Everyday Mindfulness

I've noticed these days that I'm much better at noticing the bodily sensations that usually come with thoughts and feelings.

The classic one for me is anxiety. Whenever I have an anxious thought, I notice an immediate tightening of the stomach area.

Whenever I feel joy, I can perceive a lightening of my head and my heart.

Anyone else noticed this sort of thing?

In the past I hardly noticed my body at all. It was like something I wheeled behind me on a skateboard tied with string.
Now I especially notice my bodily response when anxiety/worry arises. Just that simple noticing seems to dispel the tension. Then I notice Banjo wagging his tail and all is right with the world.

Yes I experience all my emotions through my body. That is where I have best understood what is happening. I heard it first from Gil Fronsdal and it has been an invaluable and intriguing tool.

Also it is where I hold emotions in compassion or speak to them. I imagine myself literally hugging the physical sensation of emotion, or I will gently have an internal conversation with it to let it know I have understood and appreciate its 'message'. After all, emotions are about helping us to interact and understand ourselves and the world around us. They are a medium of communication and clarification between ourselves and things we perceive.

Yes there is a definite sensitivity to the muscular tension that signals emotional reactivity is about to happen - as sensitivity increases one gains more and more of an ability to 'release the steam' so to speak before one blows one's top.

This is the key mechanism underlying mindfulness in my opinion, and why the body scan is so essential - the pre-reactive muscle tension can hide out anywhere from your toes, your lower back, to your scalp. Gotta keep watchful - mindful at all times.

The Return Of BioSattva!
Welcome back, old sausage.
Jon, Hove

Great to see you again Tristan!

ahhhh thank you. Just dropping by.

BioSattva wrote::D ahhhh thank you. Just dropping by.

Does this mean you are leaving us again soon?

I don't think I can cope; you are such a tease.