How to Meditate on the Body: Two Techniques
In many meditations, the breath is used as a primary anchor for our awareness. This natural life force that flows into and out of the body is a perfect place to rest our attention – and to come back to anytime the mind wanders.
However, the physical body itself is another place we can anchor our attention during meditation. From body scan guided meditations to simple awareness of the visceral sensations we experience, there are numerous ways to meditate on the body. Let’s consider 2 simple practices upon which many others are based on:
Awareness of Visceral Sensations
As exemplified in this worksheet, body meditation can simply be the practice of noting the most predominant sensations within the body. In contrast to a traditional body scan guided meditation, awareness of what is present does not have to follow any particular form. In other words, you do not need to move in a single direction. Simply note what is present and when that sensation dissipates, shift your open awareness to the next felt sensation that arises.
Body Scan Meditation
Another common body awareness practice is the standard body scan meditation. This practice invites us to draw our attention from either the toes or the crown to the opposite end of our body. As we scan the body in this way, we can note what is present and/or we can consciously invite relaxation into that area. Where there is tension that cannot be released, we might send that area of our being some love and tenderness. We can practice this sort of meditation on our own or use a body scan guided meditation to support our practice.
For additional resources to deepen body awareness, check out:
