Bodyscan Meditation

Last month we talked about the benefits of doing 'spot' meditations - mini meditations that may only take a few seconds or a few minutes. You can use these throughout the day to reduce stress and maintain balance.

For deep physical relaxation and mental clarity, however, it's usually necessary to meditate for a little longer. It takes the body about 12 to 15 minutes to return to it's optimal state of functioning after a day out and about. Over this time all the systems of the body are given a chance to return to balance - our heart and breathing rates normalise, our digestive system eases into its optimal rhythm, our musculature softens and our circulation improves. Stress hormones in the body fade away and many other subtle changes occur in the body chemistry.

If we give the body a chance for this to happen, we'll be left feeling calm and energised and we'll be taking very positive steps to improve our general health and wellbeing. As we can only tell if we're relaxing through feedback from the body, it's very useful to use the body as an object of focus during meditation.

Bodyscan Meditation Instructions

Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes for this one. Wriggle yourself into a comfortable position - sitting upright in a padded chair is probably best. Notice your posture and how your body feels, and let go of any unneccessary tension. You might like to tune into your breathing and sigh gently a few times to loosen it up. Then just notice how your body feels - tight, loose, tense, itchy, whatever.

Then begin by scanning through the body part by part. It's like you're directing your mind to each part of the body - scalp, face, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, abdomen, hips, legs, feet - and feeling it from within. As you do this you'll probably notice little tensions and pains dissolving. Keep a look out for the following physical signs that you're actually relaxing:

If you focus on any of these things gently you'll relax more deeply.

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