Totally get why this part feels like a puzzle—day-to-day life is so tied to the sensation of being "in" a body, moving through the world as this physical "me." Spira’s take on this is subtle but practical, so let’s explore how it meshes with that felt experience.

The Feeling of Being "In" a Body

That sense of being "in" a body comes from a steady stream of sensations—your feet on the floor, breath in your chest, the weight of your arms—and the mind’s habit of tying those together into a story: "This is me, a person inside this skin, looking out." Spira doesn’t deny those sensations; he reframes them. He’d say that feeling of being "in" a body is itself an appearance in Awareness, not proof that Awareness is confined there. It’s like a dream where you feel located in a dream-body—vivid, real, but still happening within the broader "space" of your sleeping mind.

So, daily life: you wake up, stretch, feel hungry, walk to the kitchen. Those experiences don’t mean Awareness is trapped in the body like a genie in a bottle. Instead, Awareness is what knows the stretching, the hunger, the walking. The body-sensations are objects arising in it, not the other way around. The feeling of "in-ness" is just a persistent pattern Awareness takes—it’s Awareness playing the role of "person moving through a day," without ever being limited to that role.

Living It Day-to-Day

Here’s how this fits practically. You’re brushing your teeth, and the mirror shows "you" doing it. The habitual thought is: "I’m in this body, controlling it." Spira’s invitation is to notice that the sensation of the toothbrush, the sight of your reflection, even the thought "I’m brushing"—all of that is known by Awareness. You don’t have to fight the feeling of being "in" a body; you just see it as a flow of experiences, not a cage. Awareness isn’t stuck inside—it’s the open "space" where the whole tooth-brushing scene plays out.

Or say you’re running late and feel tense. That tightness in your shoulders, the racing thoughts—it’s easy to feel "trapped" in the body’s stress. Spira would say: pause, notice the tension as a sensation, the thoughts as passing waves—all appearing in Awareness. You’re not in the tension; Awareness is hosting it. This doesn’t magically erase the stress, but it shifts the center of gravity—you’re less fused with the body as "me" and more at ease as the knowing of it.

Why It Feels Tricky

The snag is that the body’s sensations are so constant—gravity, heartbeat, hunger—that they anchor the illusion of being a separate self "in" there. Spira’s not asking you to deny that; he’s pointing out that the "in" feeling is a perspective, not the truth. It’s like wearing VR goggles: the game feels immersive, but you’re not actually inside it—the headset’s just shaping the experience. Day-to-day, you can still act "in" the body—tie your shoes, hug a friend—while recognizing it’s all happening as Awareness, not to a little "you" inside.

A Little Experiment

Next time you’re walking, try this: feel your legs moving, the air on your skin. Then ask: "What’s aware of this?" Don’t force an answer—just notice the sensations keep coming, but the "knower" doesn’t move or get tired. It’s not "in" the legs—it’s what the legs appear to. That’s the day-to-day shift Spira’s after: living as Awareness, not as a body-bound self.

How does that land with your experience? Does it feel like it could soften that "in the body" sensation, or is there still a gap between this and how life feels?

Being Aware of Being Aware

Jeanette Winterson • SUMMER SOLSTICE 2022