Body Scanning is an extremely valuable practice that originated in Yoga where it is an advanced aspect of Savasana, also known as the corpse pose.
It is sometimes referred to as Progressive Relaxation, and is has been used for years now in Western Medicine clinics that specialize in the treatment of chronic pain, because body scanning can help abort the anxiety/tension response that can be created by that feeling of helplessness that can occur with chronic pain. Body scanning also teaches you how to unwind the tension and knots that develop in your muscles and fascia with mental and emotional stress
In my San Diego Acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine practice I find Body Scanning a really valuable aspect of the treatment of any of the disorders that involve nervous system over-activation. Western medicine now does a good job explaining the Gut-Brain connection, which is how an overactivated nervous system creates disease. This is the sympathetic nervous system drive associated with unrelenting stress response. The remedy is to cultivate the relaxation response which is so far from being woo-woo. The relaxation response, cultivated by progressive relaxation and body scanning, activates the para-sympathetic nervous system associated with all of the beneficial hormones, lower blood pressure and sugar, etc. Read the below article on my website to find out how body scanning pacifies elevated Vata and Pitta and how to do it...Thanks!
Body Scanning for Vatta and Pitta Disorder
copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com
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