Body scan meditation is a powerful relaxation technique that helps you systematically release tension from every part of your body.
Lie down, close your eyes. Start with three deep breaths — inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 6.
Now bring your attention to your toes. Feel your toes — how do they feel? Warm or cool? Tense or relaxed? Don't change anything, just feel.
Slowly move your attention upward: soles, tops of feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs. Spend a few seconds at each point, feeling what's there. If you find tension, imagine it releasing as you exhale.
Continue upward: hips, belly, chest. Feel your heartbeat, feel your breathing. Then fingers, palms, arms, shoulders. Shoulders are where many people store stress — feel them, then let them soften.
Finally, neck, jaw, eyes, forehead. Notice the tension in your jaw? Most people clench without realizing it — relax it. Notice your brows furrowed? Unfurrow them.
Now feel your entire body. Head to toe, toe to head, like a warm light sweeping through you.
This practice can be done before sleep to help you rest, or during anxiety to bring you back to your body, back to the present.