Sports Mindfulness: Post-Exercise Body Scan
A guided post-exercise body scan: lying down with soft music, students move their attention through the body noticing warmth, fatigue or tension. It builds body awareness, mental recovery and a calm finish to class.
How to play
- Each student lies on their back on a mat with soft music and eyes closed; take three slow breaths (1 minute).
- The teacher guides attention through the feet and legs: "Notice the warmth, the tiredness, the contact with the floor" (2 minutes).
- Move on to the hips, stomach, back and chest, noticing how they move with the breath (2 minutes).
- Finish the scan with the arms, hands, shoulders, neck and face (2 minutes).
- Breathe into the areas that feel tightest and imagine them loosening on each exhale (1 minute).
- Wrap-up: wiggle fingers, stretch, roll to the side and sit up; each student says one word about how they feel (2 minutes).
Rules
- Silence throughout the body scan.
- There are no right or wrong sensations: just notice them.
- Anyone who feels uncomfortable can open their eyes and breathe calmly.
- Get up slowly by rolling to the side at the end.
Variations
Easier
A short 4-minute scan of just the legs, back and shoulders.
Standard
A full 8-minute scan guided by the teacher.
Harder
A 10-minute scan where the teacher only names each area and students guide their own attention.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: do it seated in a chair, naming the areas where the student has sensation and adapting the script.
- Anxiety or autism: eyes open, gaze on the ceiling, with the option to lie near the wall.
- Students who are deaf or hard of hearing: hand out a card beforehand with the order of body areas so they can follow along on their own.
Learning goals
- Identify body sensations after exercise.
- Use the body scan as a relaxation technique.
- Support physical and mental recovery after the lesson.
Equipment for a class of 25
- yoga mats: 25
- music: 1
Teacher tip
Speak slowly with long pauses between areas; the pace matters more than the words. Tell students they can use it in bed to fall asleep: it's usually a strong motivator.
PatioLab has "Sports Mindfulness: Post-Exercise Body Scan" and 599 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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