The Body Scan Meditation. The Practice. Written and YouTube link. The Benefits.
Written and YouTube link. The Benefits.
In the classic discourse of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha emphasised the importance of connecting with all parts of the body, to experience the range of physical sensations whether we are still or moving.
Mindfulness of Body Scan
The body scan meditation draws its inspiration from this encouragement. It has become one of the most widely used meditations for Dharma practitioners and those engaged in mindfulness training.
Guided Meditation
20- 40-minute meditation
Sit tall and upright. Be still for a minute or two.
Direct the attention to a full awareness of the direct body experience. Be mindful of sensations, tingling, throbbing, vibrations, itching, hot, cool, cold, comfortable and uncomfortable.
Then direct attention to the top of the head and slowly around sides of the head. Then slowly direct mindfulness to the face from the forehead down to the chin. Experience direct contact through the sensations.
Then explore the neck. Go in clockwise direction around the neck starting and ending with the throat - used for talking and other sounds. Be mindful of the sensations in the throat for a minute or two. Voice is under the influence of movements of mind.
Experience both shoulders, arms and hands. Be mindful of the hands, often used to reveal calmness or agitation, creativity or destructive behaviour, kindness or anger, generosity or greed.
Experience directly the sensations and vibrations of the remaining parts of the body.
Move attention from the top of the back to the base of the spine and contact of the backside with the meditation cushion or chair. Go slowly, moment to moment.
Witness changing sensations in the body during the body scan.
Direct mindfulness to the front of the body from top of the chest down to the genitals. Does the body feel expanded or contracted, tense or at ease? Sexual energy, appropriate or inappropriate can go down to the genitals.
Use mindfulness of breathing to stay steady with unpleasant bodily sensations/pain, which can lead to reactivity.
Turn to both legs. Experience both legs while directing mindfulness through the legs to the feet and toes.
Meditation supports direct contact with the body rather than living in the spell of an image of the body or parts of the body.
Be mindful of descriptions/judgement/views towards the body. This includes health/sickness/colour/ weight/appearance.
Experience with respect and support for the body as organic life, as various vibrations and sensations, as nature, as a manifestation of evolutionary life.
Realise the body emerges and returns to the nature of things rather than being in the spell of "I" or "my body."
Be grounded in direct bodily experience.
Leads to insights and contributes to staying in touch with daily reality.
Witness the body as a tiny manifestation in the universe to find a liberating wisdom.
The Benefits
Capacity to see body as body rather than be in the spell of body image
To experience the body as elements,
To experience the body as a field of changing sensations
To know which area(s) to give care and attention to.
To learn to manage pain rather than fight it or try to avoid it.
To develop equanimity
To expand pain horizons.
To experience the pleasant, comfortable and calm without desires and clinging or trying to hold onto.
To free up energy
Bring relaxation to every area of one’s being.
Notice any subtle sensations that might be a sign of something problematic.
Reduce the grasping onto the body as I and my.
To experience a sense of wholeness of being
To appreciate the body is made of the same stuff as everything else in nature.
Practice the body scan meditation to know the benefits through your own experience.