Interoception: the feeling of knowing what is happening in your body!

Those of you who have been reading me for a while will know that I embarked on a personal development programme late last year. And the programme’s main focus is interoception.

Before I embarked on the programme, I had been on the hunt for the next step in my upskilling. I researched and most programmes didn’t inspire me until I read about and met the programme creator. I had a sensation that this programme was different.

9 months on, as I conclude the last month of my programme so many little pieces are coming together and will continue falling into place with time. And at the heart of it is interoception. It links everything in my work together which is grounded in neuroscience and emotional literacy.

And at the heart of interoception is our BODY.

In his book, The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk says that lessons from contemporary neuroscience show that our sense of self is anchored in a vital connection with our bodies. That we do not truly know ourselves unless we can feel and interpret our physical sensations. We need to register and act on these sensations to navigate safely through life.

So, what does this mean for you and me?

Let me try and summarise my learnings.

1.       Listen to your body

Our bodies have things to say, and we need to listen. I am quite in tune with my body and have made listening to it a practise for many years since my journey with functional medicine. However, the next level is what I found quite difficult. And that is, quietening the mind. Yes, part of my programme’s practise was to listen and ‘talk’ from the body ONLY. For someone who is quite in my head, I found this hard in the beginning and am still working on it. The premise is that the body KNOWS MORE than the mind. I realise this may sound bizarre but this is what made the programme different. But here’s the thing, it is congruent with Dr. Van Der Kolk’s research and findings.

2.       Learn to discern

Focusing on our bodies does not mean making the mind redundant. The mind plays an important role. It is powerful but can/may distract us from reality. The mind’s main role is meaning-making and sometimes it can distort reality or ‘separate’ us from reality and our bodies. I know this is a bit to process but it makes sense once you work with it. I learned to discern my ‘reality’ after conversations with clients and potential clients. I have learned to check whether my reflections on the conversations were generated by my mind or body. It took a while, but I am becoming more discerning and it is fascinating. I am practising this as I write this article.

3.       Develop a daily practise

If you find this a little weird (point #2), the best way to try to connect with your body (should you wish to) is to develop a daily practise. And the key is to slow down the body not speed up. Hence the power of activities such as Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga or martial arts. I am in awe of Qigong and Tai Chi practitioners at the lake near my house. They move slower than ‘slow motion’ in on-demand TV. The point is to FEEL every part of your body from skin to bone.

And if you want to connect to your body in an instant, if you are feeling ‘disconnected’, focus on your breathing! Just breathe consciously for 2 minutes. I call this connecting with our body on-demand.

And the purpose of this powerful self-awareness is to HEAL ourselves. I have always believed we can heal ourselves and many people have already proven this. I wanted to ‘dive in’ and learn more and am finding it fascinating. And the more I learn the more I realise the POWER of our body!

And so, my journey continues.

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com