Body Scan Meditation: A Simple 10-Minute Practice for Beginners

If you've tried meditating and spent the whole time thinking about dinner, you're normal. Sitting still with an empty mind is hard. That's why the body scan is such a good place to start. Instead of trying to think about nothing, you give your attention a job: notice your body, one part at a time.

What a body scan is

A body scan is a mindfulness practice where you slowly move your attention through your body, usually from your feet to your head, noticing whatever sensations are there. Warmth, tingling, tightness, an itch, nothing at all. You're not trying to change anything. You're just paying attention.

It's a core practice in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program Jon Kabat-Zinn developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. Research on mindfulness programs like MBSR has found they can help reduce stress and anxiety for many people.

You don't need any particular belief to do it. For some people, a body scan is a spiritual practice. For others, it's simply a way to slow down. Both are welcome.

Why it helps

• It pulls you into the present. You can't scan your left knee and replay an argument at the same time, at least not for long.
• It shows you where you hold tension. Many people discover they've been clenching their jaw or hunching their shoulders all day.
• It can help you wind down for sleep. A body scan in bed is a popular way to quiet a busy mind.

A 10-minute body scan, step by step

Read through this once, then try it. Or record yourself reading it slowly and play it back.

1. Get comfortable. Lie on your back or sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Let your hands rest. Close your eyes if that feels okay.
2. Take three slow breaths. Breathe in through your nose, and let each breath out be a little longer than the breath in.
3. Start at your feet. Notice your toes, the soles of your feet, your heels. Are they warm or cool? Touching the floor or the blanket? Just notice. Spend about 30 seconds here.
4. Move up your legs. Ankles, shins, calves, knees, thighs. Take your time. If you notice tightness, breathe into it and let it be.
5. Notice your hips and lower back. Feel the weight of your body resting on the chair or floor.
6. Your belly and chest. Feel them rise and fall as you breathe. No need to change the breath.
7. Your hands and arms. Fingers, palms, wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms.
8. Your shoulders and neck. This is where many of us carry stress. See if they can soften, even a little.
9. Your face and head. Jaw, mouth, cheeks, eyes, forehead, the top of your head. Let your jaw hang loose.
10. Your whole body. Take a few breaths noticing your body as one whole. Then slowly wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.

When your mind wanders (it will)

Your mind will drift off to your to-do list, an old memory or what you're having for lunch. That's not failing. Noticing that you've wandered and gently coming back is the practice. Every time you come back is a rep, like lifting a weight.

Tips for beginners

• Start short. Five minutes counts.
• Same time, same place. Right before bed or right after waking works well.
• Use a guide. Many free apps and videos offer guided body scans.
• Be kind to yourself. There's no perfect body scan. If you fall asleep, maybe you needed the sleep.

Your one step for tonight

Try a five-minute body scan in bed before you sleep. Notice one place you've been holding tension today.

Spiritual wellness is about meaning, values and quiet time to reflect. It's one of the eight dimensions on our wellness wheel quiz.