A Superpower You Can Develop While Sitting On Your Couch
Paul Brundtland

Not long ago, a friend asked me to "let her into my brain" to find out how I have managed to keep up with my health habits for,  well over two decades now (time fies indeed). This question pops back in to mind from time to time and today I became conscious of a connection that I hadn't made.

First of all, I am very aware that I'm a work in progress, and I want to be as healthy as I can on many levels. For me, healthy habits are not just about movement or eating healthy. They are really about everything: the way I allow myself to think, those little meditative moments, and even how I communicate with other people. All of these things come into play when I’m reflecting on my health habits and my limits. 
 

I often say yoga was the key for me when it came to building better habits in other areas of my life. For years, I thought it was simply the act of waking up and getting on the mat five or six days a week that gave me the discipline to tackle other things. If I could do it with yoga, I figured, I could do it with anything.
 

But at one point, I realized there was something even more important going on: the relationship I developed with my body through yoga and meditation. That’s when I discovered interoception—the ability to feel and understand bodily signals, to be in real communication with your body.
 

When I’m practicing yoga, I scan my body, noticing which muscles are working, where I’m holding tension, where I'm at ease and how my breath feels. This has helped me tune in to subtle signals throughout my day. Now, when I wake up, I really feel how I’ve slept. If I’m feeling sluggish, I know I need to get outside and move to feel that refreshed morning sensation that I love. If I sense tension in my temples, it’s time to take a break from the screen. At the first signs of thirst, I reach for my trusty water bottle. 
 

When I'm on the mat, in the forest or on the bike trail, Interoception lets me feel the positive effects of my practices. It's not just after, but even during a run, a yoga session, or resistance training. It’s like my body is speaking to me in beautiful, subtle ways. This ongoing conversation has become something I truly cherish.

The best thing is, you can develop and maintain interoception even while sitting on the couch. Simply turn off outside distractions and shift your concentration inward. Observe your breath, or the subtle movements of your stomach as air flows in and out. You can even just try to consciously enjoy the feeling of sitting on this luxurious furniture. Do any of these often enough and you will start becoming much more aware of what's happening inside you.
 

Of course, I still believe in medical tests—interoception isn’t a replacement for medical science! But having this relationship with my body helps me catch little signals. It's these little nudges and reassurances that guide me to move, eat, think, rest....and be... more in line with my goals. 

Yoga, for me, isn’t just about flexibility or strength; it’s about developing interoception, which has become my secret power for staying on track with any healthy habit.
 

And it’s not just me saying this! Science backs it up: As summarized in a recent article, interoception plays a key role in well-being. Practices like yoga and meditation can help recalibrate how we interpret our body’s signals, supporting both mental and physical health.

So, next time you’re on the mat, remember—you’re not just stretching your body, you’re strengthening your inner guidance system.

Be well

Paul

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