Happiness Break: Six Minutes to Connect with Your Body, with Dacher

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Oct 16, 2025

Discover the art of connecting with your body through a mindful body scan. The practice begins with calming breaths, inviting you to become aware of sensations in your feet and steadily moving up. This journey encourages gratitude, releasing tensions in shoulders, throat, and face. Experience a profound sense of relaxation as you notice tingling sensations and embrace the pulse in your hands. Close with deep breaths, carrying a newfound awareness into your day, fostering resilience against daily stress.

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INSIGHT

Attention Is A Trainable Muscle

Tuning into bodily sensations trains attention like strengthening a muscle.
Regular practice increases present-moment focus and awareness.

INSIGHT

Body Scan Changes Brain Regulation

Short daily body scans alter brain function by helping the prefrontal cortex regulate the amygdala.
This neural change lets you handle daily life with a bit more calm.

ADVICE

Practice A Daily Body Scan

Do a daily body scan by moving attention from feet to head while breathing slowly to build focus and calm.
Practice for a week to reduce rumination, anxiety, and improve sleep and pain management.

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Dedicating a little time to tune into your body fortifies you to better handle the stresses of daily life.

How To Do This Practice:

Find your space: Choose a quiet place where you feel safe and comfortable. You can sit, stand, or lie down, whatever helps you relax. If sitting, rest your hands on your thighs; if standing, let them hang by your sides.
Begin with your breath: Close your eyes. Inhale slowly to a count of four, feeling your belly and chest expand. Exhale to a count of four, letting your body soften. Notice the temperature of the air as it moves in and out through your nose.
Start at your feet: Bring your attention to your feet on the ground. Notice sensations— pressure, warmth, tingling. Gently wiggle your toes. On the next breath, move your awareness to your ankles and calves, then your knees, thanking them for their steady work.
Move up the body: With each breath, shift attention upward. Thighs, hips, and lower back, then your stomach. Feel it rise and fall with your breath. Continue up through your back and shoulders, releasing any tension there.
Soften the upper body: Turn your attention to your throat, face, and head. Relax your jaw, smooth your forehead, and feel any soft tingling at the top of your head. Then bring awareness to your hands and fingers.
Close with awareness: Take a few final deep breaths. On your last exhale, open your eyes gently. Notice how your body feels and carry that awareness into the rest of your day.

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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

DACHER KELTNER is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and is a co-instructor of the Greater Good Science Center’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Related Happiness Break episodes:

A Mindful Breath Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx

The Healing Power of Your Own Touch: https://tinyurl.com/y4ze59h8

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Breathe Away Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5

How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4fjwac6y