SOMATIC AWARENESS 101WHAT IS IT? Somatic means “of the body” and Intelligence describes one's ability to become aware of information housed in their body (sensations, emotions, movements, etc.), to understand the meaning of this information and cultivate an ability to shift their physical and mental state by interacting with this information.HOW DOES IT WORK? A popular statement is that we use “less than 10% of our brain.” It is, in fact, untrue, we use all of our brain. But what is certainly true is that we are only aware of a fraction of our brain's activities and that the majority of the stuff that is in our head and generates the human being that we are, is outside of our awareness.This other “90%” of your brain are neurological structures that have evolved over eons and contain every development and adaptation that we have accumulated from our ancient lizard ancestors to our modern human selves. v Reptilian Complex. Ingtinetual brain, physical sensations, primal survival emotions Neomammalian Complex, rational brain, narrative thoughts. Paleomammalian Complex, ‘emotional brain, complex emotion, childlike, culture, traditions, we were raised As modern humans - primarily because of abysmal parenting and cultural conditioning - we have learned to powerfully disconnect from the realms of our brains that are associated with sensations and feelings because so much of those experiences has been painful or shameful. Furthermore, being a sensing, feeling human being gets in the way of being productive, and who needs that?Somatic Intelligence is a fundamental method of reconnecting to the cut off parts of your brain by means of directing your attention to your body. This works because the “consciousness” of your older, disassociated brain centers exist as the sensation and feeling experience of your body (not your thoughts). To put it plainly, you wouldn't be able to feel emotions if you didn’t have a body. What's the good in being sexually aroused if you don’t have a body to experience the arousal? How would you know you were afraid if you didn’t feel it in the pounding of your heart?For most folks, they only become aware of their somatic experience (sensations and emotions in their body) during peak positive (sex, sky diving) or negative experiences (painful injury, sky diving ; ) and spend the rest of their time having zero awareness of whats going on in their body. To make matters worse, most people are engaging in various coping mechanisms (drinking, smoking, obsessive exercise, over eating) to further repress and disassociate from their somatic experience. By consciously, intentionally and compassionately developing your somatic intelligence, you expand your awareness of self and connect to the underlying brai structures that are driving your negative behavi More importantly, you learn to connect, de’ remodel unconscious triggers that influencing you your entire life.WHY DO I WANT TO DO IT? | dunno, because you want to transform in body, mind and spirit? Gain control over your chronic stress. Fly off the handle less. Feel better in your own skin. Learn more about yourself and feel more alive?) © © > © TIPS BEFORE BEGINNING: Read all the steps before beginning. This practice is difficult if you are already strongly triggered. If that is the case, go exercise or find some other means of getting back to baseline and then do this. Be patient and curious, like a bird watcher, you will keenly and quietly focus so that you catch every glimpse of the thing you are observing. You are NOT trying to fix anything, you are only trying to hold space and listen to your experience. Think of it like being a good friend or parent, just be a comforting presence.Don’t try so hard and be easy on yourself. This is a new skill. It takes a bit of practice. You may want to take notes about your experiences at the end of the exercise. You will find them quite informative. Furthermore, you will find that patterns begin to emerge that you'll want to keep track of.INSTRUCTIONS:Lay down or recline in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Notice your body. Does it feel tense or relaxed? On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being totally relaxed and 10 being extremely tense, how tense is it? Where is the tension or discomfort (chest, back, shoulders, neck, hips)? Does your breath move easily in and out of your chest, or is there restriction? Does your belly feel good or bad? Does the breath move easily in and out of your belly, or is there restriction? UMMM MMM ha* Notice your quality of mind. ° Is it peaceful or distracted? ° Thinking fast or slow? * Calm or agitated? * On ascale of 1-10, from very calm to very agitated, scale your agitation. UMMM MM hy Wy° Direct your attention to your five senses. * For about a minute, notice your ears and sound. With a lot of curiosity and no judgement, notice everything there is to hear around you. For about a minute, notice your eyes and sight behind your closed eyelids. Notice everything there is to see. Allow your eyes to soften and for your vision to widen. For about a minute, notice your nose and smell. Notice everything there is to smell. Feel the texture and temperature of the air as it passes through your nose and into your lungs. For about a minute, notice your tongue and taste. With a lot of curiosity and no judgement, notice everything there is to taste. Feel the moisture and temperature of your mouth. What is it like to feel yourself swallowing?* For about a minute, notice your body and sense of touch. Notice everything you can feel. Notice the temperature of the air on your skin, the texture of the fabric of your clothes, the weight of gravity and your body. Finally, for about a minute, immerse yourself in all 5 senses at once. How do your body and mind feel now? Most likely, activating the Somatic Awareness of your sense has shifted your mind and body into a more calm and centered state. UMMM MMW bh bay¢ Notice the sensations in the area of your chest, heart and breath. » As you maintain part of your awareness and attention on that part of your body, begin to remember and visualize the face of a person you love. Just their face, preferably smiling. For a few minutes, notice how the sensations in your chest, heart and breath react to the visual memory of the face of the person you love. You may swing between focusing on the memory and focus on sensations. Take note of the shifts. Is there an emotional feeling that is coexisting with the sensations? Can you describe it to yourself? UMMM MWY MWMaintain your focus on the sensations in the area of your chest, heart and breath. Now, shift the memory and face you are focusing on to the face of a teacher or a boss that you did not like. See their face, preferably, NOT smiling. For a few minutes, notice how the sensations in your chest, heart and breath react to the visual memory of the face of the person you do not like. You may swing between focusing on the memory and focusing on sensations. Take note of the shifts. Is there an emotional feeling that is coexisting with the sensations? Can you describe it to yourself? UW Wy- Maintain your focus on the sensations in the area of your chest, heart and breath. * Shift the memory and face you are focusing on back to the face of the person you love. Continue to do this for as long as it takes for you to notice a shift in the sensations in the area of your chest. The goal is to swing back into a positive state of being. * Take note of the shifts. What emotional state occurs? Is it easy or hard to shift? Can you describe it to yourself? UMMM MM NhRelax your efforts. Soften your focus. Notice the effects of our Somatic Awareness practice. How does your body feel now? What is its score from 1-10 What is your quality of mind now? What is its score from 1-10 What impact did this practice have on you? Feel free to make notes about your experience. UM MMMAMWNMW HhYou Have Completed the Exercise! UMWMUMUWM WWM ay