Simple Body Scan Meditation Script for Stress Relief
The body scan meditation is a very useful and effective meditation that can help you return to and maintain a relaxed state when you become too tense.
Emotionally related stress can have physical manifestations in the form of headaches, tight muscles, back pain, and shoulder pain.
I learned that a body scan is an ideal form of meditation to promote stress and body awareness that can turn into relaxation.
This article will tackle an overview of body scan, its related benefits and will provide a short guided meditation script for body scanning.
Brief Take on Body Scan Meditation
The body scan meditation script can guide your way into a form of mindfulness meditation that emphasizes attention on the physical sensations that are triggered due to stress. It is done by an overall “scanning” of the entire body through a form of mindfulness. As every inch of the body is given attention- bones, skin, internal organs, sense organs, etc- it exercises self-awareness about how our emotional experiences are linked to physical sensations like pain and tightness.
An example of interconnected stress and physical stress that I know you could relate would be the deprivation of sleep, we know that it could manifest as a headache or tightness in the chest. Knowing that stress can be interrelated to a physical experience, a person can now learn how to respond better when these physical cues arise.
Scientifically Proven Benefits
Research shows that the practice of mindfulness meditation — and body scan meditation in particular — has a lot of benefits including reducing stress, increasing focus, and improving sleep. Reducing stress A research suggested positive effects of an 8-week body scan, especially for biological stress markers like a decreased level of cortisol (body’s main stress hormone) and cortisol/DHEA ratio, as well as an increased level of DHEA compared with another group. The following explains this cortisol/DHEA relation. Stress Response
Stress response is multifaceted; it involves numerous parts of the brain, as well as hormones from the adrenal glands. Together, these synchronize a response that impacts the entire body.
Cortisol is one of the main stress-response hormones generated by the adrenal glands. Extra cortisol is produced during stressful situations. Cortisol levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day; they are usually the highest in the morning. But cortisol levels are unceasingly high, with chronic stress. DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is another hormone made by the adrenal glands. It is known as a precursor to the making of sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone), but DHEA is ALSO produced in larger quantities in response to stress. Evidence suggests that DHEA acts to control stress response. Specifically, the DHEA-to-cortisol ratio has been correlated with stress tolerance. An individual who has a higher ratio (more DHEA than cortisol) seems to experience less negative effects from the same stressors than a person who has a lower ratio (less DHEA than cortisol). Increase in Focus Studies have shown that even a brief mindfulness meditation could contribute to increased activation in brain areas responsible for sustaining and monitoring the focus of attention. You can read more about how meditation changes your brain here. Another study compared four meditations, breathing meditation, body scan, loving-kindness meditation, and observing-thought meditation.
Body scan meditation resulted in the meditation that best-improved focus.
Improving Sleep
Body scan exercise for older adults was found to be enhanced when coupled with deep breathing and music. Another study looked into how patients with insomnia responded positively to a body scan mindfulness meditation that was given hand in hand with their cognitive behavioral therapy. These two studies are just a few of the researches that show how when coupled with other therapeutic interventions, body scan meditation can be beneficial in enhancing sleep.
Short Guide to Body Scanning
Before we go to one of the guided meditation scripts let us have a glimpse of what we can expect from the practice.
- When you close your eyes, this meditation will involve mentally scanning down your body which would start from the top of your head, down your neck, and so on.
- You would have to look out for any feelings of discomfort, pain, or distinct sensations that you might encounter.
- You’ll look deeper into those feelings and sensations. There will also be an inspection in every area to evaluate if it is relaxed or tense, repeating, and it for every part— arms, hand, chest, back, hips, thighs, feet, etc.
- When you encounter tensed areas remember that you don’t have to struggle. Instead, you will focus on that area and breathe, visualizing the tension leaving that area, then leaving your body
- The mental note and picture that you are doing do not mean that you would have to change anything (especially if it chronic pain). Body scanning is only a means for you to be aware of your body in the present moment.
To help you jumpstart with the body scan meditation here is
one of the guided meditation scripts that can be used for your
own practice or in guiding others:
- Initiate by focusing your attention on yourself, your body.
- You can close your eyes if it would be more comfortable for you.
- You can notice how you are seated, feel the weight of your body on the chair, or the floor.
- Take a few, slow deep breaths.
- As you take a deep breath, imagine bringing in more air to revitalize your every part of the body, from your skin to muscles to the bloodstream and your every cell. As you exhale, have a sense of relaxing more deeply.
- Notice your feet or thighs on the floor, notice the feelings of those parts touching the floor. The heaviness and pressure, vibration, and heat.
- Notice your back if you are sitting against anything.
- Bring your attention to your lower abdomen area. Take a breath and soften that part of your body if it is uptight.
- Notice your hands. Are they tense? If they are, see if you can loosen them up.
- Notice your arms. Look for sensation in your arms. Allow it to relax.
- Notice your neck and throat. Try to release tension.
- Soften your jaw to help soften your face and facial muscles.
- Focus now on the presence of your whole body. Take one more breath.
- Be aware of your whole self always. Take a breath. And then when you’re ready, you can open your eyes.
- The body scan meditation can promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation.
