Here are its benefits, plus how to do it.
Experts in This Article
Jenna Monaco is a certified meditation teacher and stress coach.
Its, in a word, relaxing.
Ready to give it a try?
Find a comfortable position
Start by finding a comfortable position.
The key, Stanley says, is that you feel fully supported and safe.
Jenna Monaco is a certified meditation teacher and stress coach.
Observe your breath
Allow your body to be still for a moment.
Release control of your breath and just observe it as it moves in and out, Stanley says.
Do this for about two minutes.
Bring your awareness to your feet
To start the body scan, bring your awareness to your feet.
Notice where they may be feeling sore or constricted, and then consciously relax the feet, Stanley says.
you might mentally say to yourself: feet, relax.'
Slowly relax each body part.
Let go of judging the body or the experience.
Feel a wave of relaxation bless each body part as your self-awareness travels and scans through the body.
Jenna Monaco is a certified meditation teacher and stress coach.
This process takes two to five minutes.
What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
This takes about two to five minutes.
Feel the heaviness of the body sinking into the Earth.
Take a moment to be grateful for your body and how it supports you.
Spend about a minute here.
4 benefits of doing a body scan meditation
1.
Its also a great practice to do in bed if you have trouble falling asleep, she says.
For many, meditation seems daunting, but body scanning is a manageable first step, Monaco says.
Decreases stress
The fight-or-flight stress response is intended to help humans escape danger.
But for many, that stress response gets triggered by not-so dangerous things, like an overflowing inbox.
When we begin any single-pointed awareness practice, we become responsive rather than reactive, Monaco says.
Meaning, we reduce the number of times we go into fight or flight per day.
The result of this is that our bodies have the chance to get back into its parasympathetic state.
The list goes on.
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