Body Awareness

In this post I would like to propose an exercise that can be used both for relaxation and to acquire higher consciousness about the real fundamental substance that constitutes our body. Body awareness is a powerful tool to tap into overlooked truths about yourself and the world you live into.

Picture Credit: Charles Postiaux

Our ordinary perception of the world assumes that our self and the world around us is physical, that is, is made out of something that can be perceived through our senses. This something was firstly labelled as matter and now science, through new discoveries and progresses, claims that our Universe in made out energy. Regardless what science says, as long as we rely on external sources to describe our daily experiences, our consciousness about our self and the world will not increase. Simply accepting these claiming as objective truths without a direct experience of what is actually the substance that forms our bodies and the whole world, we will conduct our life unconsciously and unconscious beliefs usually go along with an unconscious behavior.

Through this simple exercise I would like you to become directly conscious of how much physicality is really present in your body and therefore in the world you live. The aim is to cause a shift in consciousness in order to trigger a tangible transformation in how you will relate to your body from now on.

Read the instructions a couple of time and then enjoy it!

PS: We will focus mainly of the lower part of the body but the same principles can be obviously applied to the whole body once your attention get stronger. You can focus on specific parts of the body or to the whole body accordingly to the time at your disposal.

1. It is extremely important that your mind is quiet during the whole session. Make sure you have sorted out anything you wanted to do. If you know you need to wash your dishes, clean your room, check emails, prepare food, pay your taxes, do this first and only then get ready for this exercise. Your mind does not have to be distracted by any urgent chores.

2. Sit or lay comfortably wherever you want. Choose a quiet location and be sure that for the whole session you will not be interrupted.

3. Keep your eyes shut for the whole session.

4. Inhale deeply inflating first your belly and then your chest, therefore exhale slowly. Do it as many time as you need until your mind gets quieter and relax.

5. Keep your mind as thoughts-free as possible. Use the breathing to calm your mind.

6. Draw your attention to your feet and scan every single toe and be aware of any sensation present in this area. Stay as much as you can in this region to increase your awareness of any sensations you were not aware before.

7. Now ask yourself: “What are my feet made out of?”. Base your answer only to your direct experience. You do not need to describe what you think is there but what it is actually there. Keep your mind out from this exercise!

8. After having scanned your feet and feeling comfortable in having the answer, move to your leg until covering your entire body if you have time (no need to do but it is extremely relaxing if you can do it).

9. Open your eyes and write down what you have discovered.

Here some possible questions you can ask yourself:

• Has the perception of your body changed somehow during the exercise?

• What is your body made out of?

• Which is the closest description of the substance you are made out of?

• Can you tell where this substance come from? Does this substance have any shape or form? If yes, which one?

• What you discovered is something you are or something you are aware of, that is, something you can point out as an observer?

10. Now touch your feet (or any other part of the body you drew your attention).

• Can you physically touch what you discovered was there previously?

• By touching them, do you perceive different substances you are made out of or the same?

• If different, which ones are present? It is something you are or something you are aware of?

For this specific exercise I will not give you any hints unless you want to leave a comment below. I want you to do the work and not to be influenced by my own conclusions. Just remember: we are not interested in what you think is there but on what is actually there.

Any comment or doubt are welcome and helpful for me to prepare more of these exercises to help you grasping directly what I am trying to point out here.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!