How to Practice Body Scanning for Relaxation and Awareness
By Dr. Becky Acabchuk, O2X Sleep Specialist
The body scan is a powerful tool to strengthen both the mind and the body. For any Huberman fans out there, it is the core practice of Non-Sleep-Deep-Rest (NSDR), and iRest/yoga nidra. But the body scan isn’t new. It traces back to ancient mind-training practices - picture monks sitting in the Himalayas, bringing awareness to bodily sensations to cultivate focus and insight. By keeping the brain on observer mode, you can notice physical signals like freezing cold without getting swept away by emotional reaction.
Here’s how the body scan works. As you notice different body parts one by one, grounding your awareness in the present moment (aka building mindfulness), you build attention control while calming your nervous system. If “present moment awareness” and “attention control” are important for your job (or, honestly, just for life), this practice builds it. Given the pace of modern society and technology, we can all probably use more control over distractions, and greater ability to distinguish “mental chatter” from wisdom.
“As long as you are in your body, you are in the present moment.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
One major benefit of the body scan is that it can shift how you relate to pain or other challenging sensations. Often, simply bringing awareness to a body part allows it to relax automatically. Try it now, just notice the hinge of your jaw, up in the corners, and down through your lower jaw into your gums. What happened? Did it release? Mine sure did.
The body scan also teaches us how to “soften around discomfort”. I use this at the dentist. When they’re painfully poking my gums, I’ll focus on my toes to bring awareness as far away from my mouth as possible. Then I scan other parts of my body that are likely clenching, like my shoulders, and relax those areas too. The pain in the mouth may still be there, but I’m no longer tightening my whole body around it.
This helps train the mind not to catastrophize. Again, the dentist chair is a great example - recognizing that while the mouth hurts, the toes still actually feel okay.
When we’re going through difficult times, it’s common to feel tense, achy, or even numb. The body scan teaches us to notice these sensations without judgment, to be curious and kind toward the body as we tune in to whatever is there. This instruction is key: notice sensations without trying to change them (“allowing, not fixing”).
And here’s the funny thing, just by noticing and allowing sensations, they often start to shift on their own. Bringing awareness to the body changes what’s happening inside it, shifting blood flow and energy, helping areas that may be “stuck” begin to flow again.
This mindset of allowing without fixing is especially important for people with chronic pain, where resistance can actually amplify suffering.
To show you the proper mindset to use, I’m going to risk sounding a little corny, so brace yourself. I like to think of it as saying hello to each body part, being kind to it, and even thanking it. For example, when shifting focus to your nose, feeling grateful for the ability to breathe, bringing in a little wonder and awe as you hang out with your nose for a bit before you rush onto the next body part. Starting to feel into the micro sensations, like the air flow over the edges of the nostrils, or the nose hairs moving with your breath, and getting curious about how much sensation you might notice just by tuning into your nose.
The body scan teaches you to befriend your body and feel more at ease. And when you enter this relaxed state, the body naturally shifts into repair-and-restore mode (similar to sleep), which is actually when strengthening and healing happen.
And for those with sleep issues, doing the body scan is a great thing to do before bed, to wind down and fall asleep easier, and also to clear out tension before falling asleep, improving both quality and quantity of sleep.
Finally, the body scan is a deeply effective stress-management tool. It helps move the body out of fight-or-flight and into the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and restore” mode. As you scan and notice body parts one by one, tension releases. You’re also naturally breathing more slowly and deeply. Thoughts slow down. Heart rate and blood pressure decrease. Bodily rhythms begin to synchronize.
You start to feel more grounded, centered, calm and more ready to meet whatever shows up that day.
You’ve probably heard the famous Viktor Frankl quote:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
That space is exactly what the body scan (and mindfulness more broadly) helps us expand.
After doing the body scan, you might notice you are not so on edge. It’s not that it slows you down, in a way that makes you ineffective. It’s the opposite. It can actually make you more effective. Your actions come from a wiser place when your body is grounded. Like the Navy Seal line, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
Now you might be wondering, how often should I do this? I recommend 3-5x a week. Just like strengthening any other muscle in the body, strengthening your ability to focus your attention on a single body part at a time grows with practice, becoming a skill you can call upon when you might need it most.
Want to give it a go? Here is a script you can follow below.
Body Scan Script (Inspired by MBSR - The mindfulness-based stress reduction protocol, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn)
Begin by finding a comfortable position, lying down or sitting.
If you’re lying down, you might let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up or down.
If you’re sitting in a chair, let your feet be flat on the ground and your spine upright but not rigid.
When you’re ready, take a big sigh of relief. Allow your eyes to soften (or close, if you are not reading along).
Take a few moments to notice the feeling of the body being supported, by the floor, the chair, etc.
