Body scan for stress: 7 minutes, at midday

About this practice

For the times at midday when stress takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, body scan. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: stress

Stress is a load that does not come off. Muscle tension accumulates in the shoulders, jaw and gut, and the body stops returning to baseline between demands.

It tends to show up as:

• Shoulders sitting up near the ears
• Short temper over small things
• Waking already tired

Short practices work on the physical part of the load. They do not remove the demands, but they stop the body storing all of them.

Doing this at lunch

• Do it before eating rather than after, so you are not working against digestion
• Leaving the desk matters more than the session length
• Take the headphones off afterwards so the break registers

A break that happens at the same desk is only half a break.

How body scan works

A body scan moves attention systematically through the body, region by region. It does not try to change what it finds — it builds a map of what is actually there, which is often different from what you assumed.

• Move slowly, head to feet or feet to head, and do not skip the uncomfortable areas
• Meet each region with plain curiosity rather than a verdict
• Numbness and absence of sensation are findings too

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight.
2. 0:14Your only job is to notice what is there, region by region, without fixing anything.
3. 0:28Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
4. 0:42Notice the pause at the end of each breath. It's short, but it's there.
5. 0:56Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
6. 1:12Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
7. 1:26Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
8. 1:38Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
9. 1:50Feel the tops of your thighs.
10. 2:00Notice how the low-grade alarm of being stretched thin changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
11. 2:18Think of the load you are carrying as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
12. 2:36Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
13. 2:46Take the next breath slowly.
14. 2:55Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
15. 3:09If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
16. 3:24A short silence. Let it be empty.
17. 3:34If a region feels numb, that is a finding too. Note it and move on.
18. 3:48Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
19. 4:00Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
20. 4:13Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
21. 4:25Notice where the tension of too much on the plate lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
22. 4:44Imagine the low-grade alarm of being stretched thin as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
23. 5:03Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
24. 5:17Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
25. 5:28You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
26. 5:40I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
27. 5:52Start at the crown of the head and move down slowly. Do not skip to the parts that hurt.
28. 6:08Let your eyes open when they're ready, not when the words end.
29. 6:21If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
30. 6:35No need to open your eyes yet.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.