Growing in Self-awareness Part I: Body
Growing in self-awareness truly is a gift to ourselves. Self-awareness is at the core of personal growth. It allows us to accept, appreciate, and stabilize. It allows us to change when we’re doing something we could do more effectively. Self-awareness allows us to grow deep roots and become a wise oak tree offering shade and refuge to others. It allows us to heal and also to accept the moment-by-moment invitation to experience deeply.
So how do we grow in self-awareness? It is a practice of turning attention to our thoughts, emotions, and physical experiences. Over and over again! We can notice these things without needing to judge them or change them. With practice, self-awareness becomes more automatic. As we notice our feelings, thoughts, and sensations, we can practice having compassion on ourselves, which often leads to compassion for others too.
I believe that self-awareness is very experiential, so let’s practice through experience. The exercises I’ll be referencing are adapted from the principles and practices of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. First we will practice self-awareness through the body. You can read Growing in Self-Awareness Parts 2 and 3 to practice awareness through the heart and mind.
Practice this following exercise at a relaxed pace.
We’re going to take a few slow, deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Imagine filling up your belly and low back with air on your inhale. Picture the air flowing out through your mouth on its way out. *Note: if you begin to get lightheaded, just go back to your normal breathing cadence and practice noticing your breath from there.
Notice the slight coolness of the air coming in, and the slight warmth of the air moving out. Take a moment to notice what it feels like to have your lungs expand and release. Take a few breaths to scan your body for any sensations - tension, discomfort, pain, relaxation, or anything else. Just notice.
Notice. That is the first step of self-awareness. Notice, observe, pay attention. Tune in. Be curious. It’s surprising how little we actually do this throughout the day. But our bodies are constantly giving us feedback about our experiences, and our emotions and thoughts are too. Our bodies and minds know a lot. They collect information every moment to help us adapt, thrive, and survive in our ever-changing environments. You may have noticed pain or tension when you tuned into your body. Just notice that and move your body as needed to become more comfortable. Notice if your body tells you about anything that is causing you stress. Take a few more moments to notice. If you get distracted, just gently turn your thoughts back to taking a slow scan of your body. If anything is too intense, that is OK and you can just notice how it’s too much right now.
Practice being non-judgmental toward your body. If you have a hard time taking deep breaths or slowing down, just observe that. There is no right or wrong way to do this exercise. If you have any corrections, opinions, or judgments coming up about your body or about this exercise, just notice that and gently turn your mind back to your physical experience.
How did that feel? What did you notice? Did you notice anything you didn’t expect? Take a few moments and gently notice the environment around you.
You’ve just participated in the practice of self-awareness. You can repeat this daily to get more in touch with your own experience of life. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3!
Written by Samantha Schlepphort