What is interoception in plain words?

Feeling what happens inside your body, such as your heartbeat, your breath, tension, warmth or an empty feeling in your belly.

Is interoception the same as intuition?

No. Interoception is perceiving physical signals. Intuition is an inner knowing that does not always run through a physical sensation. They can reinforce each other, though.

Can you learn interoception?

Yes. Feeling is a skill you can refine. The more often you perceive with attention what happens in your body, the finer and more precise your feeling becomes.

What does interoception have to do with tantra?

Tantra is a path of feeling and experiencing with awareness. Whether you receive a massage or follow a workshop, you learn to perceive what happens in your body with ever more refinement, without filling in the meaning right away.

BLOG · METTA-JI

What is interoception?

← All articles

Interoception is your awareness of signals from inside your body: your heartbeat, breathing, hunger, tiredness, warmth or tension.

You already experience these signals every day. The practice is to notice them more clearly before deciding what they mean.

Sensation before interpretation

Past experiences and beliefs shape how quickly we interpret a physical response. You might move straight from a tight feeling in your belly to “I've been rejected”.

Try describing the sensation first: “My belly feels tight, and my throat feels constricted.” You can then explore the emotion, thought or need that accompanies it.

This doesn't dismiss your emotional experience. It gives you another way to understand it.

Questions that help you notice

Where do you feel it?
How large is the area?
Does it feel warm, cold, heavy, light, sharp or soft?
Is it moving or staying still?
Does it change as you breathe?

In workshops, we practise describing sensations with curiosity and as little judgement as possible.

More room to understand yourself

A similar sensation can arise in different situations. A fast heartbeat may accompany fear, anticipation, exertion or arousal. Staying with the physical experience briefly can give you time to understand the context.

It may also help in conversation. Describing what you notice within yourself can open a different discussion from assuming you already know another person's intention.

How it appears in my sessions

In The Joy of Bliss, touch can draw your attention to your body without needing many words. Beloved Goddess includes meditation to help you settle into sensation. In Transformational Tantric Massage, I ask more often what you notice, because your feedback actively guides the work.

The emphasis changes, but attention to your own experience remains central.

Sensation and boundaries

You may notice a boundary through a change in breathing, tightening muscles or an impulse to move away. Learning to notice can help you recognise these cues.

A boundary does not need physical proof. You can simply know you don't want something. Your no is valid whether or not it comes with a particular sensation.

Different ways of knowing

The word “feeling” can refer to emotions, intuition, physical sensations or an energetic impression. Interoception refers specifically to internal bodily signals.

In my work, I make room for these different experiences while being clear about which one we're describing.

Common questions

What does interoception mean in everyday language?

Noticing signals from inside your body, such as breathing, heartbeat, hunger, warmth or tension.

Is it the same as intuition?

No. Intuition describes a sense of knowing; interoception concerns bodily signals. People may experience them together.

Can I develop this awareness?

You can practise paying attention to bodily signals and describing them more clearly.

How does this relate to tantra?

Body awareness is part of many tantra practices. In massages and workshops, you can explore sensations before assigning them a meaning.