to each point of discomfort and visualize each sensation clearing out of your body so only comfort and ease remain. Research shows that by tuning into our bodies and being present, we can become a detached observer, we can release anger, resentment, and the need to identify with our pain, and we can minimize the overall experience of pain.
Sounds good, right? Here are the steps:
-Find a comfortable seat where you won’t be disturbed. If you need to finish up in a set amount of time, I’d recommend setting a timer.
-Close your eyes and take 3 slow, deep breaths. Breathe down to the base of your stomach and exhale completely.
-Begin at the top of your head and slowly travel down your head- forehead, eye sockets, cheeks, teeth, tongue, jaw, scalp- notice any sensations or lack of sensations. Is there tightness, clenching, numbness, tingling, tension, discomfort, pain? Is it warm, cold, dry, damp? Does it feel good, comfortable, relaxed? For now, just notice, make no judgements or changes.
-Slowly travel down your neck, shoulders, arms, fingers, chest, solar plexus, stomach pausing at each location to notice any sensations that exist. Remember to breathe.
-Slowly travel down your spine, shoulder blades, upper, middle, and lower back, both sides of abdomen. Pause at each location to notice any sensations that exist. Remember to breathe.
-Slowly travel down your hips, butt, generative organs. Pause at each location to notice any sensations that exist. Remember to breathe.
-Travel down one leg: thigh, the front and back of knee, shin, calf, ankle, the top of foot, heel, arch, ball, each toe. Then travel down the other leg in the same sequence. Pause at each location to notice any sensations that exist. Remember to breathe.
-Zoom out your focus, tune into your whole body, your skin. Notice the overall sensation and breathe.
-Zoom out your focus even more and notice the space 3-4 inches from the surface of your skin. Notice the overall sensations surrounding your body in space and breathe.
-At this time, you can open your eyes to complete the exercise. Move slowly as you integrate back to the present moment. Drink water. Thank yourself.
-If you’d like to go deeper and clear your body, go back to the beginning of the scan. Starting at your head, travel your awareness down your body in the same manner but this time, as your encounter each sensation send it compassion and visualize the sensation floating up and away from your body. For example, if you encounter tension in your shoulders you could say “I love you, shoulders, thank you for your strength. I lovingly release this tension.” Find the words that feel right to you- there is no wrong answer.
-Continue this practice for each area of sensation as you travel down your body. Remember to breathe. When you’ve completed your body clearing, repeat this practice for your entire body and the space surrounding your body.
- At this time, you can open your eyes to complete the exercise. Move slowly as you integrate back to the present moment. Drink water. Thank yourself.
And that’s it- you’ve completed the Body Scan! This whole practice can take 5 minutes or 45- it’s up to you. Find a method that works for you and try to integrate this practice throughout your week for best results.
