A somatic check-in is how you normally start doing somatics exercises or when you want to simply notice your feelings or sense perceptions right now.
It’s simple, all you have to do is notice yourself in the present moment.
For instance, how or what are you feeling right now throughout your entire body?
Somatic Check-In
So let’s do a somatic check-in.
When you check-in, you can lie on the floor and let your body sink into the surface and then wait.
While your waiting, this is the time to sense or feel what you can right now.
The time can be short and sweet or last up to a couple of minutes or more as you take the time to feel, notice, sense and appreciate what your body is telling you.
As you lie on the floor and check in – How do you make contact with the floor?
How did you choose to arrange yourself on the floor? Knees bent, legs straight, legs crossed?
Do you feel your breath?
Do you feel or notice any aches, pains or stiffness?
Taking an Internal Inventory to Self Sense & Appreciate
Your simply taking an internal inventory to feel what signals, both good and bad arise in the present moment of now.
As you lie there:
Do your legs feel the same?
Does one side feel longer or shorter than the other?
Does one feel heavier or lighter?
How do your hips feel?
Do they feel the same or a little different?
Take the time to linger, compare and contrast.
Notice how you positioned your arms.
Are your arms at your sides?
Do you have them folded in a comfortable or familiar way?
Are your palms facing the same direction?
Are your shoulders lying level on the floor?
Do you feel tilted on one shoulder more than the other?
Now, focus your attention on your spine.
Feel the length of your spine from your tailbone all the way to your head.
Then feel how your entire body makes contact with the surface.
You’ve now checked in somatically speaking. The body experienced from within is available any time you choose. It’s a matter of you giving yourself the precious gift and time to check in now.
So many people do not check in and feel themselves unless there is pain. The more you check-in, the easier it is to take a moment here or there as life speeds busily by.
Watch and listen to this somatic check-in.
Doing Nothing is All Right
If someone were to see you lying there, they wouldn’t necessarily know the flashlight of awareness your shining on or within yourself.
You could have checked in with your 4th toe on your left foot for instance. How often do you that?
Then you might decide to travel up to your right eyebrow and feel its length, width and breadth.
So whether you choose to focus on certain specific parts of yourself or your entire self, this flashlight of awareness uses your brain and body in a more conscious manner.
Leisurely checking in lets you feel any stress, tension, stiffness or tightness. Then you can feel or see if things let go on their own accord.
If not, then you can use your brain-body with some wonderful somatics exercises to change discomforting signals into ones of pleasure.
Then at the end, you can check-in again and feel what changes have taken place or what new sensations or feelings you are now aware of.
So, let me know if you took a moment in now to lie down and check-in.
What did you feel?
How would you describe your sensations, feelings or perceptions now?
