My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts

by Resmaa Menakem

BODY SCAN Sit comfortably in a chair. Take a few breaths, feeling the air move in and out of your body. Close your eyes. Notice the experience of the chair against your back. Notice the sensation of your feet on the ground. Starting with the top of your head, slowly scan your body from top to bottom. Pay attention to each part as you slowly move your attention downward. Notice where there is pain or discomfort, where there is constriction, and where there is relaxation or expansiveness. First move slowly down your forehead, then through your face, then down your neck. Follow your attention as it moves across the top of your shoulders and onto your shoulder blades, then down your torso and into and down your arms. Continue to descend down your torso and arms, through your hips and buttocks, and into your hands. Experience your attention spreading into your fingers and then out your fingertips. Continue moving down your legs, through your knees, and down to your ankles. Pay attention to your major joints—your ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. These are spots where energy often gets blocked. (If you feel the urge to move any of these, feel free to do so.) Follow your attention into your feet, then down into your toes, then into the bottoms of your feet. Take a moment to notice where your soles meet the ground. For a pleasant and effective variation of this body scan, practice it standing in the shower, as you let the water surround and cleanse you.