The body scan: coming home

The body scan may be the most effective mindfulness practice for breaking the stress-tension cycle. It's also one of the least known.

The principle is simple: you move through your body mentally, region by region, noticing what's there, without trying to change anything.

The practice: Lie down or sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Start with the toes of your left foot. Notice the sensations, whatever they are: warmth, cold, tingling, nothing. Move slowly up to the ankle, the calf, the knee. Continue all the way to the top of the head.

You're not trying to relax, even though that often happens. You're trying to notice.

The difference matters. Relaxation is a side effect of presence, not its goal.