Why “Noticing” is Important for Healing

It’s always interesting to me when regular clients come into my office and notice something that’s been there the whole time. A piece of art on the wall, a small collection of rocks, a decorative switchplate. . . Have you ever looked at a familiar sight with new eyes?

Maybe you and I share this trait—When you walk through your neighborhood. do you wonder if a particular house was always there (The answer is Yes!) or notice a planting or decorative feature that you’ve walked past many times?That you’ve never noticedMy home neighborhood is delightful! 

Noticing is a quiet benefit of Feldenkrais that you don’t hear about too much. When you begin to notice everyday surroundings with new eyes, you can feel confident that your Feldenkrais sessions are at work. You are in the process of healing your nervous system—even if you’re not “doing Feldenkrais” at that moment. 

Never fear, even if you don’t have a Feldenkrais practice at this moment, you’ll still benefit from beginning to notice your immediate world. 

Why noticing is important—

Your body has a mandate to heal. It’s what animals do.  A positively invigorated, balanced nervous system is your crucial ally in healing. 

In a life that may be full of demands, commitments, worries, how easy is it for you to notice your environment or yourself? Do you find that you tend to focus on worries and mental activities rather than on the world in which you live? 

Noticing is part of our heritage as a member of the animal kingdom. We gather information from our surroundings—are we safe? Is there food? What’s that smell?

We are wired to be on high alert and notice dangerous things. But how often do we turn our attention to noticing with new eyes, our daily lives?  

When you develop a noticing practice in your everyday world, you’ll begin to notice the beauty or humor in small things. And you’ll begin to develop internal confidence that not everything is dangerous or threatening. You can grow a sense of safety, an important part of a stable, healing nervous system

Being able to notice your surroundings cultivates being present to yourself and loved ones in your life. When you make it a habit or practice to actively notice sights, sounds, smells, you’ll find you may begin turning your attention inward—to notice your body’s messages well before they create imbalance and become intervention-worthy. 

You may notice the quality of your breath—easy or difficult? Did that interaction with someone in a store cause you to tighten your belly or shoulders? Do you notice that you need to interrupt your honest facial expression during a conversation? (Yes, sometimes we all have to do that, but remember the feeling and go make the faces when you’re alone to relieve the stress build-up)

Settling and centering in your life, creating a moment of calm in the physical and cultural noise that surrounds us starts with each of us reclaiming our biological heritage of noticing

You can develop a simple practice to help yourself be present and alive to any particular moment in your life. This quiet presence helps create a nervous system that can do what it knows how to do – heal. 

 


Want to step into your life in a new way? 

Take a short break from your daily activities to enjoy some time to. . . . notice.

 

Click here for a transcript of the recording. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this time. 

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your practice for noticing or comment on your experience with this recording. 

Love,
Linda

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