Awareness through the Body: The Art of Paying Attention to the Attention

A moon exploration is one example of what Jasmine, and other children in the experimental township of Auroville in India, experience on a regular basis--the Auroville equivalent of a physical education class. It is one of the practices in Awareness Through the Body (ATB), which is described by its creators as "a comprehensive curriculum of activities and exercises that aims to raise awareness and enable both children and adults to become conscious of their own perceptions and abilities, so that they may become more self-aware, self-directed individuals." ATB is an innovative practice that makes a difference in the way children and adults live their embodied lives. In this article the author shares his own experiences in ATB workshops, as well as the perspectives of three Aurovillians: Amir, who has been facilitating ATB sessions for 17 years; Jasmine, a 17-year-old student; and Jasmine's mother Natasha, who works with phenomenology. This article will briefly describe the origins of ATB; discuss its aims, principles, and practices; and end with a few reflections on why the author believes this work is important in the world today.