The Body Scan - A Method for Cultivating Physical Relaxation

Body scanning is a meditation that is used to cultivate calmness. It can lead to deep physical relaxation. The technique was popularized by Jon Kabat-Zinn who founded the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. Kabat-Zinn played a large role in establishing mindfulness meditation as a scientifically accepted approach for improving health and mental wellbeing. He helped make several meditation practices known to the West, and body scanning in particular is well known for reducing stress.

The technique involves moving the attention through the body in successive sweeps. As we move our attention, we maintain a background awareness of the breath. As you rest attention on a particular region of the body, that area will awaken, and you will feel sensations more clearly. Some practitioners experience a subtle expansion, glow, or warmth in the region of the body that they are focusing on. These sensations often move ever so slightly in rhythm with the breath. With the in breath and the outbreath, there can be a sense of motion and even relaxation within the body, even in our feet or our hands. As the practitioner repeats these sweeps through the body, they begin to focus on larger and larger regions. Eventually, the meditation comes to rest upon an awareness of the entire body as it breathes. For those who have regularly practiced this meditation, the experience can seem as if the entire body lights up with a warm and pleasant glow upon the inbreath, and then releases and relaxes on the outbreath. Although the arms and the legs may seem to be still while we breathe, practitioners can nevertheless have a sense of energy moving throughout the entire body.

Before we begin the practice, a few words on mental posture. We want to consider gentless, softness, acceptance and allowing. This is not a practice that benefits from applying willpower. It is a releasing and opening practice, which means that we want to emphasize letting go rather than volition.

Let’s begin the practice.

Assume a comfortable posture. You may either sit or lie down. When you are ready, rest the attention broadly upon the whole body. Feel your whole body breathe. Keep the breath in the background of awareness, and then move the attention to your feet.

Feel the sensations in your feet. Breathe. Rest the attention here for a few moments, with the breath in the background, and the sensations of your feet in the foreground. On the out-breath, allow your feet to relax. On the in-breath, simply rest attention on the feet.

When you are ready, move your awareness to your calves. Feel the sensations in your calves. On the out-breath, allow your calves to relax. On the in-breath, allow yourself to feel. Breathe with the attention resting here in this region of the body.

Move your awareness to your thighs. Feel the sensations in this region of your body. On the out-breath, allow your legs to relax. On the in-breath, allow yourself to feel. Breathe with the attention resting here in this region of the body.

Move your awareness to your lower torso. Feel the sensations in this region of your body. On the out-breath, feel yourself relax. On the in-breath, feel the sensations within your body. Breathe and rest here in this region of your body.

Move your awareness to your upper torso. Feel the sensations in this region of your body. On the out-breath, feel yourself relax. On the in-breath, feel the sensations within your body. Breathe and rest here in this region of your body.

Move your awareness to your head. Feel the sensations in this region of your body. On the out-breath, feel yourself relax. On the in-breath, feel the sensations within your body. Breathe and rest here in this region of your body.

Now, feel your whole body breathe. When you inhale, feel the sensations of the breath throughout the body. When you exhale, allow yourself to relax.

You may continue breathing with the whole body, or you may continue to scan your body. You may scan in larger regions, or in smaller regions. It is entirely up to you.

Continue in this practice for as long as you wish.