Our emotions begin and often store in our bodies, yet we often don’t even notice it. Developing body awareness of emotional sensations is a skill that takes time and practice. We get so caught up in what our heads and thoughts are doing that we miss the experience of our bodies. Grounding ourselves in our bodies can be an effective way to slow down our parasympathetic nervous system (which manages stress responses. Think: shallow breathing, flushed face, rapid heart rate, tension in muscles, etc). By calming our bodies into a more relaxed state we can become more aware of our present experience and begin to healthily process our emotions and emotional triggers. We move into a space of responding rather than reaction to external stimuli. Developing your body awareness will ultimately help you calm your mind.
When you are having an intense emotional experience that you would like to understand better, or perhaps be able to communicate to others in a better way, first ask yourself: what emotion am I feeling right now? Secondly, ask yourself: Where do I feel this in my body? Emotions often show up in the core of our bodies (chest and stomach), but could also be in head, throat, or limbs. We could feel tingling in our extremities or a pressure behind our eyes. Notice what your body is telling you, and try to describe the sensation. Where is it? Does is have a quality (sharp, dull, aching, throbbing, etc)? Does it stay in one place or does it move around? Can you visualize a color? A shape? A characteristic?
Here is a helpful body scan meditation script from Greater Good in Action to practice developing body awareness:
Begin by bringing your attention into your body.
You can close your eyes if that’s comfortable for you.
You can notice your body seated wherever you’re seated, feeling the weight of your body on the chair, on the floor.
Take a few deep breaths.
And as you take a deep breath, bring in more oxygen enlivening the body. And as you exhale, have a sense of relaxing more deeply.
You can notice your feet on the floor, notice the sensations of your feet touching the floor. The weight and pressure, vibration, heat.
You can notice your legs against the chair, pressure, pulsing, heaviness, lightness.
Notice your back against the chair.
Bring your attention into your stomach area. If your stomach is tense or tight, let it soften. Take a breath.
Notice your hands. Are your hands tense or tight. See if you can allow them to soften.
Notice your arms. Feel any sensation in your arms. Let your shoulders be soft.
Notice your neck and throat. Let them be soft. Relax.
Soften your jaw. Let your face and facial muscles be soft.
Then notice your whole body present. Take one more breath.
Be aware of your whole body as best you can. Take a breath. And then when you’re ready, you can open your eyes.
Practicing regular body scans and noticing the sensations in your body will help you develop your body awareness, and ultimately help you calm your mind. By noticing the physical sensations of emotions in our bodies as we experience them we move the energy of the experience away from our thoughts and into our bodies, calming the parasympathetic nervous system and practicing self-deescalation.