A sleep score can tell you something about your night. It cannot tell you everything about how you feel when you wake up, what happened yesterday or what you need today. Numbers can be useful. So can the experience behind them.

I became interested in the relationship between the two through my work in data and digital transformation. Across global organisations, I saw that information became useful when people could understand it, put it in context and decide what to do next. I began wondering what that might mean in everyday life.

When the question became personal

In 2023, I began teaching yoga, meditation and body awareness at King’s College London. Some people I worked with were highly capable in their professional lives but found it difficult to describe how they felt in their bodies. I noticed how much a simple question, and time to answer it, could open up.

In 2024, following a cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries, I experienced this difficulty myself. Clinical care was essential. Between