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Dear people,

A lot of us have trouble staying connected to our bodies. When you do spiritual work a lot of it is centered around the higher Chakras. That might mean meditation or visualizations or other ways of connecting to your intuition and higher Power (God/The Universe/Heaven etc.). Yet, we are here on earth, in these bodies and they need attention and care too. So that's why today I'm writing about Body Scans - a technique to stay connected to your body. I've also spoken about this technique in my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment: Body Scan.

What is a Body Scan?

A body scan sounds like I'm asking you to have an MRI, but actually, it's a technique to help you connect to your body. Generally speaking, there are two ways to do this technique. One way is to connect through your body, most commonly by tensing and releasing your muscles or by placing your hand upon certain body parts. Another option is to visualize and mentally connect to each area of your body. 

Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, one method might be easier or better then the other, but I highly recommend that you get adept in both of them.

Why do a Body Scan?

Life gets busy and when it does, we usually lose connection to our bodies. We rush through things, forget to eat, have less sleep then we should, the ways in which we can neglect or ignore our bodies messages are almost endless. So then we get surprised by a nasty flu or cold, by how tired we are or why we suddenly snap at somebody. 

By doing a body scan regularly, you notice what is happening within your body and thus within yourself. You can make sure that small ailments don't become bigger, find yourself with more energy an a happier and healthier body. Who needs more reason then that?

When to do a Body Scan

You should definitely regularly do a Body Scan. I'd recommend at least once a month and more often if you find yourself disconnected from your body due to chronic illness, stress or other reasons. You can remind yourself to do it on the first Saturday of the month for example.

Exercise: Body Scan with muscles

If you prefer to listen, you can find a Dutch spoken Body Scan in my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment: Body Scan. Read the instructions of this exercise thoroughly and then do the scan step by step.

Breathe in with tensing and breathe out with relaxing if you do a Body Scan with your muscles. I wrote this for an upwards flow, but if you want to do a downwards flow, start at the bottom.  

• Find a comfortable place to lay down or sit down 
• Make sure you aren't disturbed for 10-15 minutes
• Gently tense your toes and then relax them
• Move your feet upwards and then relax them
• Gently tense your calves by moving your feet of the floor and then relax them
• Gently tense your upper legs and then relax them
• Gently tense your glutes (buttocks) and then relax them
• Gently tense your stomach and then relax it
• Gently tense your diaphragm and then relax it
• Gently pull up your shoulders and then relax them
• Gently tense your hands into fists and then relax them 
• Gently tense your jaw and then relax it
• Gently raise your eye brows and then relax them 
  
• End the exercise by sitting quietly for a bit and feel the relaxed state of all those muscles
• Drift off into sleep or get up, drink something and continue your day

Exercise: Body Scan with hands

Make sure you place your hands for at least a full breath in and out on each body part. If you feel the need to linger at a certain spot, do so for as long as needed. You might feel warmth or cold as your hands help your energy flow. 

If you can't comfortably put your hands on a certain part, either move that part closer to you (for example: laying down and touching your feet is impossible, unless you bend your knees) or do the parts with intention until you can easily reach. Do not overextend yourself. I wrote this for an downwards flow, but if you want an upwards flow, start at the bottom to reverse this exercise.

• Find a comfortable place to lay down or sit down 
• Make sure you aren't disturbed for 10-15 minutes
• Place your hands on your head 
• Place your hands on your eyes
• Place your hands on your ears
• Place your hands on your jaws/chin
• Place your hands on your throat/neck
  
• Place your hands on your shoulders (by crossing your arms)
• Place your hands on your upper arms
• Place your hands on your lower arms
• Place your hands on each other
• Place your hands on your breast/breasts
• Place your hands on your belly button/solar plexus
  
• Place your hands on your lower belly
• Place your hands on your lower back
• Place your hands on your hips
• Place your hands on your upper legs
• Place your hands on your knees
• Place your hands on your calves/lower legs
• Place your hands on your feet
• End the exercise by setting quietly for a bit
• Run some water over your hands to clear out any old energy
• Drift off into sleep or get up, drink something and continue your day

Exercise: Body Scan with intention

Have an affirmation you want to share? Don't hesitate to post it in a comment on the blog or on the Facebook Fan Page or watch the past Instagram Live about affirmations. You can also share your affirmation stories in the practice or by e-mail.

Dear People,

I recently spoke about walking meditation on the radio in my Dutch Spiritual Column, but I'm sharing some more thoughts and exercises about this technique today. I love so many forms of meditation, but walking meditation is so suited to many people, that I want to share more about it. I've also already written about my own meditation practices, but today I'm writing more specifically about walking meditations.

