Today we’ll learn how the technique “Feel Rest” can benefit mental health by fostering the rewarding sense of peace and tranquility that many people associate with meditation.
In See, Hear Feel, we practiced with all three sense categories.
Now we’ll narrow our focus to “Feel” (emotional or physical body sensation).
So, we won’t pay attention to what we can “See” (sights or mental imagery) or “Hear” (sounds, or mental talk).
It’s OK to notice sensations in those categories, we just won’t focus on them.
We’ll focus on restful body sensations that are either relaxed or neutral. We’ll either find or intentionally create relaxation or a peaceful absence of activation in physical or emotional sensations, and then focus on it.
Some examples of restful body sensations would include a relaxed feeling in the hands when you let them go loose, an absence of any emotional activation, or the feeling of letting go and releasing when you exhale.
Specific mental health benefits of Feel Rest include:
When I’ve noticed that I’m resisting what I’m experiencing, focusing on relaxation in my body has calmed me down and given me a sense that I’m OK. It interrupts the mind’s habitual process of ruminating that things are awful and they’re going to bad forever. For example, this has helped me calm anxiety when I’m on a plane flying through turbulence.
Feel Rest is my go-to technique in this situation. Focusing on relaxation in my body instead of my thoughts helps me get rest even while I’m still awake, and makes me more likely to fall asleep.
As my sensory clarity has increased, I’ve felt a greater connection to my body. I become aware of sensations and can hear the messages they’re telling me like “I need to rest” or “I need to eat”. Without the clarity we get through mindfulness, we can often ignore these signals until they become an emergency.
In the guided meditation recording today, we’ll do a 6 minute session of Feel Rest.
The instructions for Feel Rest are: