A body scan is a meditation where you take a tour of your body and helps you to re-establish contact with your physical body and experience deep relaxation.
You become aware of the sensations that you feel in each part of the body and you learn to intentionally direct your breath to each region that you observe, without judging or analyzing, you simply inhale and exhale and observe.
Today, we lead a very fast paced lifestyle, where there is hardly any time or activities that help us connect with our body. We care a lot about our appearance, but we are very disconnected from what is happening within.
This type of meditation leads you to be present, feeling your physical body without paying attention to your thoughts, staying present in the experience, to observe, feel, allow and not judge, thus reaching a deep state of relaxation.
In no case should you try to change the feelings you feel. If you feel pain do not do anything to reduce it, live it as it is. If you feel a pleasant sensation, do not try to lengthen it. Dedicate approximately equal time to each area that you observe. Do not cling to sensations, thoughts, images, just watch them and let them go, then go to the next area. You must remain in the present, which will always be marked by the area under observation.
Luis Fernando Mises tals to Bill Harris about meditation and more!
Some people experience unexpected discomfort in some parts of the body and that can cause some concern. There are sick people with chronic pain who may feel overwhelmed by the sensations or emotions that may arise, and it may be difficult for them to concentrate or finish the exercise. Emotions of the past may flourish, emotional pain that has been registered in the body, and that when we pay full attention and listen to it, it may begin to unblock. But you may also simply not feel anything.
In case of pain, if it is intense in a specific area, without judging or analyzing, you can affectionately direct, with intention, the breathing towards that area and “breathe the pain” when inhaling and exhaling. This may help you to let go emotions or simply to eliminate the pain, if not the whole, a great part, since sometimes all we need is to relax and release stress, emotions, sensations … everything that may arise. If necessary, you can spend a little more time in that area of pain, and then continue with meditation.
It can also happen that some people fall asleep during the practice of scanning the body. That means that the person has entered a state of calm and total relaxation (I actually use this exercice to fall asleep almost every day, it is great and you wake up feeling more energized than usual). If that happens to you, when you realize it, try to remember at what point of the meditation you fell asleep, in what body area, and what you feel there, without judging, analyzing, just observing, then start again the meditation.
With the daily practice of this mindfulness exercise, you get to connect consciously with your body in a natural way, without having to make any effort. In the long run, mindfulness will make you experience calm and stability.
You will sleep deeper, you will feel relaxed, complete, light, happy, younger and even higher.
There are many free guided audios for this, here is a good one you can listen too if you need a guided voice the first couple of times.
Have you tried this type of meditation? Please let me know your experiences in the comments below.
