Guided Body Scan Meditation. A Much Appreciated Practice.

Body Scan Meditation ranks as a significant meditation for calm, insight, reduction of physical pain and liberation from mental suffering.

The meditation points to direct experience of the parts and the whole of the body. The practice develops receptivity to the first-hand exploration of the range of physical sensations, pleasant, neutral or painful, and any influence on states of mind and thoughts.

Dharma Hall, Thai Monastery, Sarnath, India

Transcribed, edited and adapted guided meditation on the retreat at the Waldhaus Buddhist Zentrum, near Andernach, Germany 2024.

The practitioner becomes mindful of what the body remembers from the past, such as traumas, wounds, pain, accidents, infections and any impact upn the present.

Practice includes mindfully dissolving vulnerable areas through calm focus, relaxation, seeing changes in sensations and dissolving tension and resistance due to reactivity to such physical experiences.

The body scan makes a shift from identification with the body image to clarity through direct contact with this physical realm. The Buddha summarised this approach as “See body as body.”

This is a guided body scan meditation for 30 – 40 minutes. Meditation includes about 20 - 30 seconds between every major part of the body – head, neck, shoulders/arms/hands, back, front and legs down to soles of the feet. Be mindful of the whole body in the sitting posture,

Body Scan Meditation

Sit tall with a straight spine.

Allow the whole body to settle down. Be steady in the posture.

Make a direct contact with the experience, sensations, vibrations, tingling or warmth at the top of the head. Mindfully and slowly move the attention around the back of the head and the sides of the head. Stay directly in contact with the experience. Bring consciousness as well to the inside of the head, namely the brain, in a relaxed way. Experience the sensations, the vitality that comes through bringing mindfulness to the physical experience.

Get to know intimately the sensations in your brain and around your head. Be mindful of any tiredness in the brain cells or early signs of a headache. Move the attention around the head, the sides of the head, the ears and to the front of the head,

Allow the mindfulness to move down through the forehead to the eyeballs, experience relaxation of the eyeballs. Stress and tension can come in this area through tightness and contraction in and around the eyes.

Be mindful of what you see, including light under the eyelids. Contraction easily leaves impressions which the body remembers.

Mindfulness moves down through the cheeks, experiencing the nose and the sensations of breathing in and out. Move further down to the contact of the upper lip with the lower lip. Experience inside the mouth and the importance of being mindful what we put into the mouth and the words that come out of our mouth.

Be mindful and remember to eat what is nourishing, supportive for health and well-being.

Direct the mindfulness further down to the neck, the sides of the neck, the back of the neck and to the throat. States of mind easily affect the throat due to feelings, thoughts, speech, strain, infections and pollution. Note that feelings, thoughts, and intentions flow up through the body and come out in speech, in sounds.

Know the conditions for laughter, screaming, crying, tone of voice, loving, warm, empathetic or angry, upset and afraid words or sounds.

Be mindful and relaxed regarding sounds passing through the throat, From the neck, direct mindfulness to experience both shoulders. Experience vibration, sensations, tingling, aches, pain and any tightness in this area. Allow the whole body to relax especially shoulders, arms and hands.

Shoulders can feel lots of weight in the mind. We can experience the weight on our shoulders, such as the weight of responsibility. The pressure can inhibit a wise and clear response to situations.

Direct your attention to both arms and hands. We use our hands in diverse ways, often binary. Be mindful of the movement of the mind and its influence on the hands. If your hands remain still, with one hand resting on the other, this  contributes to calming of the whole body.

Meditative stillness supports being awake, being alert and harmonising energy. In daily life, the same hands can creatively engage in creative expression - playing a musical instrument, drawing, writing, repairing, touching, household tasks and support for another.

The same pair of hands can come under the influence of old tendencies, such as restlessness and agitation. This pressure can influence and generate aggression – a closed fist, a violent read and infliction of bodily.

The body scan trains the mind to see the sensations as they appear, to apply calmness through conscious relaxation to reduce or dissolve reactive patterns.

Turn the attention to the top of the back, move the attention down through the back, through the spine, right down to the backsides contact with the meditation cushion, meditation stool or seat of the chair. Experience sitting tall, the upright posture and the full length of the spine. Move mindfulness down through the back, experience the base of the spine, the lower back muscles. Be mindful of the contact of the bottom and the sensations due to contact with the seat.

Be mindful of the top of the front of the body. Systematically, move the attention down through the body - chest, heart, centre of the chest. This location can experience tightness, aches or pains or a block feeling.

Direct mindfulness further down to experience the diaphragm and stomach area. Both these areas can experience contractions, tensions, fears and other unpleasant sensations.

Experience energy deep in the body in and around the genitals. Sexual energies can move in this area in warm, supportive, caring, respectful ways. The same energies can show corruption of mind, intention of abuse, exploitation and manipulation.

In the body scan, be mindful of the legs, from top of legs to ankles and onto the feet. Experience sensations - tingling, throbbing, aches, pains, warmth, aches and itching. Be mindful of the thigh, the muscles, the knees, shin, calf muscles, ankles, soles of the feet and the toes.

Finally, be mindful of the whole body. Embrace the whole body from top of the head to soles of the feet.

If you develop a direct contact with the meditation and the body scan, you will not become lost in an in image of the body. Image drops away. There is direct, immediate contact with the physical body itself, knowing it's a composition of elements, cells, energy and parts.

Witness the body as an expression of nature, of elements, of evolution rather then as self, as mine,

For Reflection

There may be vulnerability in all or parts of the body due to history, accidents, illness, trauma and states of mind. Give extra care and mindfulness to these areas.

Be mindful of the full composition of the body. Abide receptive.

The regularity of the body scan contributes to picking up early sensations which need our attention, old traumas impacting on the body, stress and tension building.

Relax into a problematic area, large or small. Be mindful of changes in the sensations. Notice whether you experience the sensations as strong or mild.

The practice continues to release of energy and harmony of energy. With energy flowing more easily and freely, the practice contributes to well-being.

Remember to apply in your daily life a regular body scan meditation, even for a few minutes, as a contribution to calmness and wholeness.

THANK YOU.