Stop living in your head, start living in your body

We can all get lost in our minds - meaning that when we’re feeling anxious and our awareness is in the past / future we get sucked into just being our mind and it leads us to suffer. But of course, we’re more than our minds. Our mind is a problem solving tool and sometimes that tool can get out of control and look for problems, so we get swept away by our regrets from the past and worries about the  future. We can completely forget about our physical being and we might not become aware of our body again until there’s something wrong - pain, tension, tiredness. If you’ve ever had an ice bath or had cold water poured over you then you know what it feels like to be suddenly and completely aware of your body. But that complete awareness is available to us anytime - we can pour our awareness into our body.

Thich Nhat Hanh called the practice of body awareness "mindfulness of the body in the body" - so you can be aware of your arm in your mind but the aim is to take your awareness out of your mind and into your arm, really noticing what you can feel there.

Its incredibly simple but also the most fundamental practice, possibly the most important part of the practice - the buddha described it as the cornerstone of liberation. The body connects us to the here and now, it connects us to the present moment. Through our breath, through our senses, through our movement it brings us into union with reality, where we can let go of our suffering. The only place we can be happy is here; the only time we can be happy is now.

The reason I like mindfulness of the body is that it really helps to focus your awareness and while your awareness is focused, your mind can settle down. You’ll still have thoughts occasionally - and that's OK - but by gently bringing your consciousness back to your body your mind gets a chance to rest, gets a chance to let go of the past and future, let go of worries and become one with your body.

When we’re practicing mindfulness of the body we’re not trying to change anything or fix any discomfort. It's about accepting and observing what is happening in our body without judgment. By practicing mindfulness in our bodies, we can bring our mind into the present and stay there - and that's what makes it so effective against anxiety.