Explore this guided practice to calm your mind, notice your body sensations, and bring awareness to the present moment.
We practice mindfulness every time, and we focus our attention on our body parts and realize we do so. Practice mindfulness through this 10-minute body scan involves moving attention through various parts of the body. You will notice sensations present in your feet or hands, or in your hands or feet, such as tingling, tightness, temperature, or you may notice a lack of sensation. Simply be careful about that.
We practice mindfulness every time, and we focus our attention on our body parts and realize we do so.
We usually do body scans by lying down on the floor or soft surface, but if that is not possible, we can ensure that we do body scans while sitting in a chair.
10 minutes of body scan practice
When you start this 10-minute body scan, you will slowly and systematically draw attention to the various areas of your body from your feet to the top of your head, focusing on the ongoing physical sensations.
Note that you feel like you are lying there, what surface you are lying on. You will notice the sensations that exist at this moment, you will notice the temperature, you will notice the points of contact between your body and the surface, and you will notice the rise and fall of your abdomen. It allows the body to rest in this position, and you notice the sensations as you breathe in and breath. Left and Foot: Start by feeling the air in and out of your body and paying attention to the toes of your left foot. When you breathe in, you notice a sense of presence or lack of sensation. Then, at the out booth, let go of your toes and move your attention to the bottom of your left foot, including the heels that touch the floor. They notice all the sensations that exist in that area of the body, and also realize that the lack of sensation is something the mind can recognize. Move to the top of your left foot and ankle and notice the sensation. Moves to the lower limbs, knees, thighs and hips on the left side of the body. Right foot and leg: Now move to the bottom of your right foot, with the toes of your right foot, the bottom of your right foot, and the heel touching the floor. It brings awareness to the sensations present in that part of the body. It moves to the top of your right foot and ankle, recognizes and scans the area, and notices the lack of sensation or sensation that exists. Next, move to the lower limbs, knees, thighs and hips on the right side of the body. Pelvis: Now bringing consciousness to the pelvic area and realizing the lack of sensation or sensation present. Hips and Abdomen: Bring awareness to the hips and abdomen, recognizing what is there without judgment or evaluation, and simply aware of awareness. Back, Ribs, Chest: Continue scanning your back, Ribs, and Chest. Shoulders: Now you will move to the shoulder blades and shoulders and notice what is present in those areas of the body. Fingers and hands: From here, go with the left and right fingers and hands together. Adjust it to your fingers, thumbs, palms, behind your hands, and wrists, notice what’s there, and notice the sensations present in your hands and fingers. Wrist and Arms: Move your consciousness to your wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms and shoulders, and notice any sensations present in your body area. It comes off and lets go of your entire arm and hand. Neck and Throat: Now move to the neck and throat and realize if it’s there. Head: Moves to the head and face and scans the chin, chin, lips, teeth, gums, roof of mouth, tongue, back of throat, cheeks and nose. You can feel the air coming and going through your nose. It then brings awareness to the ears, eyes, eyelids, brows, forehead, temples and scalp, and holds the entire area with consciousness. Now, pay attention to your breath. Breathe in and out of your body, stay in the present moment, awaken to what arises in your field of consciousness, and dominate every moment. And this can include thoughts, emotions, sensations, sounds, breath, tranquility, silence. Just like a scan, anything comes out. Pay attention to how you respond to impulses, thoughts, memories, and worries. Observe intentionally without rejecting or pursuing. You simply look, let go, see, let go. There is no other topic than to be present and wake up. Closed: You will hear a chime sound and move your consciousness from your body to your sound. And as you follow the final sound, gradually wiggle your toes, move your feet and stretch them as you like. Returning to the room, fully awake, fully present.
As we finish this 10-minute body scan practice, we may be peaceful, safe, and open to our hearts, and we may be safe, protected, and our bodies become healthy and strong. And for all those who are known to us and unknown, they may be peaceful and secure, as their hearts are soft and open, so that their bodies are healthy and strong. May the merit of this practice be for the benefit of all beings.
Introduction The text was adopted by Harvard Pilgrims. This practice was originally published in October 2018 on mindful.org.
