Life can be stressful sometimes. We can even feel the stress in our bodies in the form of tension, pain and discomfort. Understandably, many people want to find relief by escaping from their bodies. Through distractions like the internet, TV and substance use, people want to find peace and comfort by getting “out” of their bodies. We might think that an out-of-body experience can bring us peace, but it’s actually much more profound to have an “in-the-body” experience.
What would it be like to intentionally connect with our body? When we slow down and turn our attention to the simple experience of being in our body—in a nonjudgmental way—we see that we don’t actually need to escape from our body. In fact, we may begin to appreciate how much wisdom the body has and how it is always taking care of us.
In this video, retired Navy SEAL Commander Jon Macaskill guides us through a brief experiential exercise of the body scan, bringing awareness to our bodies. This simple, step-by-step guide shows us how to connect with our breath and the various sensations in our bodies in a gradual sequence from head to feet.
Research shows that mindfulness meditation practices like the body scan can bring many physical and mental health benefits. It can help us gain more awareness of what’s going on in our body, what our body may be telling us, and how to respond to our internal signals. The body scan is very helpful in helping us notice where we may be carrying tension so we can relax those areas. As we relax and breathe, we become calmer and more centered.
With regular practice, the body scan can help us become more grounded and relaxed, which leads to reduced stress, improved mental and physical well-being, and healthy living. Make the body scan a part of your daily routine!
Topics in this story
More Stories
Embrace the flavors of fall with a delicious pumpkin chili recipe in this week's #LiveWholeHealth practice.
Do you chase the feeling of winning or avoid the fear of losing? Let go of those expectations and live in the moment for this week's #LiveWholeHealth video practice.
When we send kindness to others, we receive it, too! Take a few minutes today to practice a Loving Kindness meditation in this week's #LiveWholeHealth practice.
I like whole health and it has helped me a lot. However, it is very sad that the Chief of Staff at the Montana VA is doing everything in his power to gut whole health and refuse treatment of vets with chronic pain. I understand that the administrators of the VA, the OIG or anyone else does NOT care about ICARE violations, VA policy and directives be violated or ignored, as well as the 2016 CARA law or even the Mission Act being ignored as well as the charter and by-laws of the medical staff and executive committee. In the last 17 months of fighting the VA I have yet to find a patient advocate that actually will advocate for a veteran whether at the state level or the VISN level. Meanwhile crisis line calls in MT have gone up 30% because of the COS’s ego.
This is heartbreaking. Stay engaged and don’t give the work your doing.
I enjoyed the information