Archive: Year: 2013

Meditation Tech of the Week: The Body Scan

Posted on by Sensei Victoria Whitfield

Meditation Tech of the Week:
The Body Scan

Continuing our series of foundational Meditation Techniques (or "tech"), the Body Scan deepens your Grounding Visualization (READ MORE) experience through use of progressive muscular relaxation and mindfulness.

To preform a Body Scan:

  1. Take a deep breath (to go inward mentally)
  2. As you exhale, notice how your body feels in general: your posture, areas of tension or stiffness, and areas of warmth
  3. Still breathing deeply, begin to mentally scan over your body slowly, starting with the top of your head, downward
  4. Be thorough; scan every muscle, organ and limb. The more specific you are, the better
  5. With each thing you scan, allow it to feel heavy or as if it was made of water
  6. Continue doing this to the tips of your toes - Extra credit: after this, imagine your hair, clothes and environment around you becoming heavy and liquid too

This technique is deeply relaxing, and great for aiding in falling asleep or coping with anxiety such as public speaking.

Students of mine have said they often never finish scanning the whole body because they are fast asleep. 🙂

Try it out right now, and Comment below!

Tell us how you feel before you begin, and then write how you feel afterwords.

Meditation Tech of the Week: Grounding Visualization

Posted on by Sensei Victoria Whitfield

Meditation Tech of the Week:
Grounding Visualization
Grounded Art By Monika Roe

 

Grounding Visualization builds on practicing The Calm Down Breath (READ MORE).

It helps you dispose of excess energy by connecting to the Earth.

This technique is deeply calming and helps the letting go of tension and stress emotionally, as well as physically.

 

To preform a Grounding Visualization:

  1. Make sure you are sitting or standing with both feet flat on the floor
  2. Begin doing The Calm Down Breath (LEARN)
  3. As you breathe, become aware of how your feet feel on the floor: feel them as heavy, warm, pulsing, vibrating or even try to trace the shape of your feet / footprints
  4. Once your feet feel warm and heavy, exhale and imagine roots growing deep down into the Earth, as if you're a tree
  5. Then, when you feel that connection to the Earth, begin to inhale and imagine the Earth / natural energy flowing up through your feet into your body

Students of mine have said they feel more stable after doing a Grounding Visualization - feeling physically more stable and solid in their body, but also emotionally more stable because the worries and frustrations are relaxed away in to the Earth.

 

Try it out right now, and Comment below!

Tell us how you feel before you begin, and then write how you feel afterwords.