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Meditation and mindfulness are common buzzwords right now, but how do they impact the physical body? How are we able to utilize these practices during the massage? Our mind and body are very closely linked. The brain not only tells the body how to move but can impact how it feels and interacts with the world – in both a positive and negative light. When we undergo a traumatic injury or have chronic pain, negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and hopelessness often arise. These emotions, in turn, worsen the physical pain. It’s a vicious loop and can feel impossible to escape.
During a therapeutic massage, a therapist can manipulate your soft tissue and stimulate different neural pathways. But, if your brain is stuck running a loop of pain and anger, it will take more work and time to create lasting results. Body scans help break through this barrier by retraining the brain and creating awareness of the physical body.
During a therapeutic massage, a therapist can manipulate your soft tissue and stimulate different neural pathways. But, if your brain is stuck running a loop of pain and anger, it will take more work and time to create lasting results. Body scans help break through this barrier by retraining the brain and creating awareness of the physical body.
How it Works
Retraining the Brain
Physical Awareness
Retraining the Brain
Meditations (and body scans in particular), help build a strong mind-body connection. By bringing intentional awareness throughout the body, the brain can experience areas that are in physical pain, and those absent from it. This allows the brain to recognize that the entire body is not in pain, which helps induce a parasympathetic state and creates a guideline for what ”pain-free” feels like.
Physical Awareness
To intentionally relax your muscles and allow for therapeutic work to be done, you need to have an understanding of where an area hurts and what these sensations are like. By bringing awareness to different parts of your body, you create a map of physical sensations and build upon any connections already present.
For example, if you’re new to a town and are driving somewhere you’ve never been, it’s probably going to take a little extra focus and time. After getting comfortable with that area, you know right where to go and don’t need to pay as much attention. This is similar to how our body works; think of your body as a giant map, with the nervous system being roads and your awareness a vehicle.
Why do a Body Scan During the Massage?
Body scans (and meditation in general), are basic in nature: focus your attention on a certain element and clear your head of judgment. If you’ve ever tried this before, you know it’s not that easy! External factors may arise that pull at your attention: a dog barks, your phone dings, the kids come home… The list is endless. When you come into a massage, you come into an environment that is meant to put your brain and body at ease. The only distraction is your own brain, which may have a hard time focusing.
During the practice, we ask ourselves questions like what does bringing attention to my foot even feel like? What sensations should I be feeling? Why does my brain keep wandering? Am I doing this right? It’s hard to bring the brain into focus on your own, but the use of physical touch can provide the brain with a clear focal point. During the body scan, I’ll be gently working on the area you’re focusing on. When I ask you to bring awareness down your right arm, you’ll feel firm, warm pressure tracking down to your fingertips. This helps put your body at ease while your awareness flows through the body.
Our mind cannot mend tissue and heal bones just with positive thinking, but it does help with pain management and builds a connection between brain and body. This, in turn, allows the body to be more accepting of manual work done in a session! If you’re interested in trying a body scan at your next massage, book below!
Keep in mind, this technique can improve symptoms of pain – but does not fix the root issue of chronic pain or traumatic injuries. Pain is not simply mind over matter. The brain is very complex, and this is just one tool to help manage your symptoms.
How it Works
Retraining the Brain
Physical Awareness
Retraining the Brain
Meditations (and body scans in particular), help build a strong mind-body connection. By bringing intentional awareness throughout the body, the brain can experience areas that are in physical pain, and those absent from it. This allows the brain to recognize that the entire body is not in pain, which helps induce a parasympathetic state and creates a guideline for what ”pain-free” feels like.
Physical Awareness
To intentionally relax your muscles and allow for therapeutic work to be done, you need to have an understanding of where an area hurts and what these sensations are like. By bringing awareness to different parts of your body, you create a map of physical sensations and build upon any connections already present.
For example, if you’re new to a town and are driving somewhere you’ve never been, it’s probably going to take a little extra focus and time. After getting comfortable with that area, you know right where to go and don’t need to pay as much attention. This is similar to how our body works; think of your body as a giant map, with the nervous system being roads and your awareness a vehicle.
Why do a Body Scan During the Massage?
Body scans (and meditation in general), are basic in nature: focus your attention on a certain element and clear your head of judgment. If you’ve ever tried this before, you know it’s not that easy! External factors may arise that pull at your attention: a dog barks, your phone dings, the kids come home… The list is endless. When you come into a massage, you come into an environment that is meant to put your brain and body at ease. The only distraction is your own brain, which may have a hard time focusing.
During the practice, we ask ourselves questions like what does bringing attention to my foot even feel like? What sensations should I be feeling? Why does my brain keep wandering? Am I doing this right? It’s hard to bring the brain into focus on your own, but the use of physical touch can provide the brain with a clear focal point. During the body scan, I’ll be gently working on the area you’re focusing on. When I ask you to bring awareness down your right arm, you’ll feel firm, warm pressure tracking down to your fingertips. This helps put your body at ease while your awareness flows through the body.
Our mind cannot mend tissue and heal bones just with positive thinking, but it does help with pain management and builds a connection between brain and body. This, in turn, allows the body to be more accepting of manual work done in a session! If you’re interested in trying a body scan at your next massage, book below!
Keep in mind, this technique can improve symptoms of pain – but does not fix the root issue of chronic pain or traumatic injuries. Pain is not simply mind over matter. The brain is very complex, and this is just one tool to help manage your symptoms.
References
How can mindfulness practices help with migraine? (Harvard Health)
The Psychology of Low Back Pain (Harvard Health)
Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account (NLM Author manuscript)