Experiment #8: The 5-Minute Body Scan

Spend Five Minutes Listening to Your Body

Most of us spend our days paying attention to screens, conversations and our thoughts. Much less often do we notice what is happening inside our own body. This week, spend five minutes each day simply paying attention to physical sensations.

Why this experiment?

Your brain constantly receives information from your body: your breathing, heartbeat, muscles, joints and internal organs. This ability is called interoception. The better you notice these signals, the easier it becomes to recognise stress, fatigue, hunger and tension before they become overwhelming. Like any skill, body awareness improves with practice.

The experiment

Once a day, sit or lie down somewhere comfortable.

Close your eyes if you like.

Starting at your head, slowly move your attention through your body.

Notice your forehead, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips, legs and feet.

Don't try to relax anything or change what you feel.

Simply notice:

• tension

• warmth or cold

• tingling

• pressure

• movement

• areas that feel comfortable

• areas that feel uncomfortable

If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your body.

Five minutes is enough.

If it's harder than expected

Many people discover they hardly notice anything at first. Others find their thoughts immediately take over.

That's completely normal.

You are not trying to empty your mind or perform the exercise perfectly. You're simply training your attention to notice your body again.

Make it easier

Do it at the same time each day, such as before getting out of bed or before going to sleep.

Using a five-minute timer can also help you avoid checking the clock.

Shorten it. Start with 1 minute and over the next weeks or even months build up to 5 minutes.

Try it

Try it for seven days. If you notice a difference, continue for another two weeks and see what changes.