As we noted in our original article on Introduction to Mindfulness for Migraine, mindfulness can play a significant role in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine. In this follow-up post, our partner Dr. Mary Motwani walks through a practical guide on how to perform mindful body scan meditation.
Just to summarize the excellent video above, here are the guided steps that are recommended when doing a mindful body scan.
- Situate yourself in a comfortable position, either sitting or lying supine on the floor.
- Allow your eyes to close if preferred.
- Place your awareness on your breath — take deep breaths through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Once you feel relaxed, slowly focus on your feet and toes, and notice if your toes feel relaxed or cramped. Try to relax all tension in your feet and imagine dissolving into the floor.
- Move your attention slowly up to your thighs and legs, being careful to be taking slow deep breaths.
- Move your awareness slowly up to your pelvis and stomach, noting any tension or discomfort.
- Bring your awareness up to your chest and shoulders, traveling up to your arms, elbows, and into your hands starting with your left pinky finger.
- Try to channel your breathing in and out of your fingertips — if your mind wanders, slowly bring your awareness back to your hands
- Shift your awareness to focus on your back, starting at your low back and moving up to your shoulders, where a lot of tension is stored.
- Shift your focus to your face — focus on relaxing your lips, cheeks, eyelids, and forehead
- Now that you’ve become aware of sensations in your body, expand your awareness to be aware of your entire body as a whole, and allow yourself to rest in a gentle rhythm of your breath as it moves back and forth.
This practice should be repeated intentionally at least a few times a week — I personally put this in my calendar and strictly block out time to do this. Just like any skill, building mindfulness takes practice, so don’t worry if your mind wanders through some or even all of this exercise. As Dr. Motwani notes, the more you practice the easier it will become. Stay well! – Dr. K
Mary Motwani, PhD is a licensed health psychologist in Greenwich, CT and NYC and earned her Ph.D. from Purdue University. She completed her clinical psychology internship at Loma Linda University Medical Center and post-doctoral fellowship at Northport Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, specializing in behavioral medicine. She has expertise working in the areas of pain management, chronic migraine and headache disorders, behavioral cardiology, and weight management. In her clinical practice, she focuses on guiding patients in leveraging the mind-body connection, implementing mindfulness and cognitive behavioral techniques to better manage their chronic medical conditions and improve their overall health and wellness.