Something I hear from nearly every new massage client I have is “I had no idea I was sore there.”
Body awareness is one of the many things that is largely lost to our modern culture. We have become disconnected from our bodies and from our natural rhythms and activities.
When you are connected to your body you are more aware of whats going on with your tissues and organs- which can help you be proactive to avoid injury or disease.
There are a few ways to reconnect to your body and gain improved body awareness. Massage may be the best (and is certainly my personal favorite). Think about it: during a full body massage your therapist is applying pressure to each of your muscles in an ordered and systematic way. This provides an incredible amount of information and can help you to make decisions about how to change or adjust your stretching, exercise, and activities to reduce pain, improve range of motion, and avoid injury. Getting a monthly massage can keep you informed of your body and what your body needs from you, while enjoying the other benefits of massage as well – reduced muscular pain, improved range of motion, and increased blood flow.
A few other methods of improving body awareness are yoga, Pilates, chi-gong, tai chi, and body scan meditation.
To do a body scan meditation, lay down on a yoga mat or something similar (I do not recommend doing this in bed, although technically you could). Take some deep breaths noticing the movement of your breath into your lungs and back out. Visualize the movement of oxygen into your bloodstream and throughout your body. After several breaths this way, bring your attention to your feet. Feel the weight of your feet and the space that your feet are existing in. Bring all of your awareness to your feet, noticing the pressure of your heals against the mat, the feel of the air on your toes (or the inside of your socks). After keeping your attention here for a few breaths, move up to your calves and shins, then your knees, then thighs, then hips, and so on. Slowly move your attention up the body, really giving all of your attention to each body part, as if it is the only one. Notice any sore places in the muscles, or pain points in the joins. In your abdomen, notice the activity of your organs – how does your colon feel? Your stomach? Your liver? Your kidneys? When your are bringing awareness to your head notice your sinuses, all the muscles in your scalp. When you make it to the top of your head, spend a few breaths being whole- noticing your whole body at once – and then slowly bring yourself back to the room you are in.
This meditation can take as little as 15 minutes and as much as an hour. Just like any meditation (like any other skill) this may take some practice, so don’t get frustrated if you can’t seem to do it on the first try. Just attempting to do this is going to bring more awareness to your body than you had before, so don’t be hard on yourself and always congratulate yourself for trying.
You got this!
Talk Soon,
-Michael
