Traditionally as a society we are not used to being aware of our bodies. Body awareness means being more connected to what is going on, physically, with our bodies moment to moment.
When tuning into our body, we realise that it holds emotions as physical sensations. For example, when we experience stressful events our body releases chemicals known as cortisal and adrenaline. This sets off physical reactions such as muscles being tense, heart beating faster etc. This make us act in a certain way such as rushing around (e.g. doing mode), being irritable, not sleeping etc .
The problem is that when the body does this, it sends more signals to the brain that there is something to be stressed about which triggers even more chemicals so that we feel, and then act, more stressed. Therefore a vicious cycle occurs.
Usually, this is all going on below our level of awareness. We are so caught up in our thoughts about a stressful situation that we are not aware of how much tension we are holding, which makes us react habitually.
The good news is that when we tune into our body regularly, we can start to regulate ourselves. Increasing body awareness means we are much more likely to be able to notice when are holding emotions in our bodies and take steps to manage that (i.e. virtuous cycle). This can bring us more choice in how we respond to situations. In fact, just being more body aware has a “healing” effect.
The other important aspect of the body is that it is an “anchor”. When practicing mindfulness, the body can provide many strong sensations for us to focus on. This can also give us a sense of being “grounded” if we find ourselves overwhelmed by stressful thoughts or feelings. Doing this regularly, in turn, increases our body awareness. So the body really is central to a mindfulness practices as it is two fold: We use the body as an anchor which in turn increases our awareness so that we can regulate our wellbeing.
How to Practice When we use the body as an anchor and increase our body awareness we are simply shifting our attention to the physical sensations present in the body. This can seem unusual at first as we are not used to doing it but over time it gets easier. Remember, we are not thinking about how body. We are trying to notice what it feels like, for example, you are tuning in to subtle physical sensations, tingles, aches, pains, tension, that kind of thing.
Often people report not feeling very much at first and that’s okay. Eventually as your brain gets used to this new activity it will notice more and more. Some parts of the body provide a lot of sensations (like shoulders for example where we hold tension) and others less (like knees)
It can also be very helpful to place your attention on the contact the body is making with certain things such as the floor or a chair. This gives a richer amount of sensations to notice. Sometimes it can help to move a part of the body too. When doing the practices try to have a non judgmental and curious attitude to what you are feeling, just allowing the sensations to be there, accepting and not changing your body. When your mind wanders, remember that’s normal, and notice where it has wandered too with curiosity before bringing it back.
FOFBOC (feet on floor bum on chair): This involves focussing on your feet for a few moments and then moving your awareness to include your bottom. Canbe usedduring the dayas a way to be mindful when going about our daily life. For example when drinking a cup of tea or waiting for an appointment. But can also be used as a “planned practice”.
BODY SCAN. The body scan is a longer planned practice and some people find very transformative. It can take anything from 15 mins to an hour. If you can fit one in each day that’s fantastic but many people find this is impossible. Aim to try at least one whilst doing the course so that you can experience its benefit. It can feel like giving yourself a massage with your mind!
Start at your toes or your head and stay with this part of the body for a few moments until you become aware of it. When you are ready (maybe around 1 min) move to the next part until you work through the whole body. If you feel able to devote a lot of time to this activity then you will go very gradually i.e. focussing on each toe, then moving the another part of the foot, then the whole foot, then ankle, then lower leg. However, if you have limited time you can focus on of foot (or feet) and then whole of lower leg.
Sometimes it can help to listen to a guided recording but it can also be useful to go at your own pace and only move to the next part of the body when you are sure you have connected with the physical sensations. It can be done on the floor or sat down. Many people report doing it before sleeping helps them drift off.
MINDFUL BODY PAUSE
If you want to take a few minutes to have a mindful break in the day between activities. This can be really useful to prevent the build up of stress.
Stop what you are doing. Focus on the sounds you can hear around you. Place your attention on your body as a whole and quickly scan. Being curious about the sensations. Are you feeling tension? anxiety? If so where? Be non-judgmental and allow sensations to just be there without changing them. Focus in further on another part of the body with less tension such as feet or hands etc. Notice the physical sensations. Broaden out to your whole body further and if there is still tension invite some of your muscles to relax.