There’s nothing you need to do right now, nowhere you need to go.
Just allowing yourself to arrive, in your body, at this moment.
Bring your attention to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Not changing it, simply noticing the sensations of breathing, wherever you feel them most clearly. You might notice the breath start to shift a bit deeper into the belly, slow down, or smooth out.
Left Foot and Leg
Now, gently bring your attention to the toes of your left foot.
Notice any sensations, tingling, warmth, pressure, or perhaps very little at all.
There’s no right or wrong experience.
If you notice the mind wandering, that’s okay.
Simply acknowledge it and gently bring attention back to the toes.
Let awareness move to the sole of the left foot… the heel… the top of the foot.
Then the ankle… the lower leg… the knee… the upper leg.
Noticing sensations as they are, moment by moment.
If there’s discomfort, see if you can allow it to be there meeting it with curiosity rather than resistance.
Right Foot and Leg
Now shift attention to the toes of the right foot.
Again, noticing whatever sensations are present.
Move awareness through the sole of the foot… heel… top of the foot…
ankle… lower leg… knee… upper leg.
If you notice areas of tension, see if it’s possible to soften around them, not forcing anything to change, just allowing.
Pelvis and Lower Back
Bring attention to the hips and pelvis.
Notice the contact with the surface beneath you.
Move awareness into the lower back, an area that often holds tension.
See if you can breathe into this region, letting it be just as it is.
Abdomen and Chest
Now bring attention to the abdomen.
Notice the gentle movement with each breath, rising and falling.
Then the chest… noticing sensations associated with breathing…
the rib cage expanding and releasing.
Hands and Arms
Shift attention to the fingers of the left hand.
The palm… the back of the hand… wrist… forearm… elbow… upper arm.
Then move to the right hand, again noticing fingers… palm… wrist… forearm… elbow… upper arm.
Allow the shoulders to come into awareness.
Many people hold tension here to see if they can soften, even slightly.
Neck, Face, and Head
Bring attention to the neck… the throat…
then the jaw, notice if it’s clenched or relaxed.
Let awareness move to the mouth…tounge… gums… lips… cheeks…
nose… eyes… forehead.
Finally, the scalp and the top of the head. Just noticing any sensations on the crown of the head.
Whole Body
Now expand awareness to include the entire body at once.
The body as a whole, breathing.
Resting in this expanded field of awareness, and keep returning your attention back to it, moment by moment.
If sensations change, notice that.
If thoughts arise, notice them, and gently return to feeling the body.
Notice what it feels like to identify with this expanded sense of awareness, that is vast like the ocean, or the horizon.
Closing
Before ending, take a moment to feel gratitude toward your body, thanking it for all that it does for you.
When you’re ready, bring small movements into the fingers and toes. Moving with kindness.
And when it feels right, gently open your eyes and take a big sigh of relief.
Carrying this sense of awareness with you into the rest of your day.
1% Better.
About O2X Sleep Specialist Dr. Becky Acabchuk:
Dr. Becky Acabchuk is an O2X Sleep Specialist who works as a neuroscientist and wellbeing expert, researching the mental and physical benefits of mind-body practices to promote sleep, manage emotions, and improve overall wellbeing. She leads retreats and workshops for various audiences and has created programs for Division I football and hockey teams, firefighters, elite endurance athletes, and others. Becky was a Division I gymnast at Cornell University, where she received a BA in psychology. She earned her PhD in physiology and neurobiology from the University of Connecticut and has taught university courses in Health Psychology, Science of Mindfulness, Anatomy & Physiology, and more. She conducted a clinical trial using EEG neurofeedback and meditation to improve sleep and reduce stress and anxiety. She has published several notable meta-analyses on topics including yoga for hypertension and yoga and meditation for concussion recovery. She is a member of the NIH’s behavior change consortium, researching what helps people create healthy habits and stick to them. Becky has taught yoga, meditation, breathwork, and yoga nidra since 2003. She is certified in Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) and Sports Yoga by NESTA and has participated in ongoing yoga and meditation training with world-renowned teachers. Becky completed training on trauma-sensitive practices, iRest, and yoga nidra and was mentored by a leading researcher conducting studies on yoga nidra for PTSD in veteran populations.Becky has extensive knowledge of various mind-body protocols, which she uses to create unique and customized programs. Becky is passionate about wellbeing and loves inspiring others with the science behind the practices. She recently spent time teaching neuroscience to Tibetan monks in India, where she learned surprising insights from their methods of sharpening the mind. Becky has competed in marathons and triathlons and loves skiing, hiking, CrossFit, and doing anything outdoors. Becky was introduced to O2X by her partner, a firefighter who attended an O2X program.