“What is Interoception and how does yoga and mindfulness build my Interoceptive awareness?”

Interoceptive awareness (IA) is knowing ourselves.  It is recognising what we are  feeling from the inside out, and what those body signals are telling us we need to do, what action we need to take to look after ourselves.  IA is different for everybody and is a very individual experience.  What we do know though, is that having clear IA is essential to our ability for emotional regulation, recovery from pain and trauma.  

When IA goes “wrong”...Sometimes the messages are getting mixed up, and we can't really tell exactly where the signals are coming from. Is it my tummy, or my bladder? Is it that I’m hungry, or am I nervous in my belly? 

Sometimes the messages are just too LOUD! And it's overwhelming and confusing to know what is important to pay attention to. 

 And for others, the message might be too small, too quiet and they don't notice what is happening until it's too late and they are super exhausted, in a lot of pain or exploding with anger…

Research shows that IA differences can make emotional regulation and self-care, as well as life in general, difficult for people with a history of trauma and also with chronic pain. Its also related to many neurological conditions such as Autism Spectrum disorder, ADHD and mental health challenges like PTSD, Eating disorders, Substance use disorders and anxiety.  

Interoception has such a vast field of influence and is linked with so many challenges, it holds a key to recovery in many people I have worked with over the years.  And the good news is that YES you can improve IA, you can rewire and strengthen your mind-brain-body awareness connections and you can do it through Yoga and Mindfulness.  

A recent review of research showed that yoga does improve body awareness, interoceptive awareness and aid recovery from chronic pain. Authors Rivest-Gadbois, E., & Boudrias, M. H. (2019), concluded after analysing over 63 research papers, that “yoga has a positive effect on learning rate, speed and accuracy of a motor task by increasing attention and decreasing stress through a better control of sensorimotor rhythms. Yoga also seems to improve sensory awareness and interoception, regulate autonomic input, increase parasympathetic activity and promote self-regulation. Yoga was also shown to reduce the threat signal, increase pain tolerance, decrease pain unpleasantness and decrease the anxiety and distress associated with pain. Those changes are associated with the recruitment of specific brain areas such as the insula, the amygdala and the hippocampus.”  

Yoga has been shown to improve the connectivity and size of the brain’s interoception processing centre- the Insula, as has mindfulness meditation.  Experienced yogis and meditators have greater development of this part of the brain and also increased empathy, interoceptive awareness and self regulation, such as can be tested through heart rate variability, autonomic responses and vagal tone- all fancy ways of describing a greater resilience in the nervous system and overall calmness and flexibility to be present and connect with others.

This is fantastic news, because we know that it is possible to improve these skills and that they do influence participation- our ability to live life with more presence and get on with doing what you love to do, as well as get on with others in your life and get done what you need to do with more effectiveness and balance.

Let's explore how this can work- Our brain learns really effectively contrast- so, an simple example can be checking in with how your body is feeling and then practising a specific yoga practice, and checking in afterwards, pausing and slowing down to pay attention to what you are feeling, builds your IA through neuroplasticity and sensory-motor integration. A skilled yoga therapist can select the practices that will help you activate a response in and connect with the key areas of your body, brain and nervous system that are important to your recovery.  They can help you journey towards accepting pain and discomfort and gradually rewiring your brain-body connections towards strengthening pleasure and smooth, mindful action.  Through your yoga therapy practice, you will be guided to slow down and notice the signals that may be getting lost in noise of life and overwhelm of challenging body states; thus increasing your self-awareness and encouraging self-care when it's needed.

Try one these great 5 practices for building IA:

• Cat-cow - builds awareness in the spine

• Cobra or sphinx pose builds awareness of belly breathing and the spine
• Brahmari humming bee breath calms the nervous system, tones the vagus nerve and builds interoceptive awareness in the head, voice, ears, mouth 
• Lions pose and breath builds awareness of the whole face, throat, voice, mouth and eyes

• Body scan or yoga nidra builds awareness of the whole body and can specifically explore the contrast of opposite states and noticing specific body parts systematically through the body

If you think that you could benefit from developing your interoceptive awareness, and want to get started with an individualised yoga therapy practice, reach out and contact me today.  For women in recovery from trauma and or feeling disonnected from your body in any way, check out my retreats or short Yoga course for pelvic embodiment and healing.