Mindfulness exercise: Body scan
You are now ready for the first mindfulness exercise that you will be introduced to in this program. It is called 'body scan'.
In a body scan, you are invited to lie on your back with your arms at your sides or to sit as comfortably as possible in a chair. Both preferably with your eyes closed. Many people may find that the exercise makes them very relaxed with a risk of falling asleep. Therefore, it is important that you decide not to fall asleep before you start.
Over the course of 20-30 minutes, you will be guided to focus your attention on different parts of the body in varying degrees of detail. Often the exercise starts at the toes of one foot and slowly moves up the leg, then the other leg, abdomen, torso, arms, and up to the head.
For each body part, you will be instructed to neutrally observe the bodily sensations that are present with openness and curiosity, that is, without evaluation or judgment, and not trying to change them. If you cannot feel any sensations, you are simply observing the absence of sensations.
This exercise differs from traditional relaxation exercises in that you as a participant are not instructed to try to relax your muscles. If a part of the body is tense, you observe as non-judgmentally as possible that the body is tense, and if you feel pain, the task is to investigate the pain.
When your mind wanders, register it, then gently direct your attention back to the body scan without self-criticism or guilt. The exercise has no goal, in the sense that it's not about becoming more relaxed or feeling better emotionally.
But that may well be what happens. You will most likely encounter feelings of both irritation and impatience, and the task here is to observe what is, without judgment, no matter how pleasant or unpleasant it feels.
When you click on the link below, an audio file with a guided body scan will start. We recommend that you listen to and practice the exercise on a daily basis during the first week.
Have a great time!
LINK: Body scan - long (audio file)
