Embodied self-awareness is about being present and in touch with the sensations and emotions that our bodies are feeling. When was the last time you paid attention to your body and the numbness in your legs for sitting for so long, or the pain in your chest when you feel overwhelmed at work. Have you ever taken the time to do a body scan in the mornings before you get up, or during the day to see where your holding your tension, or at night before you go to sleep. If not consider how important it is for you to get back in touch with your body and what it is telling you because as you may know by now – the body keeps the score.
Some body scan questions you might like to ask yourself?
- In what ways do you notice your body during school, work, housekeeping or childcare?
- Are you aware of stress or tension in your hands, arms, back, belly, neck, legs or anywhere else as you work?
- Are you aware of any restrictions in your breathing?
- Do you grip the steering wheel tighter than necessary, or stretch your neck forward when trying to read a computer screen or have restless legs or hold yourself rigidly at attention when other people are around?
- When your tired or achy, do you know what happened to your body to create this state?
- Aside from sleeping at night, do you ever rest during the day?
- Do you ever stop thinking and just feel yourself?
- Do you ask for help when you need it?
- Can you talk about your emotions easily or do you push them aside and down?
- Are you aware of where you hold your different emotions in your body?
