Bodily sensations

[rabbitgirl]

Can somebody shed some lights on why it is important to be aware of bodily sensations when it comes to practicing mindfulness? i.e. how does being aware of bodily sensations (which accompany the difficult feelings/emotions) help us deal with difficult feelings/emotions?

[MiM]

To me that question sounds a little bit like "why is water wet" (and I don't mean to say this in any bad way). Either the answer is self evident or it becomes really difficult.

The self evident answer (to me) would be something like: Because bodily sensations are an integral and inseparable part of our feelings.

i.e.

If we at all believe that awareness of the self helps, then it makes no sense to exclude the body from that awareness. And if we don't believe in awareness, then why mindfulness?

or

Not being aware of bodily sensations makes you only half aware of your feelings.

[JonW]

I agree with what MiM said.
It's about awareness, it's about wholeness and it's about waking up and coming home.
Jon

[Peter]

I agree, and I would like to add:

It is often much easier to detect your (maybe unconscious) thoughts and feelings through the body. Your body acts as a sort of lie detector. Picking up stuff you didn't even know you'd issues with.

And, if one notices, examines and stays with the bodily sensations that are a result of negative feelings or thoughts, one learns to accept those sensations. After a while your mind picks up on this, and those thoughts and feelings won't spin out of control anymore. Because those bodily sensations often feed the same feelings or thoughts that caused them, which makes them become ever bigger. In effect,by just staying with the bodily sensations, the bad stuff devolves!

Peter

[rabbitgirl]

Very well explained, thanks guys