body · 7 min
gentle body scan for pain
use this when chronic pain feels steady and you need a calm way to sit with it
Press start. This is a quiet space — no music, no ads, just a voice and some room to breathe.
A quiet voice reads the session aloud in your browser — nothing is recorded. You can switch the voice off and follow the text instead.
About this practice
use this when chronic pain feels steady and you need a calm way to sit with it A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.
What happens, minute by minute
- 0:00Sit where you feel supported, feet flat on the floor, hands resting lightly on your thighs.
- 0:30Close your eyes and let the soft hum of the room settle around you, like a blanket of quiet.
- 0:58Take a slow breath in, feel the air fill your chest, then let it leave through a gentle sigh, noticing the rise and fall.
- 1:24Notice the weight of your right shoulder, how it rests about an inch lower than the left, and let that observation sit without trying to change it.
- 1:54Shift your attention to the spot where pain lives, simply name it—a tight knot, a throbbing pulse—just a label.
- 2:22Imagine a kettle on the stove, water heating, a low hum growing, steady and patient.
- 2:52Feel that hum as a soft vibration traveling from your ears down your neck, into the area you named.
- 3:18Now bring a hand to the ache, notice the temperature of your skin, the texture of the fabric, the pressure of your palm.
- 3:46Breathe into that spot, as if the kettle’s steam were reaching it, warm enough to soften but never burning.
- 4:16When the sensation shifts, allow a small smile to appear on the corner of your mouth, a quiet acknowledgment.
- 4:40Turn your focus to the breath, count each inhale as one, each exhale as two, keeping the count simple.
- 5:02If the count drifts, gently bring it back, no criticism, just a quiet return.
- 5:20Observe a dog sleeping nearby, its belly rising and falling, steady and unhurried.
- 5:40Let that steadiness remind you that rhythm can exist even when pain is present.
- 5:58Expand your awareness to the whole body, like a quiet room waiting for light.
- 6:12Gather one more deep breath, feel the air travel back up, and when you’re ready, open your eyes.
- 6:24Remain for a moment, notice any new space in your body, and carry that calm forward.
Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.
If this one is not quite right, try Meditation for gratitude: 7-minute noting session, on the morning of an interview, Waking at 3am: 20-minute body scan meditation or 20-minute guided letting go practice for contentment — on a break.