We hope you’ve enjoyed the first week of the Headstrong challenge. It’s now time to be Headstrong with the body scan.
For Week 2, we continue our focus on mindful breathing, but we’ll be adding a technique called 'body scanning'. You should aim to complete 20 minutes of this activity each or every other day.
Doing a body scan as part of your mindful breathing practice can help you identify areas where you hold tension throughout your body. By practising regularly, you can improve your awareness of how everyday stresses affect you physically.
As before, we’ll begin by focussing on mindful breathing.
If you're struggling to focus on your breathing we suggest visualising a relaxing colour (often this is blue or green) or a word, such as 'relax' as you breathe in, and then a colour associated with anger or stress (often black or red) or a word such as 'release' as you breathe out.
Imagining yourself in a comfortable, safe place such as your bedroom or favourite beach can also help you focus all of your attention on breathing.
The technique might feel tricky at first. Don’t be too hard on yourself, some days it will come easier than others.