So many people live in their thoughts and not in their body! Body awareness is the bringing attention to our body as it is in this moment, to the sensations of coolness or warmth, or the sensation of alertness or fatigue. It is another way to bring mindfulness into our everyday life.
In his book, The New Earth, Eckhart Tolle writes, “Body awareness is the shifting of your attention from the external form of your body or your thoughts about your body, to the feeling of aliveness inside it.” He also notes that this practice “strengthens the immune system and the body’s ability to heal itself.”
As we strive to do so much, so many people are out of tune with their body, and experience stress related illnesses. Meditation that focuses on body awareness is something that we can do for ourselves that doesn’t require a gym membership or special workout clothes! We can also practice body awareness when we are in motion as well as sitting in stillness, or experience moving the body in exercise or dance, and feel the sensation of the body moving freely. We all could use more of feeling that sense of joy and freedom in our bodies, right!?