Mindful Interoception
by Megan
If you've ever moved with us, you’ll realise a lot of our teaching cues encourage you to notice what you are experiencing in your body and mind and how these states may effect each other. We do this to build the skill of interoception. This is a way of practicing mindful interoception via a practice of noticing alignment and muscle engagement.
What is interoception?
Interoception, noun, the collection of sensory information about the body’s internal state.
Interoception draws on conscious and subconscious sensory feedback from our body that creates emotional and behavioural responses, both internally and externally within our environment.
Interoceptive process of emotions by neurodivergentinsights.com
How do you know you're experiencing anxiety?
Maybe you notice your heart beating fast and can feel your rapid pulse. Perhaps it comes with a twisty feeling in your stomach and a sense of unease and agitation. Maybe you find yourself trembling, or taking short and shallow breaths.
These sensory experiences are all forms of internal communication also known as interoception.
Benefits of interoceptive practices
Body awareness
In many yoga practices we talk about meeting ourselves where we are at. This requires the ability to really listen to the body and its feedback. If you're anything like us you've had movement practices where you've pushed yourself beyond capacity. Sometimes it's ego driving you because of a warped expectation about what a successful practice should look like. Other times, we forgo our capacity as a result of going through the motions and zoning out feedback. Effectively executing a physical practice without being present, engaged or responsive to the experience. In either scenario arguably there's a lack of awareness and communication internally, it's missing the magic of turning inwards and tuning in.
Creating a practice of mindful connection within the body helps to improve awareness of internal sensation and feedback (1). It's a dance of communication between brain and senses.
The more you practice this awareness you strengthen the neural pathways connecting the brain and body (2).
Megan uses touch to help feel the breath
In a previous blog, we explored the science behind interoceptive movement practices, specifically myofascial rolling, and their role in injury prevention and in pain management.
Studies indicate that mindfulness practices help to improve interoceptive communication both subjectively, with participant self-reports, and objectively by measuring neuroplasticity and changes in the interoceptive network in the brain (2).
Self-Regulation
This skill of reflecting inwards and noticing our internal landscapes applies not just to our physical sensations but our emotional ones (1). Many individuals experience emotions sensorily like when you feel your face flush red of embarrassment, the emotion and the physical response are synonymous in experience.
Sensory awareness informs self regulation practices - neurdivergentinsights.com
While somatic communication is often a physical sensation it can also be an emotional one. We might know we're hungry by a grumbling tummy, a sense of fatigue, or a feeling increasingly impatient, frustrated or “hangry”. We often use our somatic feedback to understand and regulate our emotional and physical states (1).
Physiological reactions to the environment occur subconsciously and once processed by the brain result in emotional responses (2). Interoception allows individuals to experience emotions and influence our behavioural responses (2).
Research indicates that practicing interoceptive mindfulness has a positive effect on emotional regulation (2). Improved awareness and capacity to recognize and regulate emotions allows for improved and nuanced interpretation of the situation which in turn promotes aware and informed responses (1). This occurs through the stimulation of the brain's interoceptive network which is responsible for our concept of self and self’s expression of feelings, thoughts, bodily sensations and connections to our nociceptive system which is responsible for detecting and communicating pain signals (2). Additionally, group practices help support co-regulation, emotionally and physiologically, which can help individuals improve self regulation practices.
Mindful awareness - a practice of noticing
Alana sits in meditation
There's a saying in psychology that the body keeps the score.
Meaning our emotional and mental experience have an impact on our physiology regardless if we are consciously aware of it's effect or not.
Your body is in constant communication with both your external environment as well as your internal landscape of feelings, thoughts and physical feedback (1).
Maybe you've had a stressful time recently, and someone points out your shoulders seem permanently crunched up beside your ears. As you reflect on this observation of tension you realize they are right, you notice tightness and effort in your traps which are currently stuck just below your ears. instantly your shoulders drop an inch as you release some of this now conscious effort, the muscle tone relaxes. You hadn't realised you were holding so much of your stress in your body. As you scan your body you notice your breathing is short and shallow and your chest feels heavy. After a few intentionally deep, slow breaths you feel calmer, with less muscle tension and improved breath capacity.
Benefits of interoception infographic by thisfeelinghuman.com
We know practicing awareness and engagement of internal sensations can result in self-regulating outcomes (2). But how does this happen? It's a result of the body responding to its environment.
In this case the initial response to stress was subconscious, however, through active awareness and sensory engagement the body was able to regulate muscle tone, nervous system stimuli and breath. The practice of mindful awareness supports communication between the brain and the body that requires an awareness of the present experience, a key component of mindfulness and self-regulation practices (2, 3).
What does it look like in practice?
Myofascial rolling
In a myofascial rolling class we might cue you to focus on one specific area of the body, have you focus on the feelings and pressure against your skin and muscles from of props. The sensations from the tactile feedback of the props and their physiological effect on the circulatory system are ongoing opportunities for mindful awareness. Here's a tune-up ball practice to release the back of the neck while promoting mindful noticing and somatic relaxation.
Pranayama
Many yogic traditions (Ashtanga, Vinyasa, kundalini, restorative to name a few) use the breath or specific pranayama (breath work) practices as a somatic anchor. Guiding a practice of observing how the breath moves through the body by experiencing the subtle shifts between inhaling and exhaling, from expansion to release.
The practice of observing the physical changes in the breath cycle can help to focus the mind in the present. Breath work has the added benefit of being rhythmic which adds to its relaxing and meditative quality for many practitioners.
Sensory Meditation
Meditation can help us use sensory information or somatic noticing to help become aware of the body or even help to down-regulate and calm the system.
Alana guides us through mindful noticing through attunement of the different senses.
Megan guides a progressive muscle relaxation technique. This practice activates and release muscle tension to engage the parasympathetic nervous system via active relaxation. First a “top-down” response as the brain communicates with the muscles via increased activation and tone while also receiving “bottom-up” feedback from the tensed muscles back to the brain (3).
Looking for more?
Join us in person: check out current class offerings in Kitchener
Watch: meditation playlist on YouTube
References
