When people think about mindfulness, they usually think about meditation. For example, the buddhist monk who meditates in their temple with the ultimate goal to reach enlightenment.
We’ve discussed in previous posts how meditation and mindfulness are now more accessible to the world than ever.
One of the first ways I ever encountered mindfulness was in a workshop on body awareness. I wasn’t really sure what to expect beforehand, but the practice was so soothing I think I actually fell asleep!
Today’s post is about these body awareness exercises. We can use body scan exercises to relieve physical symptoms of stress.
Physical Symptoms of Stress
Besides purely mental symptoms, stress often manifests itself as physical discomfort. Some common examples of this include a clenched jaw, tightness in the chest and general muscle tension.
It can be easy to go on living with these symptoms without noticing when we don’t take the time to listen to our body. The effect they have on our well-being may persist for weeks, months or even years before we notice their effect.
What is Body Scan Mindfulness?
Body Scan exercises are a branch of mindfulness aimed at building body awareness. The practice involves focusing on how your body feels. It involves tuning in to your body and reconnecting with your physical self.
The goal is to use this type of exercise to notice any sensations you’re feeling – without judgement.
What are the Benefits of Body Scan Meditations?
There are many ways to relieve stress and anxiety. People who have a body scan meditation practice often use it specifically for this purpose, and this may be one of its biggest benefits.
That’s because usually once we’ve recognised a tension, it may go away simply by recognising it. As long as we don’t judge the sensation (which may create even more tension), we can release any tension caused by the mind.
The exact focus of Body Scan mindfulness is to alleviate physical discomfort. People may also find the practice relaxing, but the goal is inner tranquility. Body Scan is one way we can connect our mind, body and spirit.
For other types of meditation, have a look at our guides to Mindfulness Meditation and Stoic Mindfulness.
How to Try a Body Scan Exercise
There are a few different ways to do a body scan. Boiling it down, the practice has five core elements:
- Get in position. Sit on the floor or in a chair, and make yourself comfortable.
- Focus on how your body feels. Notice how you are sitting.
- Move your attention slowly through the body.
- When your attention wanders, notice that and return to the body scan.
- Take in your body as a whole.
This practice is similar to typical mindfulness meditation, except instead of our breath, we focus on our bodily sensations.
Paint-Pouring Exercise
A common body scan exercise is the paint-pouring exercise. This practice helps you check in with each part of the body by working your way from the top to the bottom down.
Here’s how you do it in five steps.
- Get in a comfortable seated position.
- Focus on how your body feels.
- Imagine a bucket of paint (in your favourite, soothing colour) is poured onto your head.
- Now follow the paint stream through each part of your body, as gravity does its thing.
- Notice sensations in each part of the body as you “feel” the paint.
This specific exercise is great for everyone, especially beginners, because it’s pretty easy to imagine a bucket of paint being poured on your head.
Then, all you need to do is check in with each body part as the pain drips from the top-down.
Body Scan Tips
- Practice body scan meditation anytime you feel stressed.
- If you don’t have that much time, do a quicker version of body scan by just sitting and noticing any place in your body that you’re carrying tension, rather than moving from part to part. This will become easier the more you practice body scan meditation.
- Body scan exercises promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation. If these are things you’d like to experience regularly, consider making body scan a regular practice.
Learn how to make body scan exercises a regular practice with Atomic Habits.
Body Scan Mindfulness in a Nutshell
It’s easy for stress to manifest itself as physical symptoms such as muscle tension. Practices like body scan meditation help us pinpoint any tightness and relieve the tension. Body scan is one of the simplest ways to alleviate physical discomfort, and it only takes a few steps!
Start in a comfortable seated position before moving your attention throughout your body. Notice any discomfort without judging, and if your mind wanders, just try and return to the exercise.
Relieve your physical symptoms of stress with body scan and Mind & Practice today.