Inner Awareness

Is not a solitary endeavor...

Hey gang,

Last month, I had the honor and privilege of attending and presenting at the 37th annual Boston Trauma Conference. In his session, Professor Manos Tsakiris shared insights from the book he co-edited and contributed to entitled, "The Interoceptive Mind: From Homeostasis to Awareness." For me, his findings struck a chord for the times in which we find ourselves.

Interoception is awareness of inner body states like hunger, temperature, and heartrate. For our purposes, we can generalize a bit and say that it’s awareness of what’s going on inside the body. This is not the same as emotional intelligence or awareness of one’s thoughts. Interoception is typically a more stripped-down notion than those. But they all likely share the same underlying ability to inwardly focus.

Surprisingly, developing awareness of internal body states is not simply a solitary endeavor. Such internal sensations do not come with nametags. Recognizing, identifying, and applying them depends on interaction with others. Paradoxically, in the beginning, we learn what we are feeling from people around us. We need each other to know ourselves, even on the ‘inside.’

According to Professor Tsakiris, the goal is to have “just enough” interoception and strike a balance with “just enough’ external awareness of one’s surroundings. Too much in either direction is problematic. In fact, people with “just enough” in both directions fair the best in difficult and uncertain times like the ones in which we are currently living.

In the United States, a dip in the overall health and well-being has been occurring since 2016. (Draw your own political correlations.) We are living in a seemingly unprecedented divisive, fearmongering, blame-laden, and hate-spewing period of time. We are treating each other badly and doing a lot of finger-pointing. It’s negatively impacting our collective health. But despite ourselves, we remain connected…a reason for hope.

I left Professor Tsakiris’s presentation with some hopeful reminders:

Developing and refining more inner awareness, deepening the connection with our bodies is perhaps more important than ever. We need to find refuge from the ugliness that swirls around us, a grounded place to rest. We need our bodies. But we also cannot withdraw too far. We must stay connected outwardly. We must still care because isolation serves nothing but apathy.

On the other hand, focusing too much outwardly leads to dysregulation, burnout, and fatigue. Worse yet, without connection to our interior, we risk losing empathy, compassion, the potential for understanding, and even access to forgiveness. Such losses serve only to perpetuate current cycles of violence.

Finally, we need to remember we are not alone. That finding inward connection and refuge means both a solitary journey and staying connected to others, to community, to smiles, and to kindness. Our personal and collective health depend upon it.

You are welcome to join our community to deepen your connection to your body. But don’t go it alone. It doesn’t work as well.

Cheers,

Matthew

Matthew Sanford / Founder, Mind Body Solutions

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Beloved MBS student and bestselling author, Elly Katz has a new poetry collection coming out this fall. Order a discounted, pre-sale copy here.

"Inheritance is a personal meditation on loss and how we shape ourselves out of the past that is passed down, as well as the present we inherit.

~ Elly

Save the Date!

Sept 12-18, 2026 Seven Days to Shine in SEPTEMBER!

The Kiss My Asana Yogathon® is a beloved annual event within the MBS community, typically held each spring. This year, we changed the date but kept all the fun and good feelings that come with doing yoga to share yoga.

During the yogathon, our global family dedicates seven days to celebrate and share the work of MBS. All told, more than 1,300 yogis have joined the MBS yogathon, practicing at their pace, in their place. Be part of a powerful week and find delightful company, amazing practices, and the incredible feeling that comes when being of service. The Kiss My Asana® Yogathon. Stay tuned for registration information!