Body Scan Meditation
Participants are instructed to listen to live voiced instructions from a trainer, or a pre-recorded audio clip of varying lengths (i.e. anywhere from <5 to 60+ minutes) which guides them in a calming way to direct their attention to, or “scan” different parts of their body, often from head to toe, in a gradual and gentle sequence and to notice, “breathe into”, and accept occurring physical sensations. Body scan meditation can be offered as a single session or repeated multiple times in sequence for a designated length of time.
Reasoning
Directing attention to physical sensations in the body, including muscular, tactile, temperature, pressure, visceral, and more (i.e. proprioception, interoception), on a moment-to-moment timescale routes attention away from default modes of thinking, which are often reflexive, self-focused, and ruminative. This redirect can increase calm, reduce feelings of stress, and enable more positive affective states to emerge. Paying close attention to subtle sensations in areas of the body can lead to greater generalized awareness of ambient physical states and sensations, from pain, tension or discomfort to relaxation or pleasure in a manner that increases emotional intelligence. Becoming more knowledgeable about how one’s own body signals are linked to different mental experiences, like stress or contentment, people can use this insight to proactively seek experiences, thoughts, and behaviors that are more likely to enhance and support wellbeing.
Procedure
Participants are instructed to sit or lie down comfortably and either close their eyes or leave them open in an unfocused, relaxed way. Then they are given voiced audio guided instructions to calmly and gently pay attention to physical sensations in the current moment, focusing on different areas of the body like exhaled air passing over the upper lip, or pressure on their back from a chair or the ground on their legs or feet, in a gradual sequence as determined by the guide. Participants are generally encouraged to let go of inner voice chatter, mind wandering, daydreaming, or judgments about whether anything is good or bad. They are also invited to release any urge to resist, or change anything about their moment-to-moment experiences. The voiced instructions usually direct participants to move their focus step-by-step, moment-to-moment from the top of their head to their shoulders, then throughout the body down to the pinkie toe (or reverse), all the while carefully attending to sensations at each physical location. The body scan meditation usually ends with several slow, calming breaths, and an invitation to open the eyes and conclude the activity.
Primary Citation & Study Summary:
O'Leary K, Dockray S. The effects of two novel gratitude and mindfulness interventions on well-being. J Altern Complement Med. 2015 Apr;21(4):243-5. doi: 10.1089/acm.2014.0119. Epub 2015 Mar 31. PMID: 25826108.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a gratitude condition, which involved making a gratitude list and doing a gratitude meditation, a meditation condition that included noting current thoughts and feelings and doing a body scan meditation, each four times a week for 3 weeks online. A third group was assigned to a wait-list control group. All study participants completed questionnaires at home or at work. Self-reported depression and stress, measured by using the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale decreased, while happiness measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale increased in both the gratitude and body scan meditation groups compared to the wait-list group over the course of five weeks.
More Evidence
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: Delta.
A public-facing text that describes the need, basis for, and structure of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.