I’ve been exploring awareness in the body in my yoga practice lately. I know that sounds silly, right? Aren’t we always talking about awareness in the body? We are, but I’ve been slowing down my practice a little and really being consciously aware of what is going on in my body.

Got Conscious Body Awareness On & Off The Mat?

What are my feet doing? I have a tendency to place my weight on the outsides of my feet. Is my weight really evenly distributed throughout my entire practice? Or just in tadasana (mountain pose)?

What are my sits bones doing? Are my ischial tuberosity making contact with the floor? If they aren’t making contact and making contact with ease, maybe I need to prop up my hips. And be ok with doing so. What’s my pelvis doing when I’m standing? Is it tucked? Or am I overcompensating to make sure it isn’t tucked and now my upper ribs are flaring out?

I’ve also been having more conscious body awareness off the mat. Ooohhh, now there’s a new one. It’s so easy to do our yoga practice, check it off our list, and then move on to the next thing we have to do.

What if yoga was something we lived on instead of something we did? Now that question could have a whole section in a bookstore, I know.

However, what if we carried that conscious body awareness off the mat with us? What if we were aware of how we placed our weight on our feet as we walked to and from the bus stop? What if we were more aware of our ischial tuberosity, core, shoulders, and spine as we sat at our desks or drove in our cars?

I would like to challenge you to this: for the next week choose one area to direct more conscious awareness to off of the mat. Then see if you notice any physical or mental changes in yourself. Maybe journal about it or even just make a note about it in an app.

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