Copy: Mobile Body Awareness - trouble shifting awareness

[Fiona]

I've been able to do the initial suggestions in the book, like imagining walking on grass and brushing your hair with no problems at all, but I have no idea what I'm aiming for with the mobile body awareness. I seem to be firmly 'in' my head imaging my foot or hand or whatever.

I read another technique some years ago, of imagining yourself along a route to a place you know well. I do that quite often (though I can never seem to concentrate until the end of the journey) and decided some time ago to make my journey on horseback - no idea why! I have some success with actually feeling myself sitting on the horse and siting myself outside in the street. Is that the same kind of thing? I just seem to be having real trouble shifting awareness to other parts of my body. Any suggestions?

[CFTraveler]

Hi Fiona.
I copied your post to Robert because you can get various ideas from other posters, and the problem is not a new one.
So here we go:

I've been able to do the initial suggestions in the book, like imagining walking on grass and brushing your hair with no problems at all, but I have no idea what I'm aiming for with the mobile body awareness. I seem to be firmly 'in' my head imaging my foot or hand or whatever

The idea behind mba is to be able to put your attention on a body part, and to "know" where it is without looking. It is similar to brushing and sponging in that you get 'feedback' from the areas you are targeting, but it is not expected to cause physical sensation- more like an awareness of where parts are.

I read another technique some years ago, of imagining yourself along a route to a place you know well. I do that quite often (though I can never seem to concentrate until the end of the journey) and decided some time ago to make my journey on horseback - no idea why! I have some success with actually feeling myself sitting on the horse and siting myself outside in the street. Is that the same kind of thing?

This technique is similar to one Robert and Brian use in MAP, but the idea is to 'place' your center somewhere other than where you physically are, which is almost the opposite of what you're trying to do with MBA.
Here is a little 'mental' exercise you can try that illustrates what MBA is for (not a MBA exercise, it just shows you what you're aiming at)
Sit on a chair, comfortable, and close your eyes. Don't move. Now, think of your right foot. Feel your right foot, imagine where it is. (No moving or touching.) When you think you feel where it is (where is it touching the floor or the shoe?- this type of thing) Now wiggle a toe. Is it where you thought it was? If you knew where it was, if you could feel it where it was, you just used body awareness on your foot. Now this wasn't mobile, it was awareness.
What you do with MBA is apply movement to the action of putting your awareness on a limb.
If you do a bounce action using MBA (or a sweep, whatever he's having you do) and you want to test yourself (no need, there's no 'wrong' way to do this) just stop in the middle of an action, locate where you think you should be (your navel, for example?) and test. This is MBA.