Loving Body Scan Meditation
There has been a lot of research into the power of the simple body scan meditation. It’s a core part of most mindfulness programmes and it has been practices for thousands of years in yogic and buddhist traditions.
The body-scan is beautifully simple and so effective at bringing the monkey mind to a stand still and bringing you into the present moment through systematically focusing on the sensations of the body. The body scan is a mindfulness meditation practice involving scanning your body for pain, tension, or anything out of the ordinary. It can help you feel more connected to your physical and emotional self.
I first encountered this practice on my yoga teacher training as a guided meditation to offer in my favourite posture, Shvashna, at the end of a class. I came across it again in my Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course and this time it was longer, 30 minutes of body scan and unlike most other 30 minute meditations, I didn’t find myself getting restless or wondering when the practice would be over.
The third place I encountered this practice was on a Mindfulness-Based Self-Compassion (MBSC) course I did and this time, it hit me in a totally different way. I cried my eyes out as I realised how much of my life I had hated my body when it was a remarkable vessel that just wanted me to thrive and flourish. In that practice, maybe for the first time in my life, I realised that every part of me was conspiring for my highest good and yet as many of us do, I had only ever showered my body with distain and scrutinised the parts of myself I didn’t like.
By the time I went on to do my masters in applied positive psychology and coaching psychology, the body scan was already an integral part of my personal practice for wellbeing. I knew the powerful healing effect it had on me and wanted to see if the science supported what I had experienced and, of course, it did.
Experts found evidence to suggest a body scan meditation can promote physical and emotional wellness in multiple ways, such as:
improved sleep
anxiety and stress relief
greater self-awareness
increased self-compassion
reduced pain
reduced cravings when quitting smoking in some cases
Loving Body Scan Meditation
Who wouldn’t want all of those delicious positive benefits? So today’s practice is based on my personal body scan practice. It is largely based on that powerful loving body scan meditation from the MBSC course, with some aspects of the other versions mixed in for good measure. Enjoy!
Let me know if the reflection group how you found the practice, whether it was enjoyable or uncomfortable, easy or difficult, there is no right or wrong. All we are doing is bringing a sense of curiosity and playfulness as we try these practices and explore our own personal experience of them.
