The body scan meditation mindfulness technique can promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation. Practice it often. It is quite similar to progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, or visualization exercises for releasing stress and tension in your body.
What is the origin of mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness originated from ancient eastern and Buddhist philosophy and dates back around 2500 years. The concept of mindfulness was introduced to the western world by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Can this technique lead to enlightenment?
Yes, Vipassana as we call it can certainly lead you to enlightenment, provided you do it correctly and you pursue with it till all your past karma are eradicated. But, other benefits will also take place.
In a body scan meditation, we move through the body slowly and deliberately, tuning into different spaces and the experiences present. During the period of practice, the task is just to be present with what is going on. There are many different types of body scans spanning various meditation traditions. In Buddhism, body scans are traditionally done without trying to fix anything. That is, we don’t move through the body intentionally changing our experience. We may relax the shoulders or breathe deeply into the belly, but the practice is really to tune into whatever is present, pleasant or unpleasant.
