Mapping the body is a way to become more familiar with your self – the sensations, feelings, experience, peace, ease, tension, tightness, comfort, and distress that may reside in you in certain locations.
This is a discovery exercise, a way to explore with your conscious focused awareness.
You may choose to explore a certain area during one session, and another at another time. Or, you may explore multiple areas and sensations in many areas. How and when you do it is fully up to you.
Begin by placing your hands one over the other, with the palms overlapping. Bring your hands to an area on the trunk of your body. You may have a sense as to where you would like to start. If you are unsure as to a starting location, place your hands midline at the area below the throat and above the heart (position 1). Use a gentle light touch to start, and allow yourself to breathe gently and easily.
Notice what the area feels like. Is there a sensation there? Do you notice your breath, your energy, any movement, tension, ease, or distraction? Does it seem like there is a lack of sensation? If so, what does that feel like for you?
Next, in the same area, explore more by using a bit more pressure with your hands, so that you are going into the tissues slightly. Notice what you experience. Also, explore what it feels like in that area when you have even less pressure with your hands. Is there a change in your experience? Notice breath, energy, vibration, movement, tension, ease, distraction, or even a lack of these things.
If you wish to continue to get to know this area further, you can use a side to side or up and down tissue ‘dragging’ at the area. It’s like you want to move the skin around a small amount, without changing the contact point of your hands. Notice what happens and what you feel when you do this.
Often, with a number of ways to explore just that one area, there can be a multitude of things that you notice. These are some of the layers of you that reside in your body and awareness, and you may wish to end your mapping session at this point.
If you choose to continue, move your hands to either the left or the right of the area you have just mapped. Go through the exploration exercise in this area. What do you notice or not notice? What sensations come up? Are you able to feel anything different here than in the first area?
Remember to be gentle with yourself. It can be new to take the time to really explore your body and sensations in this way. It is possible that you will experience body memories or even emotions as you are mapping your body. Be sure to breathe, and it’s okay to move or reposition your body as needed while you explore different sensations.
