Body awareness is one of those phrases that is self explanatory, but still requires a bit more thought. Have you ever caught yourself holding your breath or clenching your teeth? Ever seen yourself slouching in the mirror or straight up disappearing into your couch? Me too! In this fast moving world, checking out of your body is easy to do, and it has lasting effects. Many pain patterns and even dis-eases originate from these lapses in body awareness – but fear not! The problem is also the solution, and a simple one at that. Anything you do is an opportunity to tune in to your body and notice the feedback it is giving you.
Think of our bodies as the vehicles through which we experience life. Vehicles with built-in intelligence that are constantly learning and adapting. These expert learners become very good at the things that we do often. The ways in which we sit, stand, breathe, and move all impact the patterns we develop and how we function. For this reason (and so many more) our bodies deserve to be heard, felt, and noticed.
What we feel in our bodies can provide a look into our internal world. No sensation is random or accidental. More importantly, no sensation is malicious or indicative of your body being against you. In fact, our bodies do everything they can in order to keep us operating safely, even if it means creating tension or reducing range of motion.
Pain is a necessary tool whose purpose is to alert us that something is not optimal. A tight chest can tell you that you aren’t breathing efficiently. Headaches can signal dehydration. Those are things we want to be aware of, so that we can make positive change! Simply adjusting your perspective on pain and discomfort will yield many improvements in your life.
Benefits of Cultivating Body Awareness
Your body is both a magnificent teacher and a friend, if you choose to pay it any mind. Not only is body awareness an amazing tool for personal growth and innerstanding, it is a vital and powerful source of information for bodyworkers like myself! Rather than saying, “My back hurts”, you could say, “I notice that when I am cooking, I have a tendency to lean up against the counter. I think it is because my low back begins to experience a build up of pressure that is uncomfortable”. Those two sentences are SO telling, and will allow for a treatment plan that is much more concise. On top of that, you are actively participating in your healing journey – rooting it more deeply.
The mind also benefits from body awareness! Because your brain is where you make sense of the things you notice in your body, your mental awareness inevitably increases. You will see many crossovers in the thinking/feeling loop. These crossovers give you direction – allowing for action. For instance, think of the activities you love, and those which you dislike. You may check in with your body and remember that running reminds you of your middle school PE teacher who was verbally abusive. Just like that, you’ve got a clear directive for some inner work that you can approach on your own or with the help of a professional.
Tools & Action Steps
- Whether you love to dance or powerlift, watch yourself while doing whatever it is that gets you moving! Utilizing mirrors or videos of yourself is an excellent way to visually check in with the quality of your posture and movement. You can also glance down at your lower legs and feet to ensure that all of your joints are stacked one over the other. Try using your second toe as a gauge for where your foot is oriented, it should be pointing directly ahead of you.
- Don’t have a movement practice established? Get one! Movement is medicine and an insightful means to assess your health & well being.
- Practice doing internal body scans throughout your day. This can be while you are in motion, or stationary. This in itself is a meditative practice and will calm your nervous system, improving overall functioning.
- If you are into meditating, check in with your body before, during, and after your session. The sensations that arise may be useful messages from areas that need your attention.
- Check in during moments of elevated emotions. Whether you are extremely happy & excited, or you just received some bad news – use that instance as an opportunity to see how your emotions are affecting your body.
Other easy yet discerning times to tune in are:
- Cooking: how are you standing? Are your knees locked? Is your weight evenly distributed in your feet? Are you favoring one side over the other?
- Eating: are you chewing your food fully or are you in a rush? How is your body reacting to the aromas and flavors you are experiencing? Are you still eating even if you are full?
- Showering: Again, how are you standing? How are you breathing? Where is your mind?
- Driving or watching TV: Is your head forward of your spine/the rest of your body? Are you slouched in your seat? Is your weight rested upon your sit bones? Are you breathing with your mouth open, or closed?
- Before bed and upon waking up. What do you feel in your body? What is your mental/emotional state?
- Before, during, and after exercise. How is your energy? Are your thoughts around working out positive, neutral, or negative? Are you relying on your entire body to support itself through what you are doing?
- Before during and after work. Again, check in with your thoughts and emotions – see if they affect what you experience within your body.