Practicing a body scan, a type of mindfulness meditation, can help change your relationship with your body and ease physical pain. In this short meditation video, you’ll focus on your breathing and relax different parts of your body.
“When we experience physical pain, our natural reaction is to resist or try to distract ourselves from the pain,” says Bob McClure, LCSW, a certified mindfulness instructor with Sharp HealthCare. “This resistance can cause us to tense our muscles even more and actually increase pain.”
MRI scans show practicing this technique changes the way your body perceives pain, McClure says.
Follow these steps to practice the meditation.
Find a place to sit up or lie down comfortably.
Close your eyes and gently pay attention to the physical sensation of breathing, wherever it’s most clear for you: at the nostrils, in the movement of the chest or in the stomach. Feel the sensation of breathing. When you breathe in, know you’re breathing in. When you breathe out, know you’re breathing out.
Bring your attention to your forehead. Relax and soften the temples. Soften your eyes. Relax your jaw.
Bring your attention to your throat and the back of the neck. Release any stress or tension.
Focus on your left shoulder. Drop your shoulder slightly to relax. Relax your upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. Imagine any tension or stress flowing out through your fingers.
Repeat with your right shoulder. Relax each part of your arm, down to your fingers.
Bring your attention to your chest, then to your stomach. Relax the muscles of the stomach.
Bring your attention to your back, including your middle back and lower back. If you feel any tension, soften those areas and relax.
Focus on your left leg: your upper thigh, your knee, lower leg, ankle, the top and bottom of your foot, and your toes. Feel any sensation in your toes or notice the lack of sensation. If you feel tension in your toes, soften the area and let go. If your attention wanders to your thoughts, gently bring your attention back to your left toes.
Repeat with your right leg. Relax each part of your leg, down to your toes.
Finish the body scan. Gently pay attention to your breathing. Feel the breath. If you can, bring awareness to your whole body sitting or lying down.
Send thoughts of kindness to your body and end with feelings of gratitude about how your body serves you in your life.
If you don’t notice immediate relief, be patient with yourself. Practicing the technique as often as you can, or trying it every day, will help your body respond better to the meditation, McClure explains.
Meditation is more than mantras. It’s an opportunity to step back, unplug and give your body a mental vacation.
Everyday pressures can bring on stress and anxiety that cause us to feel out of sync with our daily routines.
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