Why try a walking meditation?

For a lot of us - the idea of sitting still and meditating is quite daunting. We keep feeling distracted by our body, our thoughts and our position. Sitting still is definitely not everybody's cup of tea. Yet, a lot of us have felt the freeing clearheaded feeling that can be created when our body is in motion. It might be while we are running, using a swing set or rocking a baby. Repetitive motion can help us get into a trance like state.

So it's no surprise that a walking meditation is an easier way to get into a meditative trance for a lot of people. And, of course, in our busy lives, it's nice to have the additional benefits of walking on top of the benefits of our meditation practice. So even if you've been discouraged with other ways of meditation, I highly recommend you at least give walking meditation a try.

Basic needs for walking meditation

Yourself and a place to walk are basically the most important things. I recommend wearing clothing and shoes that are comfortable for you and no jewelry. That means you won't be distracted by tight fitting clothing or sounds as you walk and your feet won't hurt. And if you want to sit and rest after your walk, you are comfortable and can extend your trance like state. 

As for the place: you can do walking meditation everywhere, even in your own living room. I do recommend that you walk somewhere safe. Especially if you want to walk with your eyes closed. So while technically you can do a walking meditation by walking in your neighbourhood, if it's busy, I don't recommend doing it. Not only are busy streets distracting, you can also harm yourself if you do reach a meditative trance.

Best place outside for me is usually the beach when it's not busy (spring/fall season), because you have a wide open space with not much people. That means that you have a lot of visibility. Sounds of the sea/ocean also work to help bring me in a meditative state. Another good option is usually a park or forest when there aren't much people. Or a mountain path or pasture. Being in nature means it's easier to be meditative, but please be mindful of your safety. 

 
If you want to walk inside your own home, make sure to clear a space around you. If your walking meditation keeps getting disrupted because you need to step over things or turn very quickly, that usually doesn't work. We all like to have at least a couple of strides in each direction.

A basic walking meditation

• Prep: wear comfortable clothing, shoes and no jewelry. Bring a snack and a bottle of water (or other beverage) 
• Select (or prepare) a safe area in which you are going to do your meditation 
• Start walking in your natural pace
  
• Become mindful of your pace, your body and yourself
  
• Walk in a soothing rhythm or pace that allows you to walk for a length of time and to 'zone out with your thoughts'
• Once you are at peace - sit down, eat and drink something
• If needed, do a grounding exercise
  

Deepening your walking meditation practice

Once you have the basics down and feel that walking meditation is something you'd like to do more often, there are many variations you can do to see what works best for you. You can also change your walking meditation practice depending on what your goal is for the meditation. 

Here are some tips on what to try:

• Walking with your eyes closed or open. If you do closed, the best way to do this is to create a circle and walk safely in it or to create a square (for example, 4 steps forward, turn right, 4 steps forward, turn right, 4 steps forward, turn right,  4 steps forward and you are back at your beginning). I do not recommend walking with your eyes closed if you have not set a safe path for yourself! 
• Changing the pace of your strides. Going from fast to slow or standstill if you need more peace or moving from a stressful pacing towards a more relaxed stride. It's also possible to move from slow to increased pace, for example if your goal is to accelerate something in your life. It's much harder to reach a meditative trance by going faster though. Changing pace during the meditation can also help, if you want to get more in touch with the cycle of life. Or just noticing you do this subconsciously (speeding up or slowing down).
• Stopping and starting at places in your meditation. You can do this to get more viewpoints, tune into your body, take time to see what your natural pace is, acknowledge what's changing during the meditation and for many other reasons.
  
• Walking in a pattern. Different patterns help us with different things. A square helps with feeling solid, a circle is a closed loop, a spiral inwards can help introspection and one outwards can help with goal setting and connecting with life, a triangle can help with different viewpoints or with different aspects of ourselves or a problem. Or walk a trail with your eyes open and acknowledge what you see, hear and feel during it.
  
• Walking with intention - you can do a mantra during the walk or bring an energy with you (for example by drawing one of my 100% Positivity Oracle Cards - which you can do for free on my website).  
• Walking with a question or with a issue, allowing inspiration and higher power to solve it for you.
  

As you can see, walking meditation is quite versatile. I'd love to hear how you experience walking meditation! Post a comment here on the blog or send me a message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or listen to my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment Loopmeditatie and leave a comment there! I sometimes host walking meditations or other meditation in my practice in Delft, The Netherlands or the surrounding area. If you are interested, sign up to the Monthly Newsletter to be the first to know of any meditation events.