Health benefits of body scan meditation.

Health benefits of body scan meditation: Meditation is the best way to make the body and mind calm and healthy. Meditation has a significant effect on your mental health. But do you know that it is also very necessary to do body scanning from time to time to relieve the body from pain, and release stress? Developing a more significant awareness of bodily sensations can help you feel more related to your physical self and gain more understanding of the possible causes of unwanted feelings. 

What is body scan meditation? 

Body scan meditation is a special form of meditation, in which the focus is kept on scanning the body. This is one of the forms of meditation. You can also consider it as a mental X-ray and think of it as a body scan that slowly crosses through your body. Following are the steps to do it:

• Start Body Scan Meditation comfortably. 
• Lie down or sit in a position that allows you to stretch your limbs easily. 
• Pay attention.
• Close your eyes and start focusing on your breath. 
• Focus on the sensation of your breathing filling and leaving your lungs as you inhale and exhale. 
• Left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg, over your head. 
• Focus on that spot while you continue to breathe slowly and deeply. 
• Make yourself aware of sensations of pain, tension, discomfort, or anything out of the ordinary. 
• Slow down and pause for 20 seconds to 1 minute, observing this. 
• If you feel frustrated and angry, avoid judging yourself for such feelings.
• Notice them and let them pass.
•  Continue breathing, imagining the pain and tension reducing with each breath. 
• Just like that, slowly release your mental awareness to that specific part of your body and focus it on the next area. 

Also Read: What does a panic attack feel like?

Why people do a body scan meditation:

• Improve sleep 
• Relief from anxiety and stress 
• Greater self-awareness 
• Increasing self-compassion 
• Reduced pain –
• To quit smoking 

Benefits of Body Scan Meditation 

For better sleep

As per the studies, mindfulness meditation may help ease the effects of some types of sleep issues and enhance sleep quality. A regular body scan practice right before bedtime can extremely help relieve insomnia. When we feel anxious or stressed, many people have problems sleeping soundly. Then this meditation can help you relax and let go of disturbing thoughts and feel more relaxed overall. 

For stress and anxiety 

Meditation is a potentially helpful way to reduce stress. Mindfulness meditation can reduce general anxiety symptoms. The researchers also noted that meditation-based stress deduction methods can have a positive effect on managing stress. 

To relieve pain 

If you have ever experienced extreme mental pain, this may help. This is the daily experience of many people living with chronic pain. This type of pain can have a notable negative effect on your life. It is not necessary that meditation will stop the pain. But the results of meditation, such as an improved understanding of your body and emotional state, can help change the way you think about that pain.