Body Awareness

listen-to-your-bodyAs bodyworkers we are constantly listening to how our clients are responding to our touch. We feel for tension, resistance, and freedom. We then make adjustments to our session to meet their needs, but how often do we extend that same kind of attention to ourselves. How often do we tune into our own body cues and then respond to them in a way that nurtures our own wants, needs and desires. One definition of body awareness that resonates with us is described as the conscious awareness and perception of where our bodies are in space and time. Body awareness is a skill developed with consistent practice. With practice our bodies can become a reliable resource of information and truth telling. A regular body awareness practice reveals the wisdom of our bodies and gives clarity to how we can take care of ourselves and our clients without ever feeling drained, tired, or in pain.

Included are some self exploration questions that may reveal how well you listen to your own body. As you ponder each question first presence yourself and then notice how and where the questions land. How do you feel your body respond to the questions being asked? You can rate each question on a scale of 1-10. (1- never,10 all the time)

I can easily discern the difference between my emotions and other body sensations

I move towards what nourishes me in times of stress

I experience my body as my ally

I appreciate and follow my deep body impulses

I attune my body preferences to things that support my optimum well being

I create friendly conversations with my body and how it is communicating

I listen to my body as a source of guidance and useful information

I know how to take care of myself in ways that I know are deeply satisfying

I sense and express my body awareness such that I create connections with others

I appreciate Audrey Hazekamp who put this list together and for the opportunity to explore these questions for myself. I recognize which ones I am really good at and which ones could use more loving attention. I am having so much fun discovering and creating reliable body signals that I can use to create connections from the inside out.

“The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells.” ~Sarah, from I Am Beautiful

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