Body scan meditation: what it is and how to do it

A body scan is a meditation in which you move your attention through your body, area by area, noticing whatever is there without trying to change it. It is usually done lying down, from the feet up, in about ten to twenty minutes. It is one of the most widely used practices for sleep and for getting out of your head. A review of 14 trials, however, found that on its own it has a small effect: it works best as part of a practice, not as the only tool.

What exactly is a body scan?

It means bringing your attention to one part of your body, staying there for a few breaths, and moving on to the next. In each area you notice whatever is there: warmth, coolness, weight, tingling, tension, the touch of your clothes or the bed. Or nothing, which is also something to notice.

The word "scan" is a little misleading: you are not looking for problems or trying to relax whatever feels tight. You are just looking. The curious thing is that when you look without trying to change anything, tension often lets go on its own.

How do you do a body scan, step by step?

1. Lie down on your back, arms by your sides. Sit if you prefer. Close your eyes or let your gaze drop.
2. Three slow breaths to arrive, noticing the weight of your body on whatever is holding it.
3. Start with your feet. Toes, soles, heels. Stay there for a few breaths.
4. Move up slowly: ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips.
5. Your torso: your belly rising and falling with the breath, your chest, your back against the surface.
6. Your hands and arms, from the fingers up to the shoulders.
7. Your neck and face: jaw, lips, eyes, forehead. A lot of tension tends to sit here.
8. Your whole body, as one, for a few breaths before you finish.

Ten minutes is enough for an unhurried sweep. Twenty lets you linger in each area.

What if my mind wanders?

It will, many times. When you notice you are thinking about something else, come back to the area where you left off, without scolding yourself. Noticing and coming back is exactly the practice. According to Meditar, people who give up on body scans almost never quit because they dislike them: they quit because they think getting distracted means doing it wrong.

What does the research say?

It is worth being honest here, because the body scan is often sold as more than has been shown.

A systematic review and meta-analysis gathered 14 randomized trials that studied the body scan on its own, separate from the broader meditation programs it usually appears in. Compared with doing nothing, it modestly improved mindfulness — the ability to notice what is happening without getting hooked — with a small effect. On health outcomes, the authors concluded that a body scan alone is not enough to improve them. Study quality was low and results varied a lot.

That doesn't mean it is useless. It means its value lies in what it brings to a wider practice: it is the simplest way to learn to bring attention to the body, and that skill underpins almost everything else.

What is a body scan good for?

• Sleep. It is the core of many nighttime meditations: moving through the body is a way out of your head that asks nothing of you. If you fall asleep before you reach your head, perfect.
• Starting to meditate. Following the breath can be hard at first; following one specific part of the body is easier to sustain.
• Yoga nidra. Yoga nidra includes a quick rotation of attention through the body as one of its stages.

Listen to it instead of remembering it

The biggest problem with a silent body scan is remembering where you were. Guided, the voice carries the route and you just notice. In Meditar you pick the voice that guides you: you listen before choosing and keep the one that feels right. There are sleep and yoga nidra meditations that move through the body, and it is free to start: download it here.

If you want to use it at night, here is what to do when you can't sleep because your mind is racing.