The Body Scan as a Mindfulness Practice

A free offering by the Loran Smith Center, Piedmont Athens Regional and provided by the Mindful Living Center, LLC

The Body Scan as a Mindfulness Practice – realizing a deep relaxed awareness of mind and body as you deepen your concentration, attention, awareness, and compassion

Introduction: Mindfulness defined – awareness that arises when we pay attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment.

Attitudes: curiosity, openness, acceptance/acknowledging, allowing, letting go = letting be

Body Scan as a Mindfulness practice – how so?

Start by laying down or sitting comfortably. Bring attention to the breath for a few minutes.

Moving attention from the toes to the head, focusing/concentration on each part or section of the body for a few breaths, then letting go-moving your attention to the next area of the body. As you move your attention (the focus of your mind), noticing whatever experience is present in that part of the body – warmth or coolness, moisture or dryness, tingling, numbness, or perhaps no sensations at all and that’s all right too.

Be with whatever you are noticing, just as it is, in each present moment. Remember you are not trying to get anywhere, do anything, fix anything; you are simply acknowledging things just as they are and letting them be.

Thoughts, emotions, sensations elsewhere in the body may pull your attention away from where you are focusing. When that happens, knowing that is normal for the mind’s attention to wander, and then gently but firmly bring your attention back to the area of the body you are focusing on. This may happen many times. Just some back to your focus area each time.

When you finish moving slowly through the entire body, expand your attention to include the entire body. Notice how you feel. You will have moved to a level of deep relaxed awareness of mind and body – the experience varies for everyone and will deepen with practice. Enjoy the stillness. This “place” of awareness of mind and body is a place of self-care, being in touch with your inner wisdom or knowledge, your wholeness the gestalt of who you are.

There is no “right way” or wrong way of doing this. The intention is to simply be with whatever bodily sensations you notice.

Preparation & any questions?

Practice: The Body Scan

Q & A

Reference – MindfuLiving.Org – https://mindfuliving.org/meditation-mindfulness-resources-athens/

Mike Healy: Mindful Living Center at MindfuLiving.Org | mfhealy@bellsouth.net | 706-248-8918