Body awareness

The human body is a fantastically complex, self-sustaining organism that has something like 10 trillion cells and 11 different systems all working together to keep us active, healthy, and alive. Our body is something we take for granted but completely rely on every day for walking, talking, thinking, breathing and many other things. Apart from aches and pains, for much of the time, our body remains outside our awareness.

For 90% of human history, it would have been normal to see our body as part of nature, no different from the plants and animals that we met. This makes sense, as all the cells in our body are built and replenished from food from the earth, which, at one level, makes us no different from all the other living organisms on the planet. As human beings in the 21^st Century we’ve almost become “heads on sticks”; spending most of our attention lost in thought or pulled into external distractions like smartphone apps, with little awareness of our bodies.

Up until recently, science treated the body as a passive servant of the brain. This idea has now been turned on its head with the discoveries from embodied cognition; that the whole of the body is involved in forming a sense of self as well as emotions that support much of our thought and how we relate to other people. In one experiment, people had their face stroked as they watched a random face being stroked on a screen at the same time and reported that they face on the screen started to feel like their own. Experiments like this show how we tend to feel closer to others when they mirror our expressions and posture.

It appears that our facial expressions play a bigger role in emotions than we originally thought. We smile when we feel happy, but feelings of happiness arise from the physical sensations of smiling. In one experiment, people who have had their facial frown muscles frozen with Botox took longer to understand angry sentences than before the injections. Also, when we think about the future, we tend to lean slightly forwards and slightly backward when thinking about the past. What’s clear is that people who are more aware of their bodies are more sensitive to their feelings and emotions. This is reinforced by the fact that the same area of the brain involved in body awareness is also used in processing emotions.

Practising mindfulness is about coming back to the body and senses, which are always in the present moment, even though our attention may be elsewhere. We can assume that our ancient ancestors were much better connected with their bodies, as research on hunter-gatherers who exist today shows that they still see themselves as very much part of nature. In our “civilised world,” we’ve gone through a long phase of being lost in thought, as we’ve drifted away from our connection with nature. This is one of the many reasons why humanity faces the multiple crises of today.

Bringing a greater awareness of our body is the first step in building a kinder, caring, and compassionate relationship with our body; feeling grateful for and appreciating the miraculous body we have. Improving our body awareness means that we’re more connected to our experience. So, if we’re walking along the street aware of our body, we can enjoy the pleasure of our body walking for us, keeping balance and making progress, all without any conscious need to control the movements, which is something most of us take for granted.

Mindfulness is about experiencing the integration of our body, mind, and present moment. In this state, we are more likely to find the peace, calm, and sense of ease to respond skilfully to whatever arises in our experience. One of the best ways to get in touch with our body is to open our awareness to physical sensations. Rather than the normal way we see the body in a mirror from the outside in, becoming aware of physical sensations, we gain awareness of the body from the inside out, which is quite a different experience. And when we tune into sensations of inner-body awareness, we reclaim our natural vitality, connection, and aliveness.

Suggested weekly practice

Try using awareness of your breath and heartbeat to cultivate a sensitive awareness to what’s going on in your body and emotions.
Notice and appreciate the sensations of energy and aliveness in your body.
Investigate and explore the link between your body, emotions, and mind. For instance, noticing feelings and thoughts when you smile, or frown.

Guidance

Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.

Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
Then play the second practice to explore your body in awareness with kindness, openness, and curiosity.

Self-talk

We’re all very familiar with our inner voice; we may be cleaning our teeth or taking a shower as we mull over the day’s activities or plan for the weekend. Self-talk is a term used to describe the inner monologue and mental chatter that goes on inside our heads; like our own personal radio or smart speaker that’s on in the background, interjecting commentary on our life.

Self-talk has been there as far back as we can remember from childhood. In the 1920s the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky observed young children talking to themselves as they played and proposed that over time their private speech from social interactions starts to become internalised as inner speech by around four years of age. Once developed, the verbalised thought of inner speech becomes a very powerful tool, as it gives us the potential to be more aware of, and process thoughts, emotions, and behaviour that might have otherwise not been available to conscious experience.

