To perform a full body scan meditation, set aside about 30 minutes. Pick a comfortable location, and lie down so that your back is flat.  Make sure your phone, computer, and television are off so you can concentrate on the meditation. Your bed or a yoga mat are good places to perform this exercise. It can also help you relax if you dim the lights and take off your shoes. Some people also find it helpful to close their eyes. Before you officially start the scan, pay attention to the parts of your body that seem tense or painful. When you identify these areas, try to relax or soften your muscles. Holding tension in these areas will prevent you from being fully relaxed and enjoying as much benefit from the body scan. Pretend you are checking in with different parts of your body, and pay attention to how these parts feel. Focus on one part at a time.  For example, if you start with your foot, observe how different parts of the foot touch the mat, your bed, or the floor. Do certain parts of your foot feel different from the rest? If you are wearing shoes or socks, think about how these feel against your feet. Many people find it helpful to start with their toes and move toward their head. You can also start with your head and work toward your toes. When you finish reflecting on a body part, allow yourself to move on to another. Work your way to the top of your head. Don’t feel rushed or worry about the time. You don’t have to spend a specific amount of time on each body part. Just give yourself long enough to scan how each part feels. It can be challenging to eliminate distractions such as negative thoughts, the sound of traffic, or a radio in another room, but don’t let these intrude on your meditation.  Allow negative thoughts and distractions from the world around you to fade away. If you find yourself getting distracted during the scan, don’t feel bad. Knowing when you become distracted is a beneficial part of the exercise because you will be better able to prevent this from occurring in the future. Don’t feel like you are judging your body during the scan. Instead, you are observing how it feels and works. After you’ve scanned each body part, try to be aware of how they connect to one another at your joints. Notice how these connections feel. As a final part of the scan, think about how your skin feels. Are certain parts cooler or warmer than others? Can you feel different textures from clothing, sheets, or the mat? Now that you’ve fully scanned your body, try writing about your experience in a notebook or journal.  Do you feel less pain or tension in certain areas? What worked well with the exercise? What parts of the body scan seemed less effective? Were there moments when you felt distracted? What distracted you? How could you avoid these distractions in the future? Repeat this exercise as often as you would like to relax your body. The more regularly you perform a body scan, the easier it will be to maintain your focus and achieve the most benefit.
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One-sentence summary -- Get prepared. Identify the parts of your body that seem tense. Start a mental scan of your body. Continue with the scan. Eliminate distractions. Focus on connections between body parts. Pay attention to how your skin feels. Reflect on your meditation. Repeat as needed.


You will need some sort of heat-resistant container, such as a mason jar or an old candle holder, to pour your melted wax into. Make sure that the mouth of your container is wide enough for you to reach into and that the container can withstand high temperatures. You can use any candle wax for your candles, such as paraffin, soy, or even old, unscented candles. Cut or break your chosen wax into cubes. Make sure that you have enough to fill your container, plus some extra. Wax shrinks a little when it hardens, and you may find that you will have to add a little extra wax into the container during the cooling process. Fill your double boiler with water and place it on the stove, then fill the smaller chamber with wax. Turn on the stove and wait until the wax melts. It will look mostly clear.  If you do not have a double boiler, you can make your own by filling a large pot part-way with water and placing a smaller, heat-resistant container, such as a glass measuring cup, inside it. The smaller container should be at least as tall as the larger pot; it should not be submerged in the water. Place the candle wax into the smaller container, and set the large pot onto the stove. If you want to add some color to your candle, you can add in some crayons or wax dye. Wax dye usually comes in blocks, and you can find it online or in the candle-making section of an arts and crafts store. If you choose to add some color, be sure to stir your wax to blend it all in. Use about ½ teaspoon or 10 drops of oil per one pound of wax. You can use more essential oil if you'd like a more potent candle, or less essential oil if you'd prefer a less potent one. You can find citronella essential oil online or in the essential oil section of a health food store. Once you have added the oil, stir the wax to mix it all together.  Be sure to use essential oil, as a synthetic citronella oil (or citronella scent) will not be as effective at keeping the bugs away.  You can also add other candle-making scents to help compliment the citronella. Consider using scents that other insects don't like, such as eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, peppermint, or pine. Measure out a pre-waxed candle wick and cut it with a pair of scissors. The wick should be a few inches longer than your chosen container; you will be trimming the wick down later. If your candle wick came without a metal tab, you will need to purchase one online or from the candle-making aisle of an arts and crafts store and attach it to one end. Simply slip the metal tab onto one end of your candle wick and pinch it shut using a pair of pliers. Take the candle wick and dip the metal tab into the hot wax, then slip the wick into the container. When the wax hardens, it will affix the metal tab to the bottom of the jar, securing the wick. You want your candle wicks to be straight inside the candle, so you will need to secure them. You can do this by taking a wooden clothespin, closing it around your candle wick, and resting the pin on the top of your container. If you do not have any clothespins, you can support the candle wick by resting chopsticks or pencils on top of the container, and placing them to either side of the wick. This will help keep the wick upright and prevent it from falling over. Carefully lift the container holding the wax off of the double boiler and pour the melted wax into the container. Leave about ½ to 1 inch space from the rim of the container. You can tell if your candle has cooled if it is solid colored. Most uncolored waxes will appear white, ivory, or yellow when they have cooled. If you find that your wax has shrunk a little, simply add more hot wax and wait for it to cool. Once your candle has cooled, you can remove the chopsticks, and trim the wick until it is about ½ inch long.
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One-sentence summary --
Find a clean, glass jar with a wide opening. Purchase some candle wax and cut it into small cubes. Heat the candle wax in a double boiler. Add citronella essential oil to your melted wax. Purchase a pre-waxed candle wick and cut it. Insert and attach the candle wick. Secure the candle wick. Pour the wax into the jars. Wait until your candle has cooled. Trim your wick.