The Power of Body Scan Meditation | Melissa Young, MD
This video is part of the Mindfulness Incubator video series. (12/16)
Transcript
Hey there and welcome to the Health Essentials podcast. I’m John Horton, your host. Today, we’re going to chat about full body scans, but not the type where you go to a medical center and slide into a donut-shaped tube. No, the scan we’re focusing on is one that you can do by yourself anywhere you are, and the only equipment you need is an open mind. Body scan meditation is a technique to help you increase awareness of your body and truly assess how you’re feeling. Basically, it’s a way for you to become more connected with yourself.
To help us look inward, we’re joined by functional medicine specialist Melissa Young. Dr. Young is one of the many experts at Cleveland Clinic who pop into our weekly podcast to offer health tips that you can trust. So, let’s get started.
Dr. Young, welcome back. Always a treat to have you on the podcast.
Dr. Young: Thank you for having me. A treat to get together and talk about ways to manage stress better. You always give us fabulous advice on how we can do a little more self-care and reflection. I take it that’s something that you talk to people about all day long?
Dr. Young: I do. I think it’s such an important topic and often an area of medicine that may be neglected to some degree. Most people aren’t aware that, on average, 70 to 90 percent of visits to our primary care are related in some way to stress. It’s become more and more clear how stress can adversely affect the body and lead to chronic symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, worsened high blood pressure, headaches, and the wonderful thing is there are techniques that help mitigate that and calm that down in the body and help the body and the mind calm down. Definitely.
John: That’s why we’re here today. Let’s get going with talking about body scan meditation. Can you give us a basic explanation of what it is and why somebody might want to give it a try?
Dr. Young: Sure, absolutely. Sometimes we’re just so busy; we’re often in that fight-or-flight mode and we may not really be aware of what’s happening in our body. There can be a very big disconnect between the body and the mind. We’re really trying to bring that together. The body scan originated with mind-body stress reduction, brought to the United States by Jon Kabat-Zinn back in the ’70s. It’s about taking time to scan through all parts of the body from head to toe and checking in with the sensations in the body. How does the body feel? The goal here is not really to change anything; it’s to build an ongoing present moment awareness of how we’re feeling. Because again, we disconnect so much, and that connection gives us power to stay in the moment and not worry or overthink about our stress in our life or even pain or a bodily sensation.
John: Is this the sort of thing where you see some immediate benefits, or does it take time to set in?
Dr. Young: I think both. We can absolutely see immediate benefits, but the more we practice these techniques on a regular basis and incorporate them into our self-care, the nervous system remembers how to relax and come out of the sympathetic fight-or-flight mode more into parasympathetic rest and digest, that relaxation mode more easily. It benefits our health short-term and long-term.
John: Is this something where you should go into it with expectations?
Dr. Young: We do talk so much about utilizing these techniques to manage stress to feel better. In reality, they weren’t created for that, and there really isn’t a desired outcome in the true sense of utilizing these wonderful ancient techniques. It’s the process; it’s the journey. The simplicity can’t be underestimated. It’s the process, not necessarily the outcome.
John: That’s great advice. Let’s take a minute, if you can, and kind of walk us through a mini-scan so we can kind of see what it feels like.
Dr. Young: Sure, absolutely. If people are comfortable, they can close their eyes, either sitting or lying down. Let’s start by taking one or two deep breaths…
[Dr. Young guides a brief body scan meditation]
Dr. Young: And then slowly and gently bring your attention back to the room, take a slow deep breath, and gently open your eyes if they were closed.
John: That was a quick one, usually, we spend more time in each body part. Do you find when people do this that creating that awareness helps you kind of deal with whatever the situation is and accept it or rationalize it more?
Dr. Young: Absolutely. We spend so much time and energy unconsciously pushing away what we think is bad or unpleasant. Present moment awareness over time, with less judgment, helps patients with chronic pain, chronic tension, and chronic anxiety. It changes your awareness. It’s always important to say that for some people who have more severe anxiety or a history of trauma, sometimes becoming more aware of what’s happening in our body can bring up those feelings with more intensity. You would want to work with a therapist who could help with those traumatic experiences that come up. So, always be aware if things are unmanageable, and use your judgment about whether you need some professional guidance.
John: Excellent advice. Let’s take a minute, if you can, and kind of walk us through a mini-scan so we can kind of see what it feels like.
Dr. Young: Sure, absolutely. If people are comfortable, they can close their eyes, either sitting or lying down. Let’s start by taking one or two deep breaths…
[Dr. Young guides a brief body scan meditation]
Dr. Young: And then slowly and gently bring your attention back to the room, take a slow deep breath, and gently open your eyes if they were closed.
John: That was a quick one. Do you find when people do this that creating that awareness helps you deal with whatever the situation is and accept it or rationalize it more?
Dr. Young: Absolutely. We spend so much time and energy unconsciously pushing away what we think is bad or unpleasant. Present moment awareness over time, with less judgment, helps patients with chronic pain, chronic tension, and chronic anxiety. It changes your awareness. For some people who have more severe anxiety or a history of trauma, sometimes becoming more aware of what’s happening in our body can bring up those feelings with more intensity. You would want to work with a therapist who could help with those traumatic experiences that come up. So, always be aware if things are unmanageable and use your judgment about whether you need some professional guidance.
John: Excellent advice. Till next time, be well.
Reflection
In the world of wellness and self-care, a simple practice has been gaining attention. It’s not a new gadget or a high-tech scan at a medical center. No, it’s a practice that requires nothing more than a few minutes of your time and an open mind. It’s called body scan meditation, and it’s a powerful tool to help you become more in tune with yourself.
In a recent podcast, we had the pleasure of discussing this technique with Dr. Melissa Young, a functional medicine specialist. She shared her insights on the importance of this practice and how it can help us manage stress and improve our well-being.
Dr. Young emphasized the significance of being aware of our bodies, a practice often neglected in our busy lives. Stress, as she pointed out, plays a significant role in our health, with a majority of primary care visits being related to stress in one way or another. Recognizing the impact of stress on our bodies, she introduced the idea of the body scan meditation.
The process is remarkably straightforward. It’s about taking a few moments to tune in to every part of your body, from your head to your toes. The goal isn’t to change anything; it’s simply to build a present moment awareness of how you’re feeling. It’s about bridging the gap between your body and your mind.
Dr. Young stressed that the benefits of this practice are both immediate and long-term. With regular practice, the nervous system becomes adept at shifting from a heightened state of stress (fight or flight) to a state of relaxation (rest and digest). This, in turn, can have positive effects on our physical and mental well-being.
The beauty of the body scan meditation lies in its simplicity. It doesn’t demand complex metrics or outcomes. It’s a journey, not a destination. As Dr. Young emphasized, the process itself is the focus, not a predetermined result.
During the podcast, Dr. Young even guided us through a mini body scan. It was a brief but enlightening experience. We learned that by paying attention to the sensations in our body, we can gradually become more accepting of our physical and emotional states. It’s a practice that encourages us to let go of judgments and be present in the moment.
Dr. Young also touched upon the importance of professional guidance when dealing with trauma or severe anxiety. Sometimes, becoming more aware of your body’s sensations can intensify these feelings, and it’s essential to have a therapist’s support in such cases.
In a world where we’re often urged to pursue specific outcomes, the body scan meditation reminds us that it’s the journey that truly matters. So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment for a self-scan. Be aware of your body and your feelings. It might just be the simple practice you need to manage stress and improve your overall well-being.
Until next time, be well.