Just For A Few Minutes - Let's Feel Into Our Bodies

I love this body exercise from Kevin Flanagan's book Everyday Genius

" You have tiny receptors in your feet that tell you exactly how much space your feet take up at any given moment. You can usually make yourself aware of this by noticing your feet pressing against the inner lining of your shoes or socks.

How big do your feet feel ?

What part of them is resting on the floor?

Just bring your attention gently down towards your feet and see if you can get some definite sensory  feedback or  awareness of how much space they are occupying right now.

When you have decided you have spent enough time on your feet move on to another part of your body.

Legs

Using the same approach, try bringing your attention down to your legs.

Focus on the space between your ankles and your hip bone and, using the same receptors , see if you can get a sense of how much space your legs take up in the room right now.

See if you can get a sense of the shape of your lower leg and then your knee joint and upper leg.

How big are your thighs ?

Remember you don't have to get this exercise right it is just to develop awareness and a feeling sense of your body.  "

Stomach

Now bring your attention to the area between the base of your spine and the top of your stomach.

How much space does this part of your body take up?

Can you get a sense of how cylindrical your stomach is ?

How it presses against your belt or trousers ?

How much space is inside it ? "


Now continue through all these parts of your body
asking  yourself questions about the space that part takes up. This questioning will bring you right into your body .

 Your Chest,

 Shoulders and Neck,

Arms and Hands,

Mouth and Tongue,

Nose

Ears

Eyes

Head

"Finally

Can you sense your body working and informing you right now?

Is your body trying to tell you something ?

If so can you take a minute to rest in silence and listen ?

Does anything come something you might like to write about ?

Take a moment to check how you are feeling right now - all over your body - and inside of it.

Do you feel the same as when you started the exercise ?

If not where is the difference felt.  "

I love to give myself the time to do this exercise. I always feel so different afterwards , and often I will discover new sensations deep in my body . And as with Dr Fehmi's Open Focus exercises, paying attention to space really relaxes the body and the mind.