Mindfulness Meditation and Body Scan

Carolyn McManus PT MA MS | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 1, 2003)
• Original Release Date: June 1, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: CDBY
• ASIN: B0000A1ECW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,099 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Carolyn McManus draws on personal and professional training and experience to provide a compelling vision and practice of mind body medicine. She earned a Master’s degree in physical therapy from Duke University in 1980 and a Master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University in 1991. Her personal experience recovering from a back injury in 1981 led her to the study and practice of mindfulness meditation and to adopt a holistic approach to the care of people with chronic medical conditions. This approach combines current medical knowledge with the wisdom of the heart and embraces the interrelationship of mind, body and spirit.

Clinical Coordinator for Rehab Wellness Services at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, Carolyn designed, coordinates and teaches The Wellness Program, a mindfulness-based stress reduction, exercise, and self-management program for people with chronic pain and disease.

Carolyn has served as a consultant and instructor in NIH-funded research examining the role of a mindfulness-based wellness and other prevention strategies in the treatment of individuals with chronic pain and disease. Her book for professionals, Group Wellness Programs for Chronic Pain and Disease Management, is a popular text exploring the topic of promoting wellness.

Carolyn is a dynamic and engaging clinician, researcher and workshop leader and serves as a national consultant and speaker on the topics of wellness and the role of mindfulness in health care.

Product Description

Mindfulness meditation and body scan are practices that develop your ability to pay attention to your present moment experience with increasing stability, openness and wisdom. You learn to observe thoughts, emotion and physical sensations without judging or trying to change them. These practices promote insight and understanding, compassion and an open heart. They enhance your ability to live life more fully.

The Mindful Body Scan introduces you to mindfulness of your body. You are guided to observe your breath and bring present moment awareness to your body, progressing from your feet to your head. This practice concludes by guiding you to observe your entire body and experience wholeness.

Mindfulness Meditation begins with a brief mindful body scan followed by three meditation practices. These practices build concentration and develop your ability to rest the mind in the present moment. How to respond to unpleasant physical sensations and emotions with mindfulness is introduced.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent CD, good for starting a practice...., May 11, 2007

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mindfulness Meditation and Body Scan (Audio CD)

I have reviewed a lot of Carolyn McManus's work and I have found it all to be of high quality. My favorite audio by her is Relax into Restful Sleep, which I have rated a 5. However, this is almost as good and certainly better than most similar material out there.

What I like best about Carolyn's approach is that each meditation is carefully planned, timed, organized and delivered in a way that truly facilitates the process of mindfulness, relaxation, etc. It is clear from her work that she has her own deep practice and is aware of the needs of her audience.

This CD is a particularly worthwhile addition to the meditation material out there because it combines mindfulness with a body scan. This is a great place for people to start since it grounds them in their body, induces deep relaxation and helps the mind to access deeper feeling levels.

A value-add of this particular flavor of mindfulness is the Western-oriented approach. If you have been reluctant to try meditation because you associate it with esoteric traditions, then this audio is for you. If you have already done a lot of meditation in any tradition, you will also find this is a nice relaxing practice.

My experience is that different people respond differently to various types of relaxation techniques e.g. progressive relaxation vs. autogenic training. If you find that one method doesn't work well for you, you might want to try something else. Carolyn McManus also has resources on these techniques, e.g. Progressive Relaxation & Autogenic Training. I really like this CD because it fits two important techniques on one CD in sessions that are long enough to get the benefits of each practice.

I have a lot of other meditation resources listed on my listmania lists on my profile. If you are a serious practioner, you may want to check these lists out. With respect to my background, I teach meditation, have a graduate education in psychology and biochemistry. In addition, I am a student of comparative religion and have studied meditation under various teachers. When I recommend Carol's materials, I do not do so lightly or from a place of ignorance.

No resource can be all things to all people and this audio is no exception. If you have a deep practice or are advanced in various techniques, these may not be for you. However, I use them myself with sustained benefit. However, if you are looking to a establish a serious, systematic and deeper practice, you may also enjoy Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate. This gives you a number of techniques to try at a low price point. I would consider this CD set to be a compliment to Carolyn's work and a good next step. Also, Meditation for Beginners is a lighter, but very piognant introduction to Vipassana (Buddhist) meditation by a Western clinical psychologist. Unlike Carolyn's CD, however, this one just gives you a flavor and sense of the tradition and reasoning behind a meditation practice, its benefits, etc.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindfulness Meditation, May 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mindfulness Meditation and Body Scan (Audio CD)

I highly recommend this album for those who are new to meditation and those who have practiced for years. Carolyn has a wonderful soothing voice which helps release my busy mind. I am partial to the body scan as I find it extremely relaxing. I use this album several times a week and have given it to friends who have found it very helpful for pain control following surgery.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous Aid for Relaxation & Mindfulness, July 7, 2004

By 

Mary Lynn Pulley (Colorado Springs,, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mindfulness Meditation and Body Scan (Audio CD)

I've been practicing mindfulness, off and on, for many years. I find this C.D. to be a wonderful addition to my toolbox for helping me to stop a chattering mind and ease into a place of spaciousness and grace.