How do you really feel today?
“Have you lost/ gained weight?” “You look great!” “Are you ok? You look really tired today!” As many of us begin to go out and meet with others after months of mostly only dealing with our own reflections in the mirror or our bodies hidden underneath lounge clothes, it can feel unsettling to have the outside noise of others’ comments ringing in our ears again.
How does my body really feel to just ME today anyway?
Especially for those of us who have been stressed or out of our regular health routines during lockdown, we might not be particularly connected to our bodies at all— making it all the more difficult to decipher between how we are feeling versus how others perceive us. Not feeling in our body makes it more difficult to know our limits, when we are hungry, thirsty, tired, in pain, or even just need a hug.
Noticing and feeling our bodies gives us more opportunities for gratitude, more motivation for taking care of ourselves and our needs, and greater connection to ourselves instead of outside influences.
There are many ways we can build better body awareness. Deep breathing, taking time to be quiet without distraction, meditation, yoga, dance and nearly any kind of exercise can be helpful especially if we can draw our attention to how our body changes and responds.
So this week in class, we are asking ourselves:
Today can I bring attention to the differences my body feels when warming up, dancing in class, and then cooling down?
How can more body awareness benefit my life after class?
And just maybe the next time someone tells us how we look we can answer, “Oh really? Today I feel great in my body!”
Keep moving!
xx,
Katie