What do we mean with “felt sense”?

You may have heard me say during sessions: “this could be perceived as a felt sense.” And I understand that it can sound a bit abstract, even confusing. What does it really mean?

A felt sense—a term developed by Eugene Gendlin—is a bodily sensation that carries meaning, even if at first it isn’t clear. It’s not simply an emotion like “sadness” or “joy,” nor an isolated physical sensation like “tension in the shoulder.” It is more like a global, diffuse quality that reflects how you are experiencing something in that moment.

When I use this phrase, I’m not pointing to something you need to understand with your mind, nor something you need to “get right.” Rather, I’m pointing toward a subtle experience that happens in the body before we can explain it with words.

This kind of experience often becomes more noticeable when we slow down and shift from doing into sensing, as we sometimes explore in yoga therapy.

So, what am I inviting?

“It could be perceived as a felt sense,” it’s a gentle invitation to:

• slow down and step out of mental analysis,

• feel the body as a whole, not just isolated parts,

• stay with what is there, even if it doesn’t make sense yet,

• not rush to name or interpret.

  
  

In a similar way, within a body-based practice, this might mean allowing the experience of a posture to be felt from within, rather than focusing on how it looks from the outside.

You don’t need to find anything specific. You don’t need to understand it. Just notice, perhaps with curiosity:

How does this feel, in the body, right now?

Sometimes nothing clear appears, and that too is part of the experience. And other times, if we give it a bit of space, that sensation begins to unfold and reveal its own meaning. Often, it is precisely in moments of stillness or pause that this unclear, undefined quality becomes more accessible.

There is a full range of felt sense emotions

It’s important to say this: a felt sense can reflect the full range of human experience, not only what feels good.

It can appear as:

• something open, light, expansive

• or something dense, contracted, uncomfortable

  
  

For example:

• a warm, spacious sensation in the chest → later recognized as calm or trust

• a knot in the stomach → that gradually reveals anxiety, doubt, or an unmet need

  
  

Both are equally valid. Both are felt sense. As we move or remain in a posture, these qualities might show up as expansion, holding, ease, or resistance within the body.

We’re not looking for one that is “better” than the other. What matters is the relationship we establish with that sensation.

What happens when the felt sense is not pleasant?

A felt sense that shows up as tight, heavy, restless, or uncomfortable is usually carrying information that hasn’t yet been fully processed or understood. It might be connected to stress, a conflict, a need, a boundary, or something your system hasn’t had space to integrate. When the felt sense is not pleasant, nothing has gone wrong. In fact, something important is often beginning. These kinds of sensations can also arise during practice, especially when we stay in one position or begin to slow down.

When something unpleasant is recognized, our instinct is often to: get rid of it, override it, or move away from it. Instead of trying to change the sensation, the invitation is to be in relationship with it.

That might look like:

• staying gently present with the sensation

• noticing its qualities (tight, warm, shifting, still…)

• giving it a bit of space, rather than pushing it away

  
  

At times, this may include softening effort, adjusting slightly, or allowing the breath to move more freely, rather than forcing the body to hold a shape.

But what can happen when you stay with it?

When a felt sense is met with attention (not force), it may begin to shift on its own:

• it may soften or move

• it may become clearer

• it may connect to a word, image, or insight

• or it may simply feel more tolerable

These shifts are often subtle—perhaps a change in breath, muscle tone, or overall quality of presence.

A gentle boundary

Staying with discomfort doesn’t mean overwhelming yourself.

You can:

• step back if it feels too intense

• open your eyes, move, or change posture

• return to a sense of grounding (breath, contact with the floor)

In this sense, self-regulation is not a disruption of the process, but part of the process itself.

In essence

An unpleasant felt sense is not a problem to fix, but a doorway. Not a comfortable one, always—but often an honest one.

So maybe the practice is not to force it open, but to approach it with enough presence and kindness that it can begin to unfold in its own time.

Whether in a therapeutic space or within a yoga practice, the orientation remains the same: creating the conditions for experience to be sensed and revealed, rather than imposed or interpreted too quickly.

If you’re curious about this, you’re warmly invited to come and explore it with me in practice. A space to slow down, listen, and gently reconnect with what is already there in your body.

Warmly,

Paulina.