Body Scan Meditation to Relax your Body
Body scan meditation is part of the large family of mindfulness meditations.
Using the physical sensations of the body and active visualization, it will help you develop a greater awareness of your being and help you anchor yourself in the present moment.
The advantage of body scan meditation is that it is quite easy to practice. So, you can do it in the morning or evening, on public transport or even at the start of a yoga or relaxation session.
Contents :
Discover this meditation in video format
What is the principle of body scan?
The effects of this meditation
Prepare for body scan meditation
Discover this meditation in video format
What is the principle of body scan?
The body scan technique consists of going through all the parts of your body, to gradually relax them one by one. By paying attention to specific areas, we can more easily detect points of tension and thus eliminate them.
In addition, the practice of body scanning requires you to be entirely in the present moment, not devoting yourself entirely to the meditation for as long as it lasts. Thus, the worries of daily life, the resentments of the past and the anxieties of the future must be chased away.
The goal of body scanning meditation is to become aware of different areas of the body. However, to become aware of something, your mind must first be liberated. Even if the body scan is quite simple in appearance, it is therefore a relatively advanced meditation technique which requires knowing how to “clear your mind”.
In short, paying attention to each part of your body will allow you to be more attentive to it and, above all, to listen to certain signals that we usually ignore. Without passing judgment, these signals will be observed. Often, they will take the form of points of muscular tension which we then relax through visualization.
The important thing, however, will be to become aware of our body, of the concerns that can sometimes be found there and of the ways to accept them. In this sense, “body scan” meditation is a true sensory experience, a unique opportunity to reconnect with yourself.
Let us also point out that the effects of this meditation will be optimal when it is followed daily, or even several times a day. This is good, it can be practiced in just a few minutes
Calm down, relax
thanks to meditation and its tools
The effects of this meditation
By scanning yourself mentally and energetically, you become aware of each part of your body and notice different tensions there. This opens up many possibilities for healing. Whether it is a matter of directly solving our problems, better understanding them or learning to prevent them, the keys to understanding offered by this new information will be valuable to us.
A more relaxed body
The first (and undoubtedly the most obvious) benefit of body scan meditation is the great physical relaxation it offers us. If even the slightest of your muscles is tense, you will know how to relax it. If, on the contrary, you are already relatively physically calm, your calm will only increase.
By combining conscious breathing and letting go in the present moment, every muscle, every tension will relax.
The development of consciousness
By “development of consciousness”, we are talking about this ability to place yourself in the present, to become aware of your actions and to include them in a coherent universe.
When performing a body scan for the first time, most people notice that their mind wanders and seems to escape them. This is completely normal.
In fact, mindfulness meditation (of which the body scan is a type) is more complex than it seems and, like an athlete who works his body, the mind of the meditator also will develop through practice.
Greater self-knowledge
If you are lost in your life and you lack direction, this meditation is undoubtedly made for you. Sophrology, yoga and certain alternative medicines can be allies, but few will be as powerful as body scanning.
By rediscovering our body, the body scan allows us to rediscover ourselves as a whole and, ultimately, to reconnect with our deep being. Knowing our body is undoubtedly the first step in knowledge, the pillar on which everything else will be built.
Reducing mental load
Because it helps us to release accumulated physical tensions, the body scan also helps us to release our mental tensions.
Faced with the little worries of everyday life, we all see our mental load gradually increase until it sometimes explodes, giving rise to depression, burn-out and a whole bunch of other joys.
We are not always aware of these mental tensions, so many can arrive insidiously and settle deep within us.
Practicing “body scan” meditation regularly can therefore be seen as a means of prevention against this unfortunate phenomenon, to say the least.
More self-compassion
We often talk about compassion as something we offer to others. This forgets that we are the first person we must love, the first to whom we offer our compassion.
With the body scan, we will learn to accept ourselves, to accept our body and our mind, to observe our thoughts without judging them... and all this with kindness!
Through this radical and essential action, we will then vibrate higher and simply become better people, for ourselves and for others.
Help to sleep better
All forms of mindfulness meditation have calming properties on the mind, which necessarily helps us achieve sleep more easily. Fighting stress necessarily has mental benefits, but also calms the mind.
Where scanning your body will stand out is through its action which will literally prepare us physically for falling asleep. Being more relaxed, eliminating anxiety... this is a good reason to learn to meditate, and something that will help us get to sleep!
This is even supported by scientific studies on the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapies in the fight against insomnia. In this context, adolescents who practiced body scanning daily for several weeks reported better sleep, a feeling of less fatigue and a better mood.
Prepare for the “body scan” meditation
The body scan can be performed while lying down, sitting, or in any position that feels comfortable to you. Please note, however, that the guided meditation that follows is designed to be practiced sitting in a chair.
You will have understood: the objective here will be to listen to your body and reconnect with it in an intimate, personal way. It is therefore important that you are not disturbed during this meditation and, if possible, that you are alone in the room where you are going to practice.
