Meditation Guide: The Body Scan

The Concept - Our goal with the body scan is to find those sneaky areas in our bodies where we hold tension, and to release it. It’s an opportunity to experience your body fully unclenched! We do this by bringing our attention to specific parts of the body and asking two questions: 

1. Is this part of my body relaxed? 

2. What do I notice here?

In practice, once you bring a part of the body into focus, you will feel into that body part - maybe wiggle it around, open/close or tighten/release, before relaxing and softening. You will do this all within a single natural breath (inhale and exhale) or less, and then move on to the next body part, no need to linger long! 

I find it helps to move in a logical sequence, usually top to bottom, assessing each extremity (arm and leg) separately. Below, I provide a sequence you can review and familiarize yourself with. However, perfection is not a part of this exercise! Once you begin your meditation, resist the urge to peek at the sequence, as that will only pull you out of the meditation and defeat the purpose. Simply allow your mind to flow throughout your body. Whatever body part comes to your attention as you scan is exactly where you are meant to focus.

Settling In - Start in a comfortable seated position on the floor, on a cushion, or in a chair. Allow your hands to soften onto your lap. Gently lengthen your spine, and roll your shoulders back and down. Start by simply deepening your breath - taking a nice deep breath in through your nose, and out through either your nose or your mouth. Do this 2-3 more times as you settle into your space. 

The Practice - Now that you are tapped into your breath, let’s begin the meditation. Unlike Meditation #1, this exercise is not focused on the breath, so you will continue to breathe naturally throughout this practice. 

Here is a starting sequence for reference:

Bring your focus to -

  1. Very Top of the Head

  2. Forehead and Eyebrows

  3. Ears

  4. Nose

  5. Mouth and Jaw (including the corners of the Lips, and resting of the Tongue)

  6. Length of the Neck

  7. Move into Right Clavicle/Collarbone

    • Front of Right Shoulder

    • Right Bicep

    • Inside Right Elbow

    • Inside Right Forearm

    • Right Wrist

    • Right Palm

    • Each of the Right Fingers (Pinky to Thumb)

    • Back of Right Hand

    • Back of Right Forearm

    • Back of Right Elbow

    • Right Tricep

    • Back of Right Shoulder

  1. Move into Left Clavicle/Collarbone

    • Front of Left Shoulder

    • Left Bicep

    • Inside Left Elbow

    • Inside Left Forearm

    • Left Wrist

    • Left Palm

    • Each of the Left Fingers (Pinky to Thumb)

    • Back of Left Hand

    • Back of Left Forearm

    • Back of Left Elbow

    • Left Tricep

    • Back of Left Shoulder

  1. Rise and Fall of the Chest and Heart Center

  2. Rise and Fall of the Belly

  3. Move into Front of the Right Hip

    • Right Quad/Front of Right Thigh

    • Front of Right Knee

    • Right Shin

    • Right Ankle

    • Top of Right Foot

    • Each of the Right Toes (Big Toe to Pinky)

    • Sole of Right Foot

    • Right Heel

    • Right Achilles

    • Right Calf

    • Back of Right Knee

    • Right Hamstring/Back of Right Thigh

    • Right Glute/Buttock

    • Back of Right Hip

  4. Center of the Pelvis/Pelvic Bowl

  5. Move into Front of the Left Hip

    • Left Quad/Front of Left Thigh

    • Front of Left Knee

    • Left Shin

    • Left Ankle

    • Top of Left Foot

    • Each of the Left Toes (Big Toe to Pinky)

    • Sole of Left Foot

    • Left Heel

    • Left Achilles

    • Left Calf

    • Back of Left Knee

    • Left Hamstring/Back of Left Thigh

    • Left Glute/Buttock

    • Back of Left Hip

  6. Base of the Tailbone

  7. Lastly, follow your Spine all the way back up, lengthening as you do, to the Crown of Your Head

Now that you have fully relaxed each part of your body, start to deepen your breath once again. Notice how you feel. Take a nice deep inhale through your nose, and exhale out through your mouth. Repeat 2-3 more times before slowly fluttering your eyes open to complete your meditation. 

Last Note - This meditation can sometimes be difficult to move through without getting antsy. Often, we are so eager to get to the finish line, that the journey itself can seem daunting. Be patient. Allow yourself to see the path ahead, and still move through each check point with curiosity and intention. You may find yourself taking a deep inhale and exhale (almost a sigh) as you refocus and continue to scan the body. At the end, your reward is a body unclenched, sneaky areas where you hold tension now released! The discipline of this practice is well worth the effort. Challenge yourself to see it through.