Signs Of Aliveness

So often we have misguided and unfriendly relationships with our bodies. We also develop an over-focus on what is "wrong" or "not right." This practice allows us to connect with our bodies in a different way by noticing signs of aliveness. Work with sensations that are not distressing; you can also pick other parts of the body than those offered and keep working with the narrative, "this is a sign of aliveness."

Such practices have been personally helpful to me for chronic health concerns.

Transcript

As your eyes close and as you start to feel those breaths,

Checking in with your body,

Noticing where else you can let go.

And noticing where in your body you can sense aliveness.

There may be pulsing,

Tingling.

There may be ways in which you sense your breath or your heartbeat.

Taking a moment to pause with some awe and wonder at all these signs that you're alive.

Perhaps even mentally checking in with a part of your body that you don't pay attention to very often.

Like your thumb or ear or knee.

And taking time to have some appreciation for whatever this part does for you.

Thinking about ways it might make life easier or more colorful.

Ways in which this part too helps you feel alive.

You may notice there's moments where the mind becomes distracted or notices sounds or other things occurring.

When you notice that happening,

Also try taking a step back and observing that that too is a sign of you being alive.

You can even label it as I'm sensing.

And allowing yourself the next few moments to really feel those signs of life on the inside out.

Taking a few more breaths.

Taking a few more breaths to complete.

And when you are ready,

Bringing your awareness back.

Reviews

This idea of identifying sensations as signs you are alive is new to me, but I can see how it could help me cope with chronic pain and fatigue as well as unhelpful thoughts. Thank you for sharing this perspective.