Because we are going to observe the sensations and certain energies of the body, it is also advisable not to do this meditation after too big a meal.
To fully benefit from the effects of the body scan, also remain aware of the need for non-judgment: as you concentrate on your body, thoughts will inevitably cross your mind. You can observe them, without judging them, and simply let them go.
All that being said, we can now begin.
The different steps
These different stages are actually supposed to follow each other harmoniously, rather than being cut into separate parts.
After all, this guided meditation forms a whole constructed as a single work, a single tool capable of functioning in its uniqueness.
In video and audio, no distinction is made.
The following breakdown therefore has the sole purpose of helping you, a posteriori, to understand the modes of action implemented within the framework of this meditation.
Step #1: Beginning of body awareness
Close your eyes.
Focus on the sensations in your body. Notice how you sit. Feel the weight of your body on the floor or chair. The feeling of clothes on your skin.
Take a few deep breaths.
We will now gently move your attention along your entire body, starting at the bottom.
So start at the feet and slowly work your way up your body: your legs, your shoulders, your arms, your neck, until you reach the top of your head.
While carrying out this quick scan, you undoubtedly felt areas where your attention lingered or, on the contrary, others that you had difficulty feeling. This is completely normal.
Step #2: Awareness of areas of tension
Imagine again that you are going around your body, but this time with the intimate desire to understand what is happening there.
Don't visualize, just shift your attention and try to feel the sensations.
At each body part, stop for a few seconds and notice what you feel, whether it's tension, relaxation, or tingling.
Observe these sensations.
It is very good. Take a few breaths. We will now continue with slower, more careful scanning of each part of your body.
Step #3: Body scan of the face and neck
Bring your attention to the crown of your head, and feel your scalp.
Then the back of the head.
On the coast. On the face.
Feel your jaw, and relax the muscles. It is normal for these muscles to be tense, and releasing them helps us relax mentally.
Let your entire face be free of tension.
Feel the muscles around your mouth… your nose… your eyes. Everyone relaxes one by one.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Now become aware of your neck and your nape.
Again, release them. Relax him.
Step #4: Body scan of arms and back
From your neck, your attention now shifts to your shoulders... which relax. Relax.
Your arms. Slowly. Your forearms. Who relax. Then your hands. Your fingers, one by one.
Notice the feel of the chair on your back.
From top to bottom you feel it. There may be tension points there...at the top, near the back of your neck, around your shoulder blades...at your lower back...on your sides...along your ribs...all the way down.
Your chest relaxes in turn. The sensations descend gently downward, towards the stomach.
Bring your attention to your stomach area. If your stomach is tense or tight, let it relax. Breathe.
Step #5: Body scan of pelvis and legs
Now feel your pelvis, in its entirety. Front, sides, back.
Slowly lower your attention. Feel the tension in your muscles, and release them.
Peacefully, you reach the top of your thighs... and you feel their front... then their back.
All whole, they relax.
Then comes the turn of your knees, your calves.
Calmly, the tensions dissipate there.
Your ankles and your feet, which you sweep.
The feeling of the muscles relaxing there is pleasant.
Step #6: Return to calm and end of meditation
Your whole body is calm now. You have reconnected with yourself, and your mind is at peace.
Breathe for a few moments, and feel this great feeling of calm.
When you feel ready, you can open your eyes.
You can now perform mini body scans throughout the day, with this tool yours, this tool given to you.
Other guided meditations in our series
Among the many objects that we offer to our community, we have notably collected some meditation tools.
Here is the collection in question, made up of objects from cultures from the four corners of the world but sharing the same goal: to help the practice of meditation or, quite simply, relaxation and relaxation.
In short, you will find singing bowls, various musical instruments, flags and decorations, reiki pendulums and even certain ingredients and crystals.
Here is also a collection of free books that may help you in your life. Between healthy eating, self-hypnosis, prayers and self-confidence, many themes are covered in our library which, once again, has been entirely open to you.
If you would like to discover our other meditations, here is the section of our blog which brings them all together.
Here too, we wanted to deal with the most varied themes possible (within the limits of our knowledge, of course).
If, however, you do not find what you are looking for there, do not hesitate to tell us by leaving a comment in the section at the end of one of the meditations: we will read it and try to take it into account in our future work. !
The history of the body scan
The body scan is a precise stress reduction technique based on a form of practical mindfulness meditation, a meditation from which the spiritual parts have been removed.
However, historically, body scanning is a variation of an oriental meditation known as Vipassana which also consists of scanning the body in search of physical sensations.
Vipassana is in fact the oldest form of mindfulness meditation known to Buddhists and Hindus. In all likelihood, its origin is found in the “Satipatthana Sutta” (or “Foundations of Mindfulness”), a speech that the Buddha himself gave to his disciples.
In this speech, he would have promoted the importance of paying attention to the sensations of our body, the key to accessing an intuition capable of helping us resolve the concerns hindering our access to full consciousness.
By removing the barriers that our sensations indicate to us, we can then access the truth of things, the true nature of what is.
