Body Scan
Also known as: Body scan meditation
The body scan is a mindfulness practice of sequentially directing attention through different areas of the body, typically from the feet to the head, noticing physical sensations without trying to change them. It is a core exercise in MBSR and widely used to build interoceptive awareness and reduce tension.
Unlike relaxation techniques that actively try to release tension, the body scan asks the practitioner simply to notice whatever sensation, or absence of sensation, is present in each area. This distinction, observing rather than intervening, is central to how it is taught in mindfulness-based clinical programs.
The technique was popularized in the West largely through Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979, where it remains one of the core formal practices in the eight-week curriculum. A body scan differs from progressive muscle relaxation in one key way: instead of deliberately tensing and releasing each muscle group, the practitioner simply directs attention to each area and notices whatever sensation is already present, without trying to change or fix it.
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Related Terms
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of paying deliberate, non-judgmental attention to present-moment experience, whether the breath, bodily sensations, thoughts, or surroundings. Rooted in Buddhist contemplative practice, it has been adapted into secular clinical programs and is widely used for stress, anxiety, and general wellbeing.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra, or 'yogic sleep,' is a structured, guided relaxation practice performed lying down, moving attention systematically through the body and breath to reach a state between waking and sleeping. It is used for deep rest, stress reduction, and, in some traditions, subtle-body exploration.