In short: a body scan is a meditation where you move your attention slowly through the body, from the feet to the head, noticing whatever sensations are there without trying to change them. Its roots are the Buddha's teaching on mindfulness of the body (MN 119), where he describes breathing "experiencing the whole body". Here is a 10-minute script and the teaching behind it.
A 10-minute body scan
- Settle (1 minute). Sit on a chair or lie on your back. Let your eyes close. Take three slow breaths, with the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath.
- Feet (1 minute). Bring your attention to the soles of your feet. Notice contact, warmth, coolness, tingling, or nothing at all. Just know what is there.
- Legs (1 minute). Move slowly up through the ankles, calves, knees and thighs. If you find tension, notice it; you don't have to fix it.
- Seat and back (1½ minutes). Feel the weight of the body held by the chair or floor. Move up the back, one section at a time.
- Belly and chest (1½ minutes). Notice the breath moving here. Let it breathe itself.
- Hands, arms and shoulders (1½ minutes). From the fingertips up to the shoulders, where many of us hold the day.
- Neck, face and head (1½ minutes). The jaw, the eyes, the forehead, the top of the head. Let the face soften.
- The whole body (1 minute). Now feel the body as one whole, breathing. This is the step the Buddha names: breathing "experiencing the whole body".
When the mind wanders, and it will, notice where it went and come back to the last part of the body you remember. That return is the practice.
Read the full guide
Where the body scan comes from
In the Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body, the Buddha describes several ways to bring awareness into the body. The first is through the breath:
"They practice like this: 'I'll breathe in experiencing the whole body.' They practice like this: 'I'll breathe out experiencing the whole body.' They practice like this: 'I'll breathe in stilling the physical process.'"
MN 119 · More: the 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing.
Another is simply knowing the body's position, all day long:
"When a mendicant is walking they know: 'I am walking.' When standing they know: 'I am standing.' When sitting they know: 'I am sitting.' And when lying down they know: 'I am lying down.' Whatever posture their body is in, they know it."
MN 119
A third is examining the body part by part, "up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs". In the sutta this is a reflection on the body's parts, from hair and nails to bones and organs, to loosen our attachment to it. The modern body scan, which moves attention through the body to feel its sensations, grew out of these teachings in 20th-century Burmese insight meditation and later in secular mindfulness courses.
What the Buddha said it leads to
The Buddha said mindfulness of the body includes every skillful quality that plays a part in realization, the way the great ocean includes all the streams that run into it. Among its ten benefits:
"They prevail over desire and discontent, and live having mastered desire and discontent whenever they arose. They prevail over fear and dread, and live having mastered fear and dread whenever they arose."
MN 119
Tips
- Sleepy? Sit up rather than lying down, or open your eyes a little.
- Pain or strong discomfort? You can skip that area or move. Gentleness is part of the practice. If attention to the body brings up distress, stop and talk to someone you trust or a professional.
- No time? Do step 8 only: three breaths "experiencing the whole body", anywhere.
Try it
For a guided start with a soft bell, open Practice. To scan your way into sleep, see the Buddhist sleep meditation. More on the four foundations of mindfulness: the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.
Questions people ask
Is the body scan a Buddhist practice?
Its roots are. The Buddha taught mindfulness of the body (kāyagatāsati) in MN 119: knowing your posture, breathing 'experiencing the whole body', and examining the body 'up from the soles of the feet and down from the tips of the hairs'. The modern body scan, sweeping attention through the body part by part, was developed from this in 20th-century Burmese meditation and later in secular mindfulness courses.
How long should a body scan take?
Ten minutes is enough to start. Longer scans of 20 to 45 minutes are common in retreats and courses. A short scan done often is better than a long one done rarely.
What if I feel nothing in part of my body?
That's normal. Simply notice 'no clear sensation here' and move on. Noticing absence is part of the practice.