Noticing the Body
I hope this entry finds you comfortable as we’re settling in to our lives for the foreseeable future. We are witnessing incredible shifts and changes in our environment. These are defining moments where we as a species must adapt to our reality; in terms of relationships, local and even our global culture. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been through a myriad of emotional responses to our current reality, likened to the stages of grief (here’s a great article on that concept). I’ve felt overwhelmed, at times frustrated, isolated, hopeful, and the ironic dichotomy of a sense of peace as the slowed pace and relaxed attachment to our plans and commitments has created a communal sigh of relief amidst the chaos of it all. The loss and lack of control is such a foreign concept to our “normal” hyper-scheduled, stress-filled lives.
Last year, I began re-watching the Little House on the Prairie TV series as a way of calming and relaxing my mind utilizing perspective. I love the resilience of the Ingalls family as they navigate the uncertainty of pioneer life. I find it inspiring and humbling to witness the hardships (Hollywood manufactured, but based in reality) and how the family preservers through incredible pain, loss, isolation, lack of clarity, and extended periods without the ability to communicate with each other. I’ve arrived at this: People have been adapting and surviving in times of uncertainty since the beginning of time. Every generation faces fears with the very real changes in the collective culture of the world as new variables due to our own advancements in science, technology, and human relationship push us to new territory; undiscovered and unexplored. Fear is a natural response to the unknown.
Emotions are felt, and feeling is based in movement. This means each emotion has a physical feeling associated with it- a “somatic experience.” We tend to give our emotions names, and then assign them an abstract place in our minds, disconnecting ourselves from the physical experience of the body; but our emotions can actually be felt and charted in our own bodies. It’s a matter of developing the body awareness and mental presence to notice how they present themselves.
We are currently presented with the opportunity to slow down and notice our environment, our relationships, and our own bodies. Take a moment to notice and name some of the emotional responses you’ve experienced recently. Once you have a few in mind, take some time with each one of those named emotions. Notice how they present in your body. For example, when I have a particularly intense emotional response such as anger, I notice my shoulders lift towards my ears, my jaw clenches, and other areas and patterns of tension begin to present themselves with pain or discomfort. After prolonged emotional situations, I might notice a headache begin, my hands might feel heavy, or my chest feels sunken or collapsing inward.
Sometimes in these moments of noticing, a memory will creep in, provoking an aditional emotional response even in the absence of an external stressor. Instead of focusing on the memory itself, I bring my attention to the way the memory makes my body feel. Once I have this awareness, I simply begin to systematically relax those areas where I note tension. Each breath in, I focus on an area of tension, and each breath out, I release and soften as much as I can. Sometimes tears come. Sometimes other emotions come surging to the surface once this process begins. When one develops the skill of non-judgement, these emotions are allowed to bubble up, surface, and boil away, releasing us from their grip- no matter how long we’ve held them in our tissues. The body remembers even when the mind does not.
The body is always talking to us. We just need to take the time to notice it, connect it to a emotion, thought, or memory…and breathe into it. Be with it. Stay with the feeling of the thought, rather than the thought itself. This is a meditative practice, and one that takes effort to develop. Once we learn to “sit with a feeling” (further reading on this topic here), we develop our ability to remain present in one moment at a time. Developing and building mastery of this skilled mental presence creates the conditions in our body for resilience. This is essential for clarity of mind which allows for adaptation and survival. The ability to remain present in the moment contributes heavily to our health, and developing intentional body awareness is key to tapping in to our body’s innate ability to heal itself.