The Power of Awareness - Listening to Your Body, Mind and Emotions

A moment of peaceful awareness.

The Question I Hear Often

As I was sitting down to write this month’s reflection, I was thinking about a situation where a client asked me if what they were feeling after a massage or Reiki session was “normal.”

Honestly, this question comes up quite often.

Awareness: The Information Your Body Is Giving You

After a massage or Reiki session, there are many things you might feel — relaxed, sore, emotional, energized, or maybe even just different. But the thing I really want you to take away from this reflection is awareness.

I want you to become more aware of your body, more aware of your mental state, and more aware of your emotions.

All of these bits of information that you carry around with you 24/7 are giving you information about your state — your state of being, your state of mind, and where you are in this moment.

So next time after your session, after a workout, after a walk in the woods, after an afternoon of gardening or hanging with friends and family, stop and just be. Become aware of your state of being. What does it feel like? Be present with yourself if only for a few minutes and appreciate the quiet. What do you feel at that moment? Is it peace, grounding, relaxation, excitement, pure happiness, or something else perhaps. Whatever it is, listen to it. It gives you information that can be used to enhance your experience. Was it a good feeling? A bad feeling? All of it is information, if you take the time to stop and become aware.

The Session Is Only the Beginning

I may see you for one to two hours during a session, and my goal is to help bring you back into balance: physically, emotionally, mentally, and maybe even spiritually, depending on the day and what type of session we are working with.

One of the wonderful things about massage therapy is that we have a growing body of research showing its positive effects on the body. Massage has been shown to help shift your nervous system from a "fight or flight" state toward a more relaxed "rest and digest" state. It can reduce stress and anxiety, ease muscle stiffness, improve range of motion, decrease pain, and simply help you feel more at ease in your own body.

While Reiki has fewer scientific studies, many people experience deep relaxation, reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep, decreased pain, and an overall sense of well-being after a session. We don't yet fully understand why these effects occur, but that doesn't lessen the impact they can have on the individual.

One of the beautiful things about massage therapy and Reiki is where they overlap. Both can help calm the nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety, ease pain, improve sleep, and create a greater sense of well-being. Whether we use one approach or combine the two, those one or two hours together can have lasting effects.

But it doesn't—and shouldn't—end when you walk out the studio door.

The work continues with you.

Becoming the Owner of Your Balance

Because the rest of the day, week, and month, you are the one who is with yourself.

You are the one noticing. You are the one listening. You are the one becoming aware of the discord and finding your way back to balance as needed. 

As your practitioner, I can absolutely help you to feel more in balance, to support and guide you back to a place where you can feel more in tune with your body, your mind, your emotions. But it is you who holds the key. You are the one who has the relationship with yourself every single day. You hold the power to be at peace, be joyful, feel grounded, move in flow.

This awareness is one of the most important parts of your own healing journey. The more you learn to listen to yourself, the more you begin to recognize what you need.

A Personal Reflection on My Own Balance

I say this because I myself often forget that I am the owner of my balance, that I can empower myself, respond to my emotions with awareness, and improve my physical and mental health. It’s a journey that is very near and dear to me right now. I am living it and working to improve every day. I want you to have the same experience.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy, by no means. But the effort is totally worth it. Finding the thing within you that needs adjusting and being able to adjust it so that you can find peace and joy is worth more than any amount of money or status or likes on a social media platform.

What Your Body Is Telling You

Let your body, mind, and emotions do the talking. They are constantly giving you information, so take a moment to listen.

Respond with a big glass of water, a nap in the hammock, a hot cup of tea while reading a book, a call to a loved one, or something else that is meaningful and needed by you.

You know yourself best. By paying attention, you can begin to create the life you want.

I've experienced both. I've experienced what happens when I listen, and I've experienced what happens when I don't.

So remember to stop and be present.

Be aware, listen, and see what you discover.

Companion Practice: Daily Awareness Check-In

Awareness doesn't end when your session does. If you'd like to put this month's reflection into practice, I've created a simple one-page Daily Awareness Check-In to help you pause, notice, listen, and respond to what your body, mind, and emotions are telling you.