Body Scan Meditation

Body scan meditation involves focusing on bodily sensations, gradually and sequentially moving your attention through each part of the body. This type of mediation will help you to relax, to release tension and to develop a mindful awareness of both mental and physical feelings.

ⓘ You can also find these meditations, plus many more, on the free-forever Medito app on the App Store or Google Play.

Your first body scan

Body scan meditation involves becoming aware of the physical sensations throughout your body, scanning from the top of your head down to your toes.

Positions

You can practice body scanning in any position, but it's best to be comfortable and relaxed. You may want to try it while sitting in a chair or lying in your bed before you go to sleep.

Sensations

Meditating using the body-scan method can help to realign your relationship with discomfort and unpleasant sensations. In this session, try to observe all bodily sensations as they appear, with a sense of curiosity and clear awareness.

Body scan meditation by UCLA

Body scan meditation is a reliable way to release tension that you might not even realize you're experiencing. This method involves paying attention to parts of the body and bodily sensations in a gradual sequence from head to toe.

This session is from UCLA - License: CC BY-NC-ND

Simple body scan 1

This session is the same as the 'Your first body scan' session, but without the introduction. Body scan meditation involves becoming aware of the physical sensations throughout your body, scanning from the top of your head down to your toes.

Simple body scan 2

This session is the same as the 'Positions' session, but without the introduction. You can practice body scanning in any position, but it's best to be comfortable and relaxed. You may want to try it while sitting in a chair or lying in your bed.

Simple body scan 3

This session is the same as the 'Sensations' session, but without the introduction. Meditating using the body-scan method can help to realign your relationship with discomfort and unpleasant sensations.

Body scan for sleep

Scanning your body for sensations as you prepare for sleep will help you to let go of your daily concerns and stresses. Allow your body to go limp, take a breath and deeply exhale. Notice how relaxed your body feels and enjoy the feeling of drifting gently off to sleep.