zoe Davies

United Kingdom

Mina

Montreal, Canada

Brandi

Simone Burgesmeir

Cape Town, South Africa

Patty

Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada

Tamara Stelzer

Karnerau, Austria

Natalie Englund

Germantown, MD, USA

Lorane Smith

London, United Kingdom

Yvonne

North Rocks, Australia

Malika

Jamaica

You will gently scan your body, noticing sensations without judgment, and release tension with each breath.

Health & Happiness

Presence

MBSR

Buddhism

Mindfulness

Traditions

English

This is a short body scan practice from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). In this practice you are invited to slowly and intentionally scan your body. Body scans promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation. Try to commit to practicing daily either first thing in the morning or before you go to sleep for maximum benefits.


This is a short body scan practice from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). In this practice you are invited to slowly and intentionally scan your body. Body scans promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation. 

Body Scan For Body & Stress Awareness (MBSR)

 Welcome to this body scan practice. You can begin by making yourself comfortable. You can either sit in a chair and allow your back to be straight but not stiff with your feet on the ground. You could also do this practice standing if you prefer or you can even lie down and have your head supported. Your hands can be resting gently in your lap or at your side. Allow your eyes to close or if it doesn't yet feel safe to do so they can remain open with a soft gaze. Start by bringing awareness to your breathing and take several long slow deep breaths. Breathing in fully and exhaling slowly. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. Feel your stomach expand on an inhale and relax and let go as you exhale. Inhale and exhale. Hing fully with your in-breath, fully with each out-breath, long slow deep breaths. Now begin to let go of noises around you. Begin to shift your attention from the outside to the inside to the inside of yourself and if you're distracted by any sounds in the room simply notice this and bring your focus back to your breathing. Now slowly bring your attention down to your feet. Begin by observing sensations in your feet. You might want to wiggle your toes a little, feeling your toes against your socks or shoes or feeling your toes in the air of your barefoot. Just notice without judgment. You might want to imagine sending your breath down to your feet as if the breath is traveling through the nose to the lungs and through the abdomen all the way down to your feet and then back up again through your nose and lungs. Perhaps you don't feel anything at all and that's fine too. Just allow yourself to feel the sensation of not feeling anything. When you're ready allow your feet to dissolve in your mind's eye and move your attention up to your ankles, calves, knees and thighs. Observe sensations you're experiencing throughout your legs. Breathe into and breathe out of the legs. If your mind begins to wander during this exercise gently notice this without judgment and bring your mind back to noticing the sensations in your legs. If you notice any discomfort, pain or stiffness, don't judge this. Just simply notice it. Observe how all sensations rise and fall, shift and change from moment to moment. Notice how no sensation is permanent. Just observe and allow the sensations to be in the moment just as they are. Breathe into and out from the legs. Then on the next breath allow the legs to dissolve in your mind and move to the sensations in your lower back and pelvis. Softening and releasing as you breathe in and out slowly move your attention up to your mid back and upper back. Make him curious about the sensations here. You may become aware of sensations in the muscle, temperature or points of contact with furniture or the bed. With each out-breath you may let go of tension you're carrying and then very gently shift your focus to your stomach and all the internal organs here. Perhaps you notice the feeling of clothing, the process of digestion or the belly rising or falling with each breath. If you notice opinions arising about these areas gently let these go and return to noticing sensations. As you continue to breathe bring your awareness to the chest and heart region and just notice your heartbeat. Observe how the chest rises during the inhale and how the chest falls during the exhale. Let go of any judgments that may arise. On the next out-breath shift the focus to your hands and fingertips. See if you can channel your breathing into and out of this area as if you are breathing into and out of your hands. If your mind wanders gently bring it back to the sensations in your hands. And now on the next out-breath shift the focus and bring your awareness up into your arms. Observe the sensations or lack of sensations that may be occurring here. You might notice some difference between the left arm and the right arm. No need to judge this. As you exhale you may experience the arms soften and release tensions. Continue to breathe and shift focus to the neck, shoulder, and throat region. This is an area where we often have tension. Be with the sensations here. It could be tightness, rigidity, or holding. You may notice the shoulders moving along with the breath. Let go of any thoughts or stories you are telling about this area. As you breathe you may feel tension rolling off your shoulders. On the next out-breath shift your focus and direct your attention to the scalp, head, and face. Observe all of the sensations occurring there. Notice the movement of the air as you breathe into or out of the nostrils or mouth. As you exhale you might notice the softening of any tension you may be holding. And now let your attention to expand out to include the entire body as a whole. Bring into your awareness the top of your head down to the bottom of your toes. Feel the gentle rhythm of the breath as it moves through the body. As you come to the end of this practice take a full deep breath taking in all the energy of this practice. Exhale fully and when you're ready if your eyes are closed you can gently open them and return your attention to the present moment. As you become fully alert and awake consider setting the intention that this practice of building awareness will benefit everyone you come into contact with today.