Body Scan

This meditation is a form of body scan. It keeps the mind occupied while allowing for a deep level of rest for the body mind and spirit. It can be done sitting in a comfortable chair or laying down. Some use this meditation during the rest time at the end of a yoga session.

How to Practice

Find a comfortable position, sitting or laying down on your back. If sitting, fix your seat so that you are sitting comfortably upright with a balanced posture. No slumping.

Close your eyes and imagine your busy thoughts and emotions are slowing down a bit and then floating away on clouds. Breathe easily and normally.

As you breathe, pay attention to each of these points in the body and go through them systematically, inhaling and exhaling at each point. Start with the centre of your forehead, between your brows. Breathe in and out while paying attention to that spot. Then move to the front of your throat. Breathe in and out. Then continue in this way through: right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, right hand, right wrist, right elbow, right shoulder, throat, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, left hand, left wrist, left elbow, left shoulder, throat, heart, navel, lower belly, right hip, right knee, right ankle, right foot, right ankle, right knee, right hip, lower belly, left hip, left knee, left ankle, left foot, left ankle, left knee, left hip, lower belly, navel, heart, throat, eyebrow centre.

Stop at the brow and get a sense of the breath flowing through your whole body while paying attention to your eyebrow centre. Relax there and let yourself draw deeper into that mindspace.

Rest there as long as you like.

To finish, open your eyes and bring your awareness back gently into the room. Stretch, breathe deeply and let that deep restful energy inform the remainder of your day.

Notes

If you fall asleep during this meditation, try sitting rather than laying down. But if you do tend to fall asleep, it’s quite all right. It will leave you refreshed when you awaken.

If you find something comes up during the meditation that is really distracting or something you must remember, pop it into an imaginary box and imagine tucking that box behind you. You can always recover the mental note or thought when the meditation is done.

Feel free to revise the list of centres you pay attention to. Some people do not do the centres on the legs. Others do fingertips starting with the thumbs and toe tips starting with the big toes instead of hands. Adjust it to suit your needs.