Mindful Body Scan Art Therapy Exercise
Mindful Body Scan Art Therapy Exercise
Hello friends, today, I'll show you how to practice mindfulness & do a mindful body scan through an art therapy exercise.
This art therapy exercise will help you become more mindful of your body and your emotions in a nonjudgmental way. It is perfect for you if you are stressed out or feel pain/tension in your body.
I’m Youhjung and I do art therapy with people and make art for myself. I have been helping people through art therapy for years and this exercise is one way I like to combine my mindfulness practice with creative expression.
Before we get started, make sure you find a space that feels comfortable and where you won't be disturbed.
If want to watch the step by step video where I share the exercise you can see it here:
Art Materials You Need
The materials you need are:
Paper with a body outline
Mindful Breathing and Body Scan
Let’s start with mindful breathing and a body scan to get in touch with our physical self.
Gently place your attention on your breathing and your body.
Become quiet and listen to the silence. Hear your breath as you breathe in to your lungs, and as air leaves from your nose/mouth.
Begin noticing your body, from the feet. Notice any sensation you feel there. Then notice your legs. Then your bottoms and hips. Lower back, then mid and upper back. Feel your shoulders. (any tension?) Your neck. Your face, forehead, cheekbones ears. Tongue. The entire head and the crown of the head.
Remember to breathe
The Art Therapy Prompt
Now that you are ready, here are the steps:
Color the body outline to represent how you feel right now - physically and emotionally, and indicate where you feel it in your body.
As you do this, remember to notice how your body feels and whether there are changes in any physical sensations.
Be mindful of your body and your breathing as you color.
If thoughts or judgments come up in your mind, gently come back to your breath and your drawing.
Bringing our attention to the body is a common way to practice mindfulness and self-care. Instead of thinking, we simply notice and feel any physical sensations.
It's very easy to neglect our body and paying attention to it is a way to practice deep self-care.
Take as much time as you need to fill in the body outline.
Post-art Check in
When you are done with your art, take some time to reflect on the artwork. Bring a pen and paper to write down the answers to these questions:
Describe the physical sensations you have drawn
What are other places in your body that you feel certain emotions?
What did you learn from this drawing?
That’s all for the mindful body scan art therapy exercise.
Thanks for following along with this self care art practice.
Hope you enjoy the exercise. See you next time!
P.S. Curious about therapeutic art and want to learn how to facilitate it or incorporate it in your work to help others? Then I’ve got the ✨perfect✨ resource for you. My Therapeutic Art Facilitation School course is THE place where you can learn the foundations of therapeutic art work. I teach you my framework, plus step by step signature method of using therapeutic art to help people, even if you’re just starting (no artist or therapist background needed). Want to learn how to do this? Check out my therapeutic art course here.
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