full body awareness
Goal: Connect mind to body, be more aware of your body
Time: At least 7 minutes, optional extension
The purpose of this exercise is to get in touch with what your body is experiencing: tactile sensations, temperatures, aches, stiffness, tension, strength, discomfort, etc. Paying attention to the body helps to relieve stress in specific areas. Bringing awareness to the body shows us how external stimuli physically affects us. This exercise strengthens the mind and body connection, helping you regulate changes through biofeedback. Cultivating a regular awareness of the body connects you to your senses, increasing sensitivity and bodily observations.
1. Lie down or sit in a relaxed posture and settle into a comfortable state. Breathe in fully and deeply. Slowly pass your mind over your body, sensing each part without thinking about it too much. Find areas of tension or pain that might “speak up” at this time.
2. Now, slowly, go through your body, thinking to yourself:
Does my head ache?
Is there tension in my scalp, my skull, my brain, my face?
Is there tension in my jaw?
Do I clench my mouth?
Are my neck and shoulders tight?
Do they ache or feel wound-up?
And I holding my breath, sighing heavily, clenching my fists?
Is my heart racing?
Do I feel flushed?
Is there a knot in my stomach?
Do I feel slightly ill or bloated?
Am I unable to sleep or relax?
Am I constantly anxious and manic?
3. With these questions, you can find the places where your body holds tension. Consider these reactions. When do they come on–in situations of stress?
4. Now, once again pass your mind over your body, this time imagining a healing white light passing over you, perhaps focusing for longer periods on the parts that hold stress, pain, and tension. At this point, your limbs may begin to tingle, and you may even begin to hallucinate very slightly a calming, rocking sensation. Don’t be afraid of these sensations! Your mind is working to relax your body.
5. With deep, full breaths, visualize pulling this white light into your chest or belly in a slow, healing fashion. Imagine its radiant energy flowing through your body from your core to all your extremities, healing areas of tension and pain.
6. Now, with five slow, easy breaths, count yourself back into the “real world.”
Observation practice
Full Body Awareness and Emotional Awareness
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