Using the Body as a Tool

Ronni Umles, MHC

Let’s do an exercise for the next 2-5 minutes. 

Sitting in a comfortable chair, feet planted on the ground, hips width distance apart, hands rest palms up or down, back straight or supported by a pillow, chin slightly tilted up.

If you can, gently close your eyes.

And breathe.

Through your nose for 4 breaths.

Out your mouth for 6 breaths. 

Repeat a couple of times. Settle in. Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Wiggle your toes, feel them squish around with the earth beneath them. Moving up your calves, your shins, your thighs, noticing the sensations of touch of skin and tension of muscle.

See if you can relax any tension or just observe.

Traveling up to your sit bones, hips, and belly. Take a deep breath into your belly and feel it expand and release.

Notice your low back, mid back and upper back.

Wiggle your fingertips, move up your forearms to your upper arms and your shoulders. Feel the space between where the shoulders meet the neck.

Breathing into the throat, noticing any tightness or blockages keeping you from you speaking your truth.

Moving up the chin to the cheeks. Relax the jaw and the tiny muscles around the eyes to the middle of the forehead.

And finally, making your way to the crown of your head.

Breathe in deeply and let it go. Breathe in again and let it go with a sigh.

Flutter your eyes open.

A simple daily body scan not only activates a part of our parasympathetic nervous system, our calm/rest state, it also opens the door to self-inquiry. Human beings are organic creatures and we store information in our bodies that may not always be available through the conscious mind. This is especially true for those who have experienced trauma and dissociation.

In the beginning stages healing from trauma, either emotional, sexual, or physical, is a practice of grounding oneself. Grounding initiates awareness and intent, both essential to reclaim access to your body, mind, and spirit. A body scan, such as the one we just did is a simple way to start the process.

Ask yourself:

How did I feel?

What did I notice?

Where did I feel tension?

Was I able to focus?

The final question important to explore is: What came up in my thoughts? The process of reconnecting to your body is also a reconnection to emotions and memory. The body serves as armor and our mind is the soldier, meant to keep us protected from harm. When the mind reacts in situations of danger by going into fight, flight, or freeze states, the body absorbs the impact. This is a biological reaction that happens from even before we leave the womb. We absorb the emotions of our mothers and the world she experiences, which predisposes us to our reactive and nonreactive states.

While we have no control over those formative years of our childhood, we can make changes as adults. The process of self-inquiry and reconnecting to the body requires radical acceptance, compassion and patience. As the age-old cliché goes, we are our own worst enemy. So how about we begin the practice of befriending our enemy by inviting them into our awareness and say, hello.