body scan

In the heat of summer it’s hard to get motivated to move some days. You may just want to lie down. That’s a great choice and a perfect time to practice the body scan.

It’s not a medical procedure but a mindfulness practice and can even be part of your yoga practice during savasana.

During the body scan you’ll rack the sensations and “reality ” of your body in a meditation journey from head to toe. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a well know mindfulness teacher writes…

“You can practice body scans, long or short, lying in bed at night or in the morning. You can also practice them sitting or even standing. There are countless creative ways to bring the body scan or any other lying down meditation into your life.”

Why? Often there is a disconnect between the head and the reality of the body we live in. This disconnect robs us of the ability to connect to the life we are living, and to others. It also robs you of some valuable information that the body offers to guide you wisely through life.

The body scan is a way to see what is happening in your body, accept what is, embrace the conditions exactly as it is and cultivate awareness.

Zinn has a beautiful description of any form of body scans. The well known teacher of mindfulness describes the body scan like this.

“If you make use of any of them, it is highly likely that you will find that they will bring new life to you, and bring you to a new appreciation for your body and how much it can serve as a vehicle for embodying here and now what is deepest and best in yourself, including your dignity, your beauty, your vitality, and your mind when it is open and undisturbed.”

For a 20 minute guided Body Scan with me click here.

Be well…it’s a state of mind.