Meditation for mindfulness: 10-minute body scan session, in the office

About this practice

For the times in the office when mindfulness takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, body scan. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: mindfulness

Attention spends most of its time in the past or the future. Being present is not a state you find, it is a return you keep making.

It tends to show up as:

• Missing conversations while composing replies
• Arriving somewhere with no memory of the walk
• Eating without tasting

Every return to the senses is a repetition of the actual skill. Losing it is part of the practice, not a break in it.

Doing this at your desk

• Feet flat, back supported, screen away from your eyeline
• You can do this with your eyes open if the office makes closing them awkward
• Unclench the jaw and drop the shoulders first, before anything else

Nobody needs to know you are doing it. Keep it invisible if that makes it possible.

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. 0:00Let your eyes soften. Not closed, just less busy.
2. 0:11We will travel down through the body, one region at a time, and leave each one softer than we found it.
3. 0:28There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
4. 0:42Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
5. 0:56If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
6. 1:10Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
7. 1:24Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
8. 1:36Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
9. 1:48Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
10. 2:00Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
11. 2:10There is no correct amount of the ordinary present tense to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
12. 2:28Imagine the present moment you keep leaving as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
13. 2:47Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
14. 2:58Start at the crown of the head and move down slowly. Do not skip to the parts that hurt.
15. 3:14I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
16. 3:26If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
17. 3:39Your only job is to notice what is there, region by region, without fixing anything.
18. 3:53A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
19. 4:04Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
20. 4:16If a region feels numb, that is a finding too. Note it and move on.
21. 4:30Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
22. 4:41If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
23. 4:56Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
24. 5:09A few seconds more.
25. 5:18Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
26. 5:29Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
27. 5:41Let the pause stretch out.
28. 5:50Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
29. 6:02Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
30. 6:13Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
31. 6:23Feel your calves, front and back.
32. 6:33Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
33. 6:47A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
34. 6:58When the here-and-now your attention skips presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
35. 7:17If you catch yourself fighting the ordinary present tense, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
36. 7:34Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
37. 7:45You are allowed to be unimpressed by the present moment you keep leaving. Indifference is a legitimate response.
38. 8:01If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
39. 8:16Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
40. 8:27Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
41. 8:38Visit each area with plain curiosity, not with a verdict. Sensation is information, not a problem.
42. 8:53Let it be this simple.
43. 9:02Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.
44. 9:14Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.
45. 9:27Stay here a little longer.

Questions people ask

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