Wellness Wednesday – Mindful Body Scan
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. With regular mindful practice, instead of being led on auto-pilot by our emotions which are influenced by past experiences and future fears, we develop the ability to return our mind to the present moment and face life’s challenges in a clear, calm, empowered way.
One hurdle to starting mindfulness practice is the misconception that you are meant to be sitting with a mind that is empty of all thought. As you sit and the thoughts rush through your mind you may feel frustrated by the feeling that you are not able to stop them or control them. When we change our expectation from stopping our thoughts to observing our thoughts, we let go of some of that frustration. The goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judging them. Here is an article that explains the Benefits of Mindfulness - helpguide.org/harvard/benef...
There are many great mindfulness practices and we will review many of them through Wellness Wednesday. The practice that we are going to look at today is Mindful Body Scan. Mindful Body Scan is a practice of paying attention in a particular way to the sensations of your body. It is a practice of directing your attention, and when your mind wanders with thought, redirecting your attention back to the body. This practice is about being aware of the sensations in your body and observing them without trying to change them. Mindful Body Scan is also a wonderful calming strategy. Here are a couple guided body scans to get you started (you may need to copy and paste the link if it doesn't direct you automatically:
3-Minute Body Scan: Dr. Elisha Goldstein - elishagoldstein.com/videos/...
15-Minute Meditation: Body Scan: Living Better YouTube - youtu.be/T0nuKBVQS7M
The Body Scan: Elisha Goldstein YouTube - youtu.be/zsCVqFr6j1g
Body Scan Exercise, Jon Kabat-Zinn: Be You Fully YouTube - youtu.be/15q-N-_kkrU
Mindful is something we, are not something we do. Mindfulness, like kindness and gratefulness is a way of being, a way of perceiving. When you spend time being mindful, not only will you receive the physical and emotional benefits of mindfulness, you will also be empowering in yourself a sense of being mindful.
For more self support strategies please visit our growing collection on our website:
Emotional and Mental Wellness Resources - saveyourskin.ca/emotional-a...
If you have a mindfulness strategy you are using or would recommend, we would love to hear from you.
