Developing A Simple Body Awareness Test - MAIA

How well can you feel your body’s signals—like tension, breath, or gut feelings? That’s interoceptive awareness, and it’s central to mindfulness and stress regulation. But until now, we had no reliable way to measure it. This study asked: Can we build a reliable tool to measure body awareness?

Definition: Interoception means noticing signals inside your body (heartbeat, breath, gut).

The researchers set out to create a scientifically rigorous self-report tool that measures body awareness—not just how often you notice your heartbeat or breath, but also your response to them.

Is noticing pain helpful or stressful? Do you ignore signals, or respond with calm presence?

The researchers enrolled 325 adults (mean age: 48), most of whom had some experience with mind-body practices like yoga, meditation, or somatic therapy. Participants completed a detailed questionnaire developed through interviews with instructors and patients, cognitive testing, and statistical validation.

The goal? To distill the core measures of body awareness into a usable and reliable scale (test).

What they found

• The team created a 32-question test (MAIA) that measures 8 body-awareness skills.
• Not one big score: A single “total” score didn’t fit the data. So, use the 8 separate scores, not a total. The 8 measures are
  1. Noticing – Awareness of physical sensations.
  2. Not-Distracting – Tendency not to ignore or suppress discomfort.
  3. Not-Worrying – Ability to sense discomfort without spiraling(over-worrying).
  4. Attention Regulation – Staying focused on bodily sensations.
  5. Emotional Awareness – Noticing how emotions show up physically.
  6. Self-Regulation – Using body awareness to calm distress.
  7. Body Listening – Seeking information from the body.
  8. Trusting – Feeling safe in one’s body.
• Reliable: They found the test to reliably measure body awareness
• Makes sense in real life: People with more mind-body practice (teachers) scored higher than less-experienced folks on several skills.

These scales were statistically distinct but moderately related—suggesting interoceptive awareness isn’t a single trait, but a system of skills and attitudes.

Why This Matters (Especially for Your Career)

Whether you’re leading teams, solving complex problems, or navigating burnout, your ability to stay present, regulate stress, and read your body’s signal affects everything from focus to decision-making.

This tool gives you a science-backed way to measure which skill is strong or weak (focus, worry, trusting, etc.) and train the right one, instead of guessing.

In professional settings, that translates to:

• Staying grounded under pressure.
• Recognizing signs of overload before burnout hits.
• Making more aligned decisions by tuning into “gut feelings.”

What It Means in Everyday Terms

• Not all body awareness is helpful. Hyper-focus on discomfort can amplify anxiety.
• But mindful awareness—curious, calm, and nonjudgmental—can support better emotional regulation and health.
• The way we pay attention matters as much as what we notice.

Practical Takeaways

Here’s what you can use from this:

• Check in without judgment. Simply noticing your breath or tension can shift your mental state.
• Don’t rush to fix discomfort. See if you can observe it before reacting.
• Practice trust. Remind yourself that your body often knows before your mind catches up.
• Use awareness as a feedback loop. Overwhelm, fatigue, or gut unease may be data, not distractions.

Practitioner’s Tip: How You Can Try This

• Use the MAIA questionnaire (32 items) as a pre/post tool in mindfulness or body therapy programs.
• Reflect on which dimensions you are strong or weak in—target interventions accordingly. These micro-experiments help build interoceptive awareness:
  • One-minute body scan: Sit quietly and notice 3 places where you feel sensation—no need to change anything.
  • Emotion check: When stressed, ask: “Where do I feel this in my body?”
  • Breath anchor: Set a reminder to notice your breath once every hour—especially during meetings or work sprints.
• Incorporate questions like: “Do you notice how your body changes when you’re angry?” or “Can you focus on your breath even in a noisy space?”
• Example: Noticing a tight jaw in a tense call → unclench + slower breath (30 seconds) → clearer next decision.

Closing Thought

This study gives us a language—and a map—for something we often feel but rarely measure: how we relate to our own bodies. If you’ve ever wanted to “listen to your gut” more clearly, there’s now a science-backed way to tune the signal.

Glossary

• Interoception: Awareness of internal body signals (e.g. heart rate, breath, gut feeling).
• Mind-Body Integration: Feeling connected to your physical body and using that connection to regulate emotions.
• Attention Regulation: The skill of directing and sustaining focus on internal sensations.
• Not-Distracting: Resisting the urge to ignore discomfort or distract oneself from pain.
• Body Listening: Using bodily sensations as information, not noise.

Paper Quality (🟡 Moderate)

Good psychometric work in an experienced sample; generalisability and responsiveness still need testing.

Suggested Reads

• Mehling W.E. et al. (2009). Body awareness: construct and self-report measures. PLOS ONE 4:e5614.
• Price C.J. et al. (2012). Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy pilot in women’s SUD treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat 43:94–107.
• Daubenmier J. (2005). Yoga, body awareness & responsiveness and disordered eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly 29:207–219.