The Somatic Inquiry is a practice of sensing and observing the energetic presences and voids in and of the body, the inner terrain so to speak, and so dis- covering our true needs. In practicing the Somatic Inquiry you will naturally hone your ability to eat, live and care for yourself healthfully. By inquiring into your appetites, you will gain a deeper understanding of their nature, so that you can discern what is and is not true hunger. After a while it becomes easy and natural to integrate the Somatic Inquiry into your life–just like sensing the outside air temperature and deciding how much clothing to wear.
Guidelines
Sit in quietude and develop an internal “witness” who silently and non-judg- mentally observes everything about yourself: your thoughts, emotions, sensations, circumstances, etc. In a relaxed manner, keep on observing and practicing being present in the body, every moment.
One or more times each day, while sitting in quietude, have the “witness” do a somatic inventory: from head to toe, or any direction, observe all of the qualities of the energies, sensations, feelings, emotions and voids you sense in your body. When you come to a strong or interesting presence, locate it in the body and delve or inquire into it via the Somatic Inquiry as follows: What is the temperature, shape, color, texture, density, space, movement of the energetic presence? Does it have a sound? Is there any message? If it is a void, can you delve into it? Stay with the energies or the void and delve deeper and deeper, without dwelling on or ana- lyzing anything that comes up. A shift or resolution may occur as you sense-feel.
Keep practicing emotional-body awareness all day, even while talking to people at work or in any other situation. Sense the energies in your body and accept whatever is there, observe how it wants to move and shift, and allow it all. Sometimes there will be a message in what we are feeling, and it’ll be safe to express it to ourselves or others. When circumstances rule this out, we can always use our breath, exhaling deeply, allowing the emotional energy to flow through us, releasing it to the universe. Breathing is a great tool!
Practice the Somatic Inquiry when you have food cravings/appetites. Focus on the energies in and of the body. This helps us become comfortable with and accept
the emotional body. This practice is about developing self knowledge—getting in touch with our true needs and appetites. Inquire into the nature of your “hunger appetite”—become aware of all of its sensations and feelings. Is it located in your stomach area? What do you feel? Tune in and observe the feelings and qualities— sense the energetic presence as a whole.
If you are having a “hunger appetite” in your belly, is your stomach region giv- ing you a clear food signal? Maybe it is uncomfortable and just flexing. If you stay with it, the craving may shift and resolve to something else. If you drink a glass of water, that flexing might go away and you will have learned that the flexing was not actually hunger. Maybe your stomach is empty and just wants love—eating is not the answer; food is not love, but caring for your emotional needs is loving. How can you distinguish a need for love from a need for food? Invite feelings of love in and see what happens.
If you sense something uncomfortable in the belly, or experience low energy and a “blue” mood, this can trigger a sense of weakness, low self-esteem or needi- ness, leading to the habitual emotional response of eating sweets to boost your blood sugar, or fatty foods to fill up the sense of emptiness. Inquire into these feel- ings, too. The healthful goal is to eat only to satisfy true hunger. What does that feel like? In general, true hunger is a sensation we feel in the back of the throat when we have not eaten for a while; it is not a stomach sensation. Explore the sensations that arise when your stomach is empty and find your true hunger. Here is how to proceed:
Do you have a feeling somewhere that is calling for a specific type of food? Locate it in your body and get to intimately know it. Does your body want some- thing creamy, or tangy sweet, or semi-sweet, or salty, or crunchy, or chewy, or juicy, or a combination of those? Do you recognize the food it wants? If you do, and if it is available, observe the food—sniff it, peel it or break it open if neces- sary. Sniff in the aroma some more. If the food is totally appealing, deeply feel the pleasant sensations in your body, then slowly and consciously bite and chew it. As you eat, observe the sensations and how you feel as the food goes down. Relax into the eating and digestion process, stay tuned in and keep on observing how you feel. Continue to eat until you are satiated, following your body’s signals that your stomach is sufficiently (not completely!) full. Your appetite may shift, or the taste may change. It’s best not to eat past those “stop signals.” Put the remaining food in the refrigerator, compost it, or share it with a friend.
If you have difficulty with the process of getting in touch with your inner sig- nals, this may indicate that you need to detox further, work with a coach, or just keep practicing on your own. Living on juices or water fasting helps clarify our windows of perception; emotional contractions/armoring and dense-body dull- ness will open up to heightened sensation and perception. Juicing and fasting also helps us overcome appetites for cooked food.
After you have finished eating, observe for several hours how you feel. Notice your energy, any pleasant and unpleasant feelings in your body, any indigestion. Do you feel happy, balanced, unbalanced, energized, sleepy, moody? Are you experiencing an appetite or craving? If so, locate it in the body and inquire into it.