Body Scans Can Help You!

Body scans are a very helpful tool that apply mindfulness meditation to the physical sensations of the body. This is an excellent practice for improving mind-body connection, calming the nervous system, and training our mind's ability to bring attention to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations without judgment.

Improving mind-body connection:

Body scans can improve mind-body connection (aka kinesthetic awareness) simply by bringing attention to various body parts. When focusing attention to an area, we are strengthening neurological connections that regulate the bidirectional flow of information between the brain and the body part. We can also start to recognize patterns of where we hold tension in our body, where we have more difficulty relating to, and where we can more easily focus attention. This can translate to becoming more aware of certain body areas, which can help us improve our self-image and efficiency of movement. As our body is our home for the entirety of our lives, it is useful to get to know your anatomy from the inside out!

Calming the nervous system:

Body scans are a meditative practice that train us to bring our attention to the present moment. Rather than allowing our minds to wander with worries of the future and regrets of the past, we are practicing the ability to focus attention on sensations of the present moment. This can help shift us into a more parasympathetic state of the nervous system, which allows our bodies and minds and relax and restore. This will help to relieve stress and anxiety, as well as improve our health, well-being, and relations to ourselves and to others.

Exploring various sensations:

The intention of a body scan is to bring attention to all kinds of sensations in the body, including those from the skin, muscles, joints, and even our organ systems. These sensations may be pleasant, unpleasant, or somewhere in between. The point is not to assign judgment to an unpleasant feeling, but rather notice the sensation for what it is (e.g. pressure, tightness, ache, tingling) and to recognize what happens when we stay with it without trying to change anything. This can improve our ability to bring attention to real-time sensations through a lens of separation and objectivity, rather than letting emotions such as fear run wild when pain arises during our daily activities.

Here is an example of how to perform a "five lines" body scan:

1. Rest comfortably on the floor or bed in a position. Consider lying flat on your back with your legs extended and arms resting by your sides, or use any props to get more comfortable.

2. Begin to settle in, slow down your breath, and close your eyes.

3. The body scan will involve the five "lines" of your body: each of the four limbs, as well as the spine from the pelvis to the head.

4. Right leg: bring attention to the right side of the pelvis, sensing what part is touching the ground. Sense this space from side to side, back to front, noticing any sensations (e.g. buzzing, tingling, tickling, pressure, temperature, clothes against the skin, skin against the ground, etc). If no sensations are present, notice that too. Then let your attention slowly travel down to the hip, down the thigh, to the knee, calf, ankle, heel, arch of the foot, ball of the foot, and toes. You can then let your attention travel back up to where it came from towards the right side of the pelvis. Take as much time as you need, noticing if it is more difficult to move your attention quickly or slowly.

5. Repeat this process for the left leg. Notice differences between the two legs.

6. Right arm: bring attention to right shoulder blade in the back, collarbone in the front. Let attention travel towards the right shoulder, then upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, all the way to the fingertips. Then travel back up in reverse.

7. Repeat this process for the left arm. Notice differences between the two arms.

8. Spine: bring attention to center of pelvis, the sacrum bone against the ground. Slowly travel the attention to the low back, feeling your abdomen in three dimensions. Notice that as you breath, the size of this area changes. Feel what part of your spine is connected to the ground, and what is not. Then slowly travel towards the mid back, rib cage, upper back, base of the neck, neck, head, face, and finally the crown of your head.

9. Rest completely, noticing what the attention is drawn to now. 
 

At The Wellness Station, we ensure that body scans are a regular part of our client's mindfulness practices. We may begin or end sessions with a guided scan, as well as create or recommend a recording for home use.

Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor

and The Wellness Station Team

What is Mindful Movement?

What is mindful movement, and why do I need this in my life?

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the state of being aware of something in the present moment. In a state of mindfulness, one calmly and non-judgmentally acknowledges and accepts emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Applying mindfulness to movement allows us to feel more fully what is going on in our bodies in order to improve our quality of movement, steer clear of pain, strain, and injuries, and become immersed in the pleasurable sensations that accompany the motion of our bodies. A mindful movement practice has a different purpose from traditional exercise, which tends to be prescriptive, and focus on external outcomes such as weight loss and muscle building. While mindful movement practices can also lead to these outcomes, the focus is more so on the journey, rather than the destination. Mindful movement tends to be more exploratory and creative, and cultivates a state of self-kindness and self-compassion which has carryover into our daily life. Mindful movement tends to be performed in the parasympathetic state of our nervous system, which brings about a sense of calm and ease, rather than the sympathetic state which is associated with our fight-or-flight response, an elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and a sense of anxiety.

Yoga

Yoga is an excellent movement practice that can bring about powerful health benefits when performed in a mindful and consistent manner. A yoga practice can cultivate a powerful mind-body connection, instigate self-healing behavior, instill a love of movement and exercise, and grant us a sense of agency and control over our lives. We can go upstream of many chronic illnesses, pain and dysfunction by developing the tools we need to live active, healthy, and informed lives. The mindfulness cultivated in yoga may elucidate any destructive forces at play (e.g. self-destructive behavior, maladaptive movement patterns, over-eating, postural tendencies developed from staring at screens all day, sedentary lifestyle, overactive stress response, poor self-image), and consistent practice can grant us the tools and agency necessary to improve our health and the quality of our lives. Not to mention improve our overall performance, cognition, physique, mental health, and much more! This practice can benefit our minds, nervous systems, tissues, all the way down to every cell inside us. Yoga can change us; yoga can change the world.

PhysiYOGA Fluid Class

Our latest class series, PhysiYOGA Fluid, seeks to integrate all the positive benefits of a mindful movement practice, while also providing an energetic flow to help improve the strength, responsiveness, and suppleness of our musculoskeletal system. We will navigate through a wide variety of movement patterns, juicy stretches, and will end our practice with a mindfulness meditation. We will use the power of our breath to create lasting change in our bodies and minds. By remaining mindful of what we are doing and how we are feeling throughout the class, we seek to enter a parasympathetic flow in which we are learning more about our bodies and nourishing each and every cell within us. Take the time you need for yourself this year, and join us on the mat for PhysiYOGA Fluid!