Conscious Body Scan

Objective: To cultivate present moment awareness of physical sensation and bring awareness to the connection between mind and body. By systematically directing attention to different regions of the body, participants develop a heightened sense of bodily sensations and reduce tension held in the body. This exercise aims to introduce mindfulness to participants in a structured way, allowing participants to observe thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. 

Duration: 40 minutes

Materials Needed:

• Open space floor space

• Music player and Dance Therapy playlist

• Yoga mat or Pillows (optional modification)

• Pen and paper for journaling (optional)

Exercise Outline:

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

• Begin with a gentle warm up to draw heat in the body. 

• Suggested warm up: Exploration of Walking Exercise

• Alternative warm ups: Leg bounces or jumping jacks, stretching breaks interspersed 

Body Scan (30 minutes):

The Body Scan will move through several different regions, starting at their feet and ending at their scalp. 

Regions: Feet/ankles, calves, quads, abs/torso/lower back, chest/arms, neck, face, scalp. 

Follow the steps below for each region (Example shown: feet/ankles)

1. Center your energy and attention in your feet, ankles, and toes

   1. “Isolate” your sensation and energy into this area, as if there is a spotlight over your feet and the rest of your body is in the dark

   2. “Draw warmth” and exertion into the feet and ankles

      1. Roll through the range of motion of your ankles, noticing different ways of engaging just this area of your body (flexing/pointing the feet, clenching your toes)

   3. Notice if you are drawing warmth in the rest of your body

      1. Do you feel warmth in your calves? Do you notice an elevated heart rate?

2. “Release” exertion from that area and “turn off your feet/ankles like a lightswitch” 

   1. Fully release all muscles activated in the region, be aware of the difficulty in full release 

      1. Rarely in everyday life do we fully release tension from our bodies

      2. Try to notice what subconscious tension you are holding in your body while focusing on releasing this specific region 

      3. Are you holding your breath?

      4. Are you clenching other muscles?

3. Now focus on the “memory of exertion” still living in the area

   1. Can you feel the lingering “memory” of effort in your body? 

      1. What does it feel like? Warmth? Tiredness? Or do you simply feel the deadweight of your feet on the floor?

      2. Focus your attention to the sensations currently existing in your feet

4. Repeat steps with the next region of the body, catering the reflective prompts to the different areas

   1. Give special attention to the facial muscles, remind participants that their facial muscles are constantly activated when conscious, the only other time of release is subconsciousness (sleep)

      1. Encourage participants to relax their jaw

      2. What does it feel like to fully release your face?

Reflection (10 minutes):

• Take a few minutes to journal about your experience during the exercise, noting any insights, emotions, or reflections that arose.

Note for Participants: Throughout the exercise, be mindful of your individual needs and comfort levels. Feel free to modify the movements as needed. There is no right or wrong way to participate in somatic therapy. 

Note for Instructors: When teaching this exercise, it is important to cater the exercise to the needs of the participants, and certain methods may not be productive to resistant participants.

Potential modifications:

• Shorter exercise length through combining several regions (useful for kids or individuals with lower attention span)

• Yoga Mat or Pillows (to make exercise more accessible to individuals with joint pain)