First find what word works best for you at this time; mind, awareness, consciousness...each is slightly different, but you can use any of the three or some other word that feels right. I will be using awareness and consciousness throughout this first exercise.

Allow your awareness to move down to your feet. Feel your feet, and how they feel on the ground. Are they comfortable or are they sore from the shoes you wore this day? Allow yourself to feel their weight on the floor, and as you do, take a deep breath.

I will encourage you to breathe, in through your nose and out through your mouth, however, as you start this process you can breathe any way that is comfortable to you.

Now gently and slowly, move your awareness up from your feet and up through your calves to your knees, just being aware of any and all sensations, breathing, in and out, gently perceiving the subtle voices from your body.

As we continue, allow yourself to bring your consciousness up through your thighs and into your hips and sacrum. Feel the weight of your body as you sit in your chair, and continue to use your awareness.

As you move through different areas of your body, sensations, emotions and feelings may surface and come to your attention. Try not to judge them as good or bad, right or wrong. Give them the same space and love as you may a small child. Simply be aware of their presence and observe them as they come to your attention.

Breathing, in through your nose and out through your mouth. There is nowhere more important to do, or no place more important to be at this moment then here, with yourself, lovingly, being.

Continuing to move your consciousness up from your hips through your lower abdomen slowly become aware of this vast space that extends up to your ribs...this is an area that we often associate with strong emotions and sensations, so spend a little extra time there if you wish. Finally before you leave this area bring your awareness to your spine observing how it extends up from your sacrum. Allow yourself to experience it's strength and it's intricate anatomy, and share the gratitude you have for all the years it has supported you. Spend a little time with this thought as you continue to breathe, in through your nose and out through your mouth. No resistance, simply being with conscious awareness.

Continue the same process as you move your consciousness into your chest and through your shoulders, up through your neck, and into your head, finally moving down into your arms and hands. Again, remember the goal is not to change what is happening, rather to observe what is happening with awareness, with consciousness. And lastly breathe, in through your nose and out through your mouth. No resistance.

You may end here, or find some other way to end the exercise to your liking; with prayer, meditation, affirmations, etc. You may like to just return your awareness to your heart, and spend some time allowing yourself to experience the love that is there, allowing yourself to share it with yourself. This is up to you.

To conclude I would like to say there are many books, tapes, and CD's that can offer you suggestions, or similar exercises to this one. Find one that works for you and that you are comfortable with. I have purposefully not included any religious connotations, as I believe people of all religions can practice this and other exercises with benefit. Also though there are many other types of visualizations, there is something personal about getting acquainted with yourself on this level. This is something we typically are not used to doing, and can lead you to a more fulfilling life.

Enjoy.

What does it mean to be aware of your body?

Let me first say that most of us learn to fear our bodies and the sensations/emotions they create. It's as if they may fail us or overwhelm us at any time. We either pamper them like fragile china, push them, or learn to neglect them.

I have found there is another way, that is living with awareness, feeling grounded, and being aware of the moment...what is happening in that moment...to moment.

When we experience Awareness, we experience more ease, joy, feelings of openness and pleasure.

It's interesting to me how many of us go to extremes to experience these feelings that I believe are our birthright. I am referring to any activity that is done to excess, be it mountain climbing, extreme sports, skydiving, running, basketball, weightlifting...you can add others I'm sure. The problem comes when the only time we experience these pleasurable feelings, feelings of "being in the zone", is when we are participating in these activities. We in affect miss out on the rest of life.

What if there was a way to experience this type of awareness throughout all of our daily activities?
I call it Body Awareness. When we learn to use controlled breathing, and focused awareness, we learn in affect to live within our bodies. We learn to accept ourselves on a deeper level. We learn to be more present.

There are many tools that you can learn to help you on the path to living more in the moment;

controlled/diaphragmatic breathing
Meditation
Body Awareness techniques such as Tracking
Yoga
exercising with awareness
being aware of your senses
visualizations and guided visualizations
spending time in nature
Counseling and certain techniques such as re-parenting, EMDR, Gestalt, Body-Centered Psychotherapy