Body scan for tired eyes: 7 minutes, at 3pm

About this practice

For the times at 3pm when tired eyes 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: tired eyes

Screens reduce blink rate sharply, and the muscles that focus at close range stay contracted. The result is strain, ache and blur by the end of the day.

It tends to show up as:

• Aching, gritty eyes after screen time
• Blurring at the end of the day
• Headaches above the eyes

Closing the eyes is the only real rest they get. A few minutes without visual input is the specific thing your eyes are short of.

Doing this in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

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. 0:00If you're sitting, let the chair do the work of holding you upright.
2. 0:13Visit each area with plain curiosity, not with a verdict. Sensation is information, not a problem.
3. 0:28Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
4. 0:42Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
5. 0:53Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6. 1:07Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
7. 1:20Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
8. 1:31Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
9. 1:44Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
10. 1:56When the heavy lids of a screen-lit day arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
11. 2:16Each time your mind hands you the ache of staring too long, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
12. 2:36Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
13. 2:50Stay here a little longer.
14. 2:59Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
15. 3:11If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
16. 3:25I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
17. 3:37We will travel down through the body, one region at a time, and leave each one softer than we found it.
18. 3:54If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
19. 4:08Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
20. 4:22Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
21. 4:34There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
22. 4:52Give the heavy lids of a screen-lit day a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
23. 5:11Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
24. 5:24If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
25. 5:37Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
26. 5:49A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
27. 6:00Start at the crown of the head and move down slowly. Do not skip to the parts that hurt.
28. 6:16Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently, like you're testing that they still work.
29. 6:29Notice the quiet you made, and let it close gently.

Questions people ask

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