Looking for answers? Your body holds the clues.

The atmosphere shifts when you step beneath redwoods: the air cools, the sunlight softens, and everything feels… quieter. These trees ground you. They calm the extremes of weather—and if you let them, the extremes of your emotions, too.

I’ve been camping on Vancouver Island, underneath old redwood trees. The stillness that came with it, made it the perfect place to reflect on one of the most powerful tools I’ve found for mindfulness and emotional clarity: becoming a self-observer.

Life has been busy this summer—with lots of traveling. Not much space for structure or my usual morning routine. But it did open space in a different way: I’ve been noticing myself more deeply—specifically, where in my body I carry tension and stress.

It’s been surprisingly freeing. Simply recognizing where tension settles, helped me to release it. 

This practice has grounded me again and again while writing the emotionally heavier parts of my book. And I’ve seen its power in others, too. During a recent community meditation I hosted, a fellow coach realized she’d been clenching her jaw—something she hadn’t noticed until invited to tune into her body.

Stress, distress, trauma—they tend to take up residence in your body. Every emotional trigger can reinforce them, layering tension deeper.

For me, it’s my lower back. I didn’t listen to the signals it was screaming—until it literally broke. That injury finally made me understand: my body was storing trauma and grief right there.

Now, when my back tightens, I know what it’s telling me: Slow down. Be gentle. Stretch. Breathe. Honor yourself.

And then the magic happens—when I truly listen, the pain eases.

That was all it needed: some tender attention. A little TLC—for me.

And then I wondered: if I can feel where stress and pain live in my body... could joy and happiness have a place, too?

Of course they do.

A couple of weeks ago, when my family gathered in Victoria for our son’s wedding, I noticed it: that warm expansion in my chest. A heart full of lightness, love, and gratitude. And the more I leaned into those feelings, the more they grew.

What a gift. One I can give myself again and again—not just when life is joyful, but when things feel heavy and hard.

This is what body awareness does. It helps me sail the emotional waves of life.

And it can do the same for you, too.

Because if tension and grief can take up residence in your body… so can joy, love, and gratitude.

When we learn to notice both, we live more fully. More balanced.

So let me ask you:

Where do you feel tension?

And where do joy, love, and gratitude live within you?

I’d love to hear. Hit reply and drop me a line—I always respond.

📩 Email: bo@boluppes.com