I Started Listening to My Body Instead of My Mind — Here’s What Changed

As someone who works behind the scenes at Spirio, helping shape content on embodiment and healing, I thought I had it all figured out. I mean — what the hell — I work with experienced teachers and practitioners every day. I know the theory. I edit the scripts. But could I actually start doing it myself? Not really.

A few months ago, I hit a wall. After yet another week packed with deadlines and decision fatigue, I found myself unable to focus, sleep, or even breathe deeply. So I did the thing we always talk about in Spirio courses: I stopped pushing and started practicing what I preached. And that’s when everything began to shift.

I started exploring body awareness, and gently practicing body awareness activities. Surprisingly, even the most basic body awareness activities for kids helped me reset. What follows is what changed — and why I’ll never go back.

Why We Ignore Our Bodies

We’re trained to prioritize thinking over feeling. Schools reward logic, workplaces reward output, and even in personal development, the mind gets center stage. For years, I assumed that “fixing” myself meant reframing my thoughts or pushing harder.

But when I finally asked myself, what is body awareness, I realized how little I was actually in touch with my physical reality.

Sure, I could recite breathing techniques or wellness tips, but I couldn’t tell you what my jaw was doing when I was anxious. I couldn’t feel the tension I carried in my stomach or the buzzing in my limbs. Spirio’s content often encourages us to “come home to the body,” but this was the first time I understood what that actually meant.

From Overthinking to Body Awareness Somatic Healing

Overthinking had been my comfort zone. I solved problems by thinking faster, harder, longer. But that method stopped working. So I turned to body awareness exercises — nothing fancy, just daily check-ins. How is my breath? Are my shoulders raised? Is there tightness in my chest?

At first, it felt awkward. Then it felt like relief. One of the biggest shifts came through body awareness meditation — guided practices that focused attention inward, not for analysis, but for observation. That’s when I started seeing how often I ignored what my body was trying to say. I’d been living like a head on legs. But when I grounded into my physical self, my anxiety began to shift. Not disappear — but soften. And that softness brought resilience.

Somatic healing became my access point. I began exploring Peter Levine’s work in Somatic Experiencing, which focuses on trauma’s physical imprints. Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score was another game-changer — it showed how deeply the body remembers what the mind tries to forget.

Emotional Intelligence

Listening to my body expanded my emotional vocabulary. I no longer labeled emotions purely with words. I began to sense them. Anger, for instance, wasn’t just a concept — it was a rising heat in my neck, a constriction in my chest. Sadness? A slow heaviness in my shoulders. Excitement felt like a sparkle in my spine.

I started building my own version of body awareness activities for adults, like setting a timer three times a day to pause, breathe, and notice. I didn’t need answers — just attention. Those small acts built emotional intelligence from the inside out. I stopped reacting as quickly. I paused more. I felt more spacious inside.

Nervous System Cues, Emotions, Breathwork, Felt Sense

The more I practiced, the more I noticed subtle signals:

• My heart raced when I ignored a boundary.
• My breath shortened when I people-pleased.
• My shoulders tightened when I tried to control what wasn’t mine.

Breathwork became an anchor. A simple 4-6 breath (inhale for four, exhale for six) helped reset my system. Not in a performative way — but as a way to remember I had a body. I also began paying attention to the felt sense — the vague but intuitive knowing that something is “off” or “open.”

At Spirio, we often refer to this as “inner orientation.” It’s not dramatic, just a gentle leaning toward what feels true. Through these practices, I gained a new relationship with emotions — not as things to solve, but as currents to witness.

Somatic Psychology, Trauma & Embodiment

Learning about somatic psychology made the pieces fall into place. I began to understand that what I was experiencing wasn’t just mindfulness — it was trauma integration. According to Peter Levine, trauma isn’t the event — it’s the energy that gets trapped in the body afterward. And Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes that healing happens through physical expression: breath, movement, sound, presence.

That’s why body awareness methods in occupational therapy were so effective. I began using touch, gentle stretching, and soft vocalizations to complete stress cycles. I even explored body awareness activities in occupational therapy used with children and adapted them into my adult routines. I drew shapes in the air with my fingers. I did crawling motions. I rolled my feet on tennis balls. It wasn’t childish — it was regulation.
Spirio’s somatic tracks helped here too. They offered practices developed by experts who understand this language. It felt like having a safety net while I learned to trust my body again.

Turning Practice into Habit

Building body-based habits took time, but the shifts were profound. I added a morning body scan. I paused at my desk to check posture. I danced in the kitchen. These weren’t tasks — they were micro-rituals.

One unexpected joy? Revisiting body awareness activities for kids — like animal movements, breath-and-shake games, or finger tracing. They grounded me better than many adult techniques. At night, I started writing down moments of bodily presence: when did I feel grounded? Open? Heavy? This helped me track patterns. Over time, I noticed more joy, less reactivity, and fewer tension headaches.

I even created a short list of body awareness goals, occupational therapy style: 1) Notice breath before meetings. 2) Stretch back at lunch. 3) Track emotions in body, not mind. The difference was subtle but undeniable: I felt inside myself again.

How to Improve Body Awareness

The path isn’t linear, but here’s what helped me most:

• Grounding: Feeling my feet on the floor.
• Breath tracking: Noticing rhythm changes.
• Micro-movements: Rolling shoulders, wiggling fingers.
• Internal check-ins: Asking “What’s here now?”
• Gentle curiosity: Releasing judgment.

If you’re wondering how to improve body awareness, the key is consistency, not intensity. Small, regular check-ins trump dramatic overhauls.Here, at our Spirio team, we always say, “The body always knows. We just forgot how to listen.” Re-learning is simple — if you go slowly.

What Is Body Awareness Really?

Beyond techniques, what is body awareness truly? It’s the ability to notice sensations, tensions, signals, and emotions before the mind assigns meaning.

The formal body awareness definition is the conscious recognition of internal bodily sensations. But in practice, it’s a relationship. A language you learn to speak.

There are different ways in — through movement, breath, meditation, or stillness. Even body awareness for kids shows us that awareness doesn’t need to be complex. Sometimes it’s as simple as noticing when your hands feel cold or your belly feels fluttery.

Final Thoughts

Switching from mind-dominance to body-listening didn’t happen overnight. It took gentle repetition. Curiosity. Safe guidance. And a willingness to let go of needing to “understand everything.”
I used to search endlessly for wellness hacks and mental clarity tips. Now, I come back to my feet, my breath, my heartbeat.

This isn’t a spiritual bypass or an escape — it’s embodiment. If you’ve ever wondered how to increase body awareness, start where you are. One breath. One pause. One hand on your chest. Over time, those moments stack up. They build safety, clarity, and resilience from the inside out.

And if you need a starting place, check out Spirio, specifically High Vibration Life and Awaken Your Kundalini Power courses. Both are a combination of ancient Eastern practices and modern body awareness approaches. The practices there aren’t about performance. They’re about presence. And they helped me come home to myself, one sensation at a time.