Remembering to re-connect with my body when I’m particularly stressed came immediately to mind when I read Kate James of Total Balance’s post about watching out for blind spots. The importance of tuning into our bodies, especially when stressed cannot be underestimated. In fact, relaxing the body is essential if we have any hope of calming the mind! It’s interesting to notice how much I can resist tuning into my body when I’m feeling stressed. Something I’m continuing to work on…
Even mild levels of stress tend to dissociate us from our bodies which is why so many people can find it hard to relax. It’s impossible to relax your body when you are not in touch with it! It’s not surprising though that people tend to shy away from tuning into their bodies when they’re stressed given that a stressed and uptight body doesn’t feel very good. It’s very common to unconsciously dissociate from our bodies in order to block these unpleasant sensations. Doing so, however, only keeps the body in a prolonged and heightened state of tension.
While it’s not always pleasant to tune into a body that’s stressed and uptight doing so helps start the relaxation process and enables the body to return to its natural state of balance. Simply becoming aware of the body without actively trying to relax will start this process; and become aware of any tension, aches or pains in the body is actually a sign that the body is starting to relax. Not surprisingly, a relaxed person is usually much more in touch with his or her body, while a chronically stressed person tends to live in his or her head with true relaxation all too often an utterly foreign experience.
We are so accustomed to overlooking our bodies and yet they are an incredible source of wisdom. They have so much to tell us physically, emotionally and intuitively. Incredibly, it is estimated that we give about 90% of our attention to our minds leaving only 10% for our bodies. We can, however, work towards redressing this imbalance by doing even just one simple exercise each day with the aim of cultivating increased body awareness.
You could choose one (or more) of the following to gently remind yourself to come back to your body. Or you could make up your own! Whether done in isolation or used as a way of easing yourself into a meditation session, the more you tune into your body on a daily basis the more likely you are to remember to do so when you are stressed:
- Try this simple seven breath body scan meditation – it takes less than three minutes.
- Take a hot shower and really pay attention to the sensation of the hot water enveloping your body.
- Lie down for a few minutes and gently rest your attention on your breath. Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest and stomach as your breath in and as you breath out.
- Go for a short walk. As you walk gently hold your awareness in your body as you move. Notice your feet as they strike the ground; your legs moving; your arms swinging by your sides.
- Give yourself a massage and pay attention to the sensations in the body. You could close your eyes and gently massage your eyeballs with your index fingers or you might like to massage the back of your neck, your hands or your feet.