Like anything powerful, self-talk can have positive and negative consequences. On the positive side, inner speech can help us make sense of and process what’s happening in the world around us. For instance, it can remind us to do something and help with planning and problem-solving. The downsides are that much of our self-talk works below conscious awareness; it tends to run downhill, so depletes our wellbeing, and we also tend to identify with what it says – as it’s always been part of who we are. Negative self-talk can be judgemental and makes comparisons. It’s also the mechanism for rumination and worry. Studies reveal that people prone to depression and anxiety tend to have dominantly negative self-talk. Not surprisingly, people with more positive self-talk tend to be happier and more successful.

In studies, researchers have found that areas of the brain involved in physical speech, like the movement of the larynx and muscles around the mouth, are very slightly activated with self-talk. Inner speech does not have to sound like a perfectly articulated voice in our heads. Often, it’s in a very shortened and condensed form and may not even make an internal sound before meaning takes place. For instance, you are lying in bed, hear the dustbin lorry and realize that you forgot to put the bins out the night before, and hear “bins” as self-talk that says enough in the context.

Like emotions, self-talk is not a particularly reliable guide to what’s going on in our experience. Thoughts are not facts and do not have to be believed. In addition, like the difference between the map and the terrain, thoughts are not the same as the real world “out there”. We interpret the world through our thoughts that often filter, bias, and limit what we actually see and hear.

As well as inner monologue, we can sometimes revert to private speech, for instance, muttering “I’m so useless” under our breath. Thoughts have no power in themselves, it’s when we strongly identify with them that they become amplified. Verbalising negative thoughts gives them even more power. You may have come across the following saying that’s attributed to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher: ‘Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny”. Neuroscience confirms that the brain wires its pathways to match how we interpret the world around us, including the thoughts we entertain. Thoughts can trigger emotions, which leads to behaviour. The well-trodden pathways in the brain become our unconscious habit patterns.

Being mindful of self-talk does not mean we try to suppress it. Instead, we learn to become more aware of, discerning, accepting, kind and compassionate with our inner chatter. Noting the difference between thoughts that are negative, limiting or depleting, or positive, expansive, and nurturing is a useful skill. Simply observing the thought just as it is, is enough to change our negative self-talk habits. Through these approaches, we can also gain insights into whether the self-talk is useful, or no longer serves us. Ultimately, by being mindful of our self-talk, we can break negative habits and make step changes in our overall happiness, wellbeing, and effectiveness in the world.

Suggested weekly practice

Use curiosity to become aware of your thoughts and notice whether they serve you or not.
Note the difference between self-talk that is negative, limiting or depleting, or positive, expansive, and nurturing.
Challenge negative self-talk by seeing whether it’s true or an opinion. If it’s a worrying thought, see if it is exaggerating what may happen and remember that things do not always turn out the way we expected

Guidance

Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
Then play the second practice to explore self-talk with curiosity, openness, patience, kindness and beginner’s mind.

Breath

It’s commonly said that fish are oblivious to the water they live in. Our ancestors may have experienced a similar lack of awareness about the earth’s atmosphere, as it was not until the 1770’s that some of its components, including oxygen, were discovered.

Breath is one of those comforting certainties of life; if you’re alive your body will be breathing. We can survive roughly three weeks without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without oxygen. Given how critical breathing is, it’s a great example of one of those things we take for granted every day.

The average human takes about sixteen breaths a minute and over 20,000 breaths a day, most of which are managed automatically by the brain stem. This is the early “reptilian” part of our brain that results from millions of years of evolution, which is just as well if you consider what you’d have to do without it.

Our breath changes with physical demands, like walking up a long staircase. It also changes with how we feel, so it’s no surprise that there’s a strong link between breath and emotion. When we’re stressed, anxious, angry, or sad our breathing can be affected.

Fast and shallower breathing can be triggered by stress that kicks us into fight-or-flight mode, which lowers our immunity, increases blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, mental illness, and lower life expectancy; clearly, something to avoid if we can.

The good news is that simply practising intentional and aware breathing can help switch from the fight-or-flight to the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system, and reverses the physiological effects of stress. Intentional breathing is when we take control of our breath to increase energy, or calm and relax the body, mind, and emotions.

Interestingly, breathing is one of those physical systems that we can control, for instance, when we speak. We can also hold our breath, which we can typically do for around one minute before the urge to breathe takes over.

The more common way of practising mindfully with the breath is to allow the body and brain stem to do its work; breathing naturally without interfering. If it helps, imagine peacefully watching a pet breathing.

