Body Awareness & Body Scan
Awareness. I remember when I first heard about awareness during an introduction to mindfulness which came up on my college course over 7 yrs ago. I was thinking "Awareness", what are they talking about? Sure we are aware when we are awake and conscious. “I can see the sky, the sun, the room and the people”, I thought to myself. But was I actually paying attention? Really paying attention?
Then the teacher asked us "What did the sign say on the door outside the room as we came in"? No one knew. Was it that we weren’t paying attention or even aware that there was a sign on the door outside? Then she asked us to think about the person next to us (without looking at them) “How do they look to you, happy, sad, peaceful, loved”?
She then asked right now how do we feel in our bodies. Is there any discomfort or tension? Do we feel hot or cold? It was then I realized that I had some tension in my shoulders which I was not aware of until I was asked about it.
Hhmm, funny isn’t it how we perceive to be aware of something, when in fact we are actually not fully aware of it until we actually focus on it, in that moment of asking. This brings me to the mind, the mind is a fascinating organ and plays such a huge part in our daily lives without us realizing it. However it does have some drawbacks, one of the biggest is that the brain/mind cannot focus on more than 1 thing 100% at the same time as focusing on something else. It’s not possible. It means we are splitting our 100% focus on 2 or more things thus reducing the attention and the focus.
So, coming back to awareness, if we focus 100% on how our body feels right now and nothing else we can become aware of any tensions, aches or pains, temperature and so on. This is how our body gives us signals so we can take action if needed to sort out whatever it is necessary or to just be aware in that moment.
The easiest way to do this is to practice the mindful body scan. Take some time to just sit or lie down. Bring your attention to your body one area at a time and just notice what’s going on. Think of it as a time for some self-care, self-love, give yourself some me time to do nothing and just focus on you for a moment. When is the last time you have done that? You are worth it, you are worth giving a few moments to just tune in to you and your body. It is a time where you can release any tension, stress, and anxiety. It is through practice that you will experience the benefits.
Try it see for yourself. What have you got to lose?
James P White (Mindfulness Schools Ireland)
No comments:
Post a Comment