6. The Body Scan

                                                 The Body Scan

• In the same way that we focused on the raisin, in this practice, we move our attention around the different parts of our body, as a means of anchoring ourselves in the present moment of sensing and experiencing. We will notice how complex the body is – a whole universe of sensation! The practice includes precise awareness of our detailed body parts, the sensations on the surface of the skin, the feelings from inside the body, including sensations perhaps of body organs and bones and the integrated movements of the breath through the body. We may notice sensations of discomfort, sensations of intensity, or sensations which are so subtle or almost absent from our awareness. We may also become aware of emotional responses, thoughts or stories associated with different body parts – our bodies have histories and our relationship to our body can be complicated. In this way we can start to see how rich and illuminating this practice can be.
  
  
• We may start to notice more about the different ways in which we pay attention and the different qualities of awareness that are possible. We will learn about how attention can be very flexible. At one moment, we are paying detailed attention to a small body part, such as our big toe. At other moments, we are holding larger areas of the body in our awareness, such as both of our legs, from the ankles to the hips. We may start to notice the differences in experience if we are holding a mental image of the body in our mind’s eye (what we think our left arm looks like), or if we are just experiencing the pure sensations themselves.
  
  
• Our aim here is to stay with the experience of the body in the present moment, allowing sensations to flow in and out of our awareness, as best we can. There is no right or wrong way for things to feel – there is no expectation that we will even feel relaxed. This is different to a relaxation exercise. We are just feeling what we are feeling, as much as we can allow ourselves to.
  
  
• Through this practice, we start to notice a lot about the habits of the mind. Yes, we will get distracted – many times! We start to notice that the mind is addicted to distraction! We may not even notice that we are distracted for some time. But, when we do, we can congratulate ourselves for noticing, and we can invite our attention back, however many times is required. We may notice that the mind does not really want to be present a lot of the time – we may even find that it falls asleep! Sleepiness is commonly experienced when people start with this practice – perhaps we are just very tired, and we really notice this when we stop all of our activity for a while. It may also seem strange at first to practice wakefulness in this lying down position.
  
  
• So much can be experienced in the practice of the body scan, and it can be a difficult practice for many people, especially if their relationship to their body and its history is complicated. If we choose to take forward this practice on a regular basis, we will start to notice a positive shift in our relationship to our body, through enhanced body awareness, perhaps in the development of self-kindness, appreciation and gratitude for our body and what it does for us. We may find that we can develop a more positive response to experiences of pain or suffering in the body and protect it from being the battle-ground of our anger, resentment, frustration and judgmental responses. More than anything, our bodies are the homes of our sensory organs, and it is through the felt sense of our bodies that we can deeply experience our lives.

Practicing mindfulness of the body:

• As we continue to practice the body scan, we will find that we can enhance the awareness of our bodies at different times during our day. We can bring awareness to our posture, being aware of what position we are in and what our bodies are doing at any given time. We may benefit from a brief body awareness scan, noticing any areas of tension and allowing them to release. We could try to ground ourselves in the present moment by bringing awareness to our feet as they touch the earth, and noticing parts of the body in contact with the furniture we rest upon. We could bring our attention to whatever tasks we are engaged in and notice how our bodies connect to those tasks through our senses: our sense of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. These brief and grounding body awareness practices can be invaluable at times when we are feeling stressed. They only take a few moments and can bring us back in touch with ourselves.
  
  
• Any exercise, if practiced sensibly, can bring us into mindful awareness of our bodies. The practice of movement and stretching, or even yoga and T’ai Chi can be particularly helpful in fostering a mindful body awareness. Even when we are walking, instead of focusing too rigidly upon our intended destination, we can allow our awareness to focus upon the sensations in the body and limbs as we move.