~ Ness Labs PKM Group

PKM Workshop - September 4th

Today’s Agenda (5 min)

• Raising kinesthetic awareness
• Exercise - Interoceptive Journaling
• Discussion

Date: Thursday, September 4th Time: 11:00 AM EST
Duration: 55-60 minutes Format: Virtual (Zoom)
Participants: 10-15 people

Copy this page:

learntothrive.club/notes/pkm-workshop-sep4

– Join the Ness Labs PKM Chat - Member Invite Link:

https://community.nesslabs.com/messages/02bb748e-3c2c-4eb6-b451-4cd30442ff6d/invite_member

Raising Kinesthetic Awareness

We’ve been misled into thinking that IQ is the most important factor in measuring intelligence. It’s not.

There are three main types of intelligence: EQ, IQ, and BQ.

• EQ - Emotional Intelligence
• IQ - Intellectual Intelligence
• BQ - Body Intelligence Source: p iii.116 (digital notes: [[LN 📘 (536) Diana Chapman]])

The body is smarter than the mind

The latest research in neuroscience suggests that the mind is the mere receiver of information, formulating and predicting the environment thorugh the sensory surfaces of the body. It is the body that is intelligent.

Your brain is actively constructing reality through predictions and corrections. Scientists call this [[constructionism]].

[[interoception]] is your brain’s representation of the movement of bodily systems within you (think: blood pumping, heart beating, lungs filling, food digesting).

This gives birth to the basic spectrum of experience known as [[affect]]. Affect has two general components: valence and arousal.

• Valence is a measure of pleasantness vs unpleasantness.
• Arousal is a measure of calmness vs jittery.

This chart can be a helpful illustration:

![[Valence-Arousal_Circumplex.png]]

What this has to do with PKM

Your body is constantly giving you signals—how much of it are you tuning out?

I want you to pay attention to how your body feels when you’re consuming and creating different types of information.

Leave the judgement at home—approach this with curiosity instead of criticism.

Think about the activities you engage in on a daily basis:

Digital & Media Consumption

• Scrolling social media vs. reading long-form articles
• Watching TV vs. listening to podcasts vs. music
• Video calls vs. phone calls vs. texting
• Playing video games vs. browsing the internet aimlessly
• Checking news vs. avoiding news entirely

Food & Nourishment

• Eating fast food vs. home-cooked meals vs. restaurant dining
• Drinking coffee vs. tea vs. water vs. alcohol
• Eating alone vs. with others
• Snacking mindlessly vs. planned meals
• Cooking vs. ordering delivery

Movement & Rest

• Going to the gym vs. outdoor exercise vs. yoga vs. stretching
• Taking walks vs. running vs. sitting all day
• Getting enough sleep vs. staying up late vs. napping
• Hot showers vs. cold showers vs. baths

Social & Intimate Connection

• Kissing/physical affection vs. quality conversation vs. being alone
• Spending time with family vs. friends vs. colleagues
• Meeting new people vs. reconnecting with old friends
• Giving support to others vs. receiving support

Personal Care & Environment

• Maintaining personal hygiene vs. neglecting self-care
• Organizing your space vs. living in clutter
• Being in nature vs. indoors all day
• Wearing comfortable clothes vs. formal attire
• Listening to your body’s needs vs. pushing through discomfort

Work & Productivity

• Deep focused work vs. multitasking vs. procrastinating
• Creative activities vs. administrative tasks
• Learning something new vs. doing routine tasks

Take a few minutes to write down the different types of feelings that emerge during those activities. Use the following chart for help if you need.

[[Valence-Arousal_Circumplex.png]]

Exercise - Interoceptive Journaling

By paying attention to the signals our body gives us, we can raise our intuition and access more of these vast deposits of information.

One way to do this is by practicing Interoceptive Journaling.

Grab a journal. Write today’s date.

Before you get started: (1 min)

• 15 seconds - feel your heart, wrist (beat…beat…beat…beat)
• 15 seconds - feel your breath (in…out…in…out)
• 15 seconds - feel your heart, chest (beat…beat…beat…beat)
• 15 seconds - feel your breath (in…out…in…out)

Now that you’ve taken some time to get aclimated in the body: Take 10-15 minutes and answer a few of these questions. Really let yourself sink into the body.

Here’s a few prompts to get you started (courtesy of [[Anne Laure]]):

• Where in my body do I feel the most tension or discomfort? Can I associate this feeling with a particular event or emotion from today?
• Do I feel any sensations of hunger or fullness? If so, where do I feel it, and how intense is it?
• How is my breath? Is it shallow or deep, fast or slow? Can I feel it more prominently in my chest, throat, or abdomen?
• Can I detect my heartbeat without touching my chest or wrist? If so, what does it feel like?
• Does my body feel heavy or light? Can I connect this feeling to something I’ve ingested or a particular activity?
• How did physical activity (or lack thereof) impact my bodily sensations today? Are there parts of my body that feel sore? Source

Discussion

15-20 min breakout rooms

Pattern Recognition

• What surprised you most about what your body was telling you today?
• Did you notice any connections between your physical sensations and your emotional state?
• How did your body’s signals change throughout different parts of your day?

Awareness Gaps

• Were there moments when you realized you’d been ignoring what your body was trying to communicate?
• What sensations do you think you might miss most often in daily life?
• When did you feel most “in tune” with your body today versus most disconnected?

Body Wisdom

• If your body could speak, what do you think it would want you to know right now?
• How do you typically respond when you notice tension or discomfort—do you listen or push through?
• What did your breath tell you about your stress levels that your mind might have missed?

Environmental Connections

• How did different spaces or activities shift what you felt in your body?
• What external factors seemed to amplify or quiet your internal awareness?
• Did you notice your body preparing for or reacting to situations before your mind caught up?

Feedback

What feedback do you have for us? What do you want to see more of?

• Share Ness Labs PKM Chat Group Link

Ness Labs PKM Chat Member Invite Link:

https://community.nesslabs.com/messages/02bb748e-3c2c-4eb6-b451-4cd30442ff6d/invite_member