As well as an indicator of what’s going on for us physically and emotionally, we can also use the breath as an anchor into the present moment. Focussing on the breath decouples our attention from our thoughts into a grounded connection with our body, which is only ever in the present moment. It takes us out of mulling over past memories and imagined futures, to focus our attention on the qualities of this unique moment.

So, if you find yourself feeling agitated, stressed, or anxious, try gently bringing your awareness to your breath for a few moments; noticing your body breathing for you if you can while letting all the movement of mind and emotions gently settle and come to rest.

Breath is fundamental to life; we can’t live without it. Learning to be more aware of the breath and using it as a tool to release any agitation or stress brings us into the present moment and makes a real difference to our health, well-being, and performance.

Suggested weekly practice

Using your breath as a stabilising anchor into the present moment, away from automatic thoughts, settling mental agitation, and calming emotional turbulence.
Noticing and appreciating how the breath brings moment-to-moment energy into the body.
If you notice that you are drifting during meditation, take a series of deeper, intentional breaths to raise your alertness.

Guidance
Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.

Play the settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
Then play the second one to explore both intentional and natural breathing.

Patience

If you drive, you’ve probably experienced waiting at a traffic light, not moving off the millisecond the lights change and being hooted at by the impatient driver behind. For whatever reason, the driver cannot wait and we’re in their way. We share this planet with 7.7 billion other people, so we all have to wait at some point; waiting for the train, at the dentist, or the supermarket checkout. The trouble is, the world we live in today is built around pace, meeting deadlines and getting things done. In fact, research on Internet speeds shows that people start to lose patience after as little as a two-second delay. Living at a faster pace may mean we get more done, but when we’re forced to wait, we can become irritated, frustrated and even anxious, which builds up tension and stress in our body.

Patience is the ability to accept having to wait, be delayed or face setbacks without reacting. This means being more aware of what’s going on and working skilfully with thoughts and emotions that arise in our present-moment experience. If we’re unaware, our options are limited, so we’re more likely to react automatically. Practising patience is often a more skilful response.

So why is it that we find waiting such an unpleasant experience? The simple answer is that we’ve not learned to practise a deeper level of patience. Impatience is our mind’s way of leaning into the future; getting to the next moment, as if that moment is somehow more important and meaningful than our experience now. Impatience is a form of aversion, a desire to get rid of something. It’s also about resisting our experience, as we feel uncomfortable in the here and now.

As well as waiting, we can also feel impatient when we’re working on something, driven by anxiety about the need for completing whatever it is, rather than accepting and enjoying the on-going process. Our intolerance of accepting delay is an indicator of our tendency to live in a projected future in our heads.

So how can we cultivate patience?

Here are some tips on improving patience as a skill:

Be more aware of situations that test your patience, notice feelings and thoughts of discomfort, irritation, annoyance or anger before they really take hold, using curiosity to explore the emotions and physical sensations you’re experiencing.
Use each situation where you feel impatient as an opportunity to practise patience and see what difference that makes.
Is the situation really intolerable? Are you making exaggerated assumptions about how unpleasant the situation really is? When you are in the situation that challenges your patience, take a moment to really explore how uncomfortable it really is. Is this more about delaying you from future moments? Are the future moments any different from your present experience?
Become more aware of the tendency of your attention to drift off in thought, imagining what you may be doing in a future moment, rather than connecting with your actual lived experience in the present.
Pause, take a deep breath, accept the reality of the situation and open your awareness to the surprisingly rich experience that this moment holds.

Mindfulness is about working skilfully with your present-moment experience. Patience is one of these skills that can be learned and developed. When we’re impatient we can experience anxiety, anger, and stress, which are not skilful responses.

By developing patience, we also cultivate other skills of acceptance, openness, awareness, and kindness, and when we practise patience, we reduce anxiety, anger, and stress and improve our relationships. So, by practising patience we move towards an easier and healthier life.

Suggested weekly practice

Notice when you feel impatient during the week and instead bring patience.
Be curious about the situations that make you feel impatient.
Be aware of the habitual impulse to want to get to the next moment, as this one is unsatisfying and not good enough

Play the settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
Then play the second audio to explore reacting and responding, as well as experiencing a calm, open, and alert state to respond skilfully to your experience.

Thoughts

We all know that thoughts are powerful; they help us solve problems, inform important decisions, guide us to act, make sense of the world and provide new ideas and possibilities. Collectively, thoughts helped us land on the moon, invent the Internet and control much of the world around us. Less positively, collective thinking has also led to conflict, discrimination, and the destruction of the environment.

