“A study from 2014 found that when expert meditators were asked to focus their attention on a specific body part, there was significantly more activity in the section of the spinal cord that corresponded to the body part on which they were directing their attention, with less body-part-specific activity when novice meditators were asked to do the same thing. This raises the intriguing possibility that when a guided meditation invites you to focus on the strength in your legs or the tension in your neck, what you can feel isn’t in your imagination – it’s an actual sensation that, with practice, can become more vivid and easier to switch on and off.16 It’s early days for spine–brain imaging, but it raises the possibility that we might one day be able to look at activity across the whole body, and to spot – and begin to fix – any errant activity or blockages that may be causing problems, such as chronic pain.”