In the stresses of everyday life, we all too often ignore our body's warning signals. Learn more about body awareness and how you can improve it here.
Table of contents
1. What is body awareness?
Body awareness is the conscious and targeted directing of one's attention to certain regions of the body , to the entire body or to the interior of the body .
Body awareness involves consciously perceiving one 's own physical , emotional , or mental states . The goal of body awareness is to bring the mind and body into a state of relaxation and to recognize the body's needs and signals.
Body awareness develops through body perception . Body awareness is a prerequisite for self-confidence . Body awareness also includes the assessment of your own body and the conscious perception of your body through all of your senses.
Three sensory senses are particularly important for perceiving one's own body: deep sensitivity, muscle sense, and the sense of balance [1]. While deep sensitivity is responsible for controlling posture and movement, your muscle sense controls the movement of muscles, joints, and tendons.
The sense of balance coordinates movements in space. There are targeted exercises for children and adults to promote body awareness.
2. Why is body awareness so important?
The modern world is often characterized by hectic pace , complexity , stress , and a constant flood of information . This can lead to losing touch with yourself amidst all the daily tasks and to -dos of normal everyday life .
Things become critical when the body's signals or your own emotional world get out of focus . To be able to perform optimally mentally and physically in the long term , it's important to occasionally shift your attention from the outside world to your own body .
Only then can you perceive your body's needs and recognize what you need at any given moment, such as rest, relaxation, physical exercise, sport, or a meal. Body awareness is especially important for adults, as in normal, hectic daily life, the body's needs are often not properly recognized.
When you learn to listen to your body , it becomes easier for you to recognize your needs and you can actively influence your well-being and performance . Body awareness is also important for children, as it has a significant impact on body awareness and thus on self-confidence and self-esteem.
Children with good body awareness should be confident in their actions and movements and develop positive self-confidence [3]. Body awareness in children can also be promoted through special exercises and sports .
3. Different ways you can perceive your body
There are different types of body awareness . In addition to the sensation of warmth and cold , you can also perceive your body through your breathing . To do this , focus specifically on your breathing and observe how quickly, how slowly, and at what intervals you inhale and exhale.
If your breathing is too rapid, you can deliberately slow it down and thus contribute to physical and mental relaxation. Other ways of bodily awareness include muscle tension or noticing or observing your own posture .
By focusing your attention on individual areas of your body or your posture, you can identify pain, tension or deficits and optimize them.
Body awareness is also possible on a mental level , for example, through noticing your emotional state and your thoughts . Emotions and thoughts influence your physical well-being quite subconsciously.
By actively focusing on your emotional state and thoughts , you can better recognize and understand them. You can then use certain exercises to improve your mental focus or bring your emotions into balance.
BRAINEFFECT HACK: Sometimes a nutrient deficiency can trigger negative emotions because your body lacks the building blocks for various hormones. Mood contains important building blocks for the production of serotonin.
4. How to improve your body awareness
Do you want to improve your body awareness ? Below, we'll show you which exercises you can use to improve your body awareness.
Mindfulness exercises reduce stress and promote mental clarity . At the same time, they also improve your body awareness [4]. One example of a mindfulness exercise is consciously observing your breathing .
To do this, sit upright, relax your shoulders, close your eyes, and place one hand on your belly. As you breathe deeply through your nose, focus on the air flowing into your body and the expansion of your belly.
As you exhale, focus on your belly lowering and the air flowing out through your nose. You can repeat this breathing exercise ten times and practice it one to three times a day .
Another exercise to improve body awareness is relaxation techniques such as autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation according to Edmund Jacobsen.
Autogenic training uses hypnosis techniques and self-suggestion to relax the body . By verbally or mentally repeating certain phrases, such as "I am completely calm," the body is supposed to follow what is being said and relax.
For beginners , it's a good idea to try relaxation techniques first in groups or classes, as they take some time to learn. In addition to mindfulness exercises and relaxation techniques, meditation and bodyweight training (e.g., yoga) can also improve body awareness .
There are many free online yoga and meditation videos that guide you through simple exercises . You can also use meditation apps like Headspace or Calm.
5. Conclusion
Even if achieving your goals is your highest priority, it's important to take a step back every now and then, refocus, and recharge. Relaxation and regeneration are just as important for success as physical and mental performance.
Through body awareness, you can learn to recognize your body's needs on various levels. By listening to your body's signals and giving it what it needs, you can contribute to your long-term well-being.
If you want to start with body awareness, there are many exercises that you can easily do at home.
6. Sources
[1] https://www.ikk-nord.de/ratgeber-gesundheit/themenspecials/bewegung-und-entspannung/koerperwahrnehmung
[2] https://www.vibss.de/sportpraxis/praktisch-fuer-die-praxis/koerperwahrnehmung-und-entspannung/
[3] http://www.dtb-online.de/portal/gymcard/gymnastik-fitness/bewegung/kinderturnen/koerperwahrnehmung.html
[4] https://www.frisches-denken.de/stressfrei-durch-achtsamkeitsuebungen/
[5] https://www.gesundheit.de/wellness/sanfte-medizin/weitere-therapien-und-behandlungen/autogenes-training