Given that thoughts are so important, what are they and how did humans develop the capacity to think in the first place? The challenge of answering the first question is that the brain is the most complex phenomenon known to humankind. Although there’s been significant progress in the brain sciences, we know much more about the visible universe than what goes on inside our own heads. The subject is complex, as thoughts appear in the typical adult brain which has around 100 billion neurons across 100 trillion synaptic connections. By comparison, there are an estimated 100 billion stars in our local galaxy, the Milky Way.

According to Wikipedia, although there are many theories, there’s no generally accepted view on what a thought is, or how it’s created. The same goes for how symbolic thinking evolved, with little agreement among scientists and academics. A symbol is something that represents something else. For instance, an outline of a deer for the actual animal, or a heart shape representing love. A symbol takes the mind to an abstract level, away from the objective, here and now of reality. The most recent research by archaeologists in Africa studying early hominid engravings estimates that symbolic thinking evolved at some point between 70,000 and 164,000 years ago, which means that our species, Homo sapiens, may have already had the ability to think when it appeared. As far as we know, although mammals can access memory and experience emotions, they cannot think symbolically, so live in the moment. Anyone with a pet dog knows that they can associate spoken sounds with activities or objects, which is most probably how early language developed. Interestingly, the development of secular mindfulness is often about letting go of unintentional thinking about the past and future and coming back to the body and senses; as if we’ve drifted too far into the abstract world in our minds and need to recover some balance. We can say that thoughts are mental events that have content and meaning. We can also see that thoughts arise, play out and dissolve. So, although some may be about us and our situation, they are not who we are.

Like many powerful things, thoughts can be positive as well as negative. It’s useful to make the distinction between intentional thought; the thinking on purpose that we do every day when planning, analysing, or problem-solving, and unintentional automatic thoughts when our minds wander. Unintentional automatic thoughts can be separated into positive, neutral, and negative. Positive mind-wandering can be useful for solving complex problems and inspiring creativity and is used by many successful scientists, engineers, artists, writers, and musicians. The neutral branch is where automatic thoughts are neither positive nor negative, but also includes semi-conscious daydreaming, reverie, and fantasies. The negative mind wandering is about repetitive worry and rumination, self-criticism, judgement, and the narrative of low self-worth. Practising mindfulness helps build awareness of these automatic thoughts and allows us to discern between automatic thoughts that are useful, expanding, and nurturing and those that are not useful, limiting and depleting.

You may have come across the simple three-brain model of brain evolution: this starts with the brain stem, or reptilian brain, which provides all the vital functions to keep us alive, followed by the mammalian or emotional brain, and on top of this is the neocortex, our thinking brain. Humans have all three stacked on top of one another. Luckily for us, part of our brain is nearly always connected in the moment, even though our attention may be somewhere else. While we drive down a motorway, off in thought, other parts keep us safe on the road.

Protected by our skull, our brain knows nothing about the world, apart from what it perceives through the senses. As it develops, our brain builds an internal model of the world, which changes and adapts over a lifetime. Equivalent to “you are what you eat”, our mind becomes what we feed it, which is what we pay attention to, whether this is daytime TV, trashy social media, inspiring conversations, or a good book.

Recent research has found many linkages between thinking and physiology. One of the best-known is the power of placebos in medicine. When people are given painkillers without any trace of the drug, their brains release endorphins, which reduce pain. Given how the neocortex is connected to the lower parts of the brain and body by the autonomic nervous system, it’s no surprise that our state of mind can affect our heart rate, breathing, and immune system. So, our state of mind can make us physically Ill, as well as healthy and full of vitality.

Now that psychology and neuroscience have a better understanding of the mind and brain, we realize that we often over-identify with and lack awareness of our thoughts, which allows our powerful mind to become our master rather than our servant. Practising mindfulness helps us change this relationship and better use our minds. We can become more aware of thoughts, know that they are not who we are, and foster useful, expanding, and nurturing thoughts, which leads to a healthier and happier life.

Suggested Weekly practice

Becoming aware of dominant habitual patterns of thought that no longer serve you.
Encouraging expansive, positive, and nurturing thoughts and paying less attention to limiting, negative, depleting thoughts
Knowing that you are not your thoughts; being able to discriminate between reality and how your mind interprets the world

Play the settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps
Then play the second audio to explore awareness of thoughts.