Body awareness pendulum: a guided body scan

How to use this board

This board is a body-awareness aid, much like the body scan used in meditation. Instead of moving through your whole body, you let the pendulum suggest where to begin. It doesn't diagnose or detect anything; it simply invites you to notice. If you have pain or symptoms, see a doctor.

Sit or lie down comfortably, take a few breaths and ask: "Where should my attention go now?" When an area comes up, rest your attention there for a minute or two. Notice warmth, weight, tension, tingling or nothing in particular; all of it counts.

There's no need to change what you find. If you notice tension, you can try breathing toward that area or moving it gently. When you're done, you might jot down one line about what you noticed.

The options

What each answer invites you to consider.

Head

Bring your attention to your head: forehead, temples, jaw, eyes. Is anything clenched? Try unclenching your jaw and softening your gaze as you take three breaths.

Throat and neck

Notice your neck and throat. How does the air move through? Does swallowing feel easy? Turn your head slowly from side to side, without pushing, and see what shifts there.

Shoulders

Shoulders tend to carry the day. Are yours creeping up toward your ears? Lift them as you breathe in and let them drop as you breathe out, a couple of times. Notice the before and after.

Chest

Rest a hand on your chest and feel it rise and fall with your breath. Is the breath full or shallow? Don't change it yet; just keep it company for a few moments, curious.

Belly

Move your attention to your belly. Is it soft or held tight? Let it expand a little as you breathe in, as if the air could reach all the way down. Many people find this area responds to how they feel.

Back

Feel your back against the chair, the bed or the open air. Travel up it slowly: lower back, middle, between the shoulder blades. Where do you feel supported? Where are you working hardest?

Hands

Look at or feel your hands without moving them. Are they warm, cool, still, restless? Open and close your fingers slowly. Your hands do so much all day that they rarely get any attention.

Legs and feet

Let your attention drop to your legs and feet. Feel the contact with the floor, the weight, your toes. Press your heels down gently and notice the ground holding you up.

Frequently asked questions

What is a body scan?

A body scan is an attention practice in which you move through your body in your mind, area by area, noticing what's there without judging it. It's part of many forms of meditation. This board helps you choose where to start, or where to linger for a while.

Can a pendulum detect problems in my body?

No. A pendulum doesn't detect illness or blockages; a hand-held pendulum moves because of tiny unconscious muscle movements. This board is only a guide for your attention. If you have pain or symptoms, see a doctor.

How long should I spend on each area?

A minute or two is usually plenty. What matters is the quality of your attention, not the length. For a longer session, ask several questions in a row and visit a different area each time, finishing with your feet so you end up feeling the ground.

Go deeper

• Meditation Before Using a Pendulum: Five Minutes to Ask Calmly · A short breathing and grounding practice for before you use a pendulum, and why asking from a calmer place changes what you see in the answer.
• Pendulum and Intuition: How to Listen to What You Already Know · What psychology says about intuition, why gut feelings are sometimes right and sometimes wrong, and how a pendulum can help you slow down and read your body.
• The Ideomotor Effect: Why a Pendulum Moves · What the ideomotor effect is, how Chevreul, Carpenter and Faraday tested it, and why it turns a pendulum into a mirror for what you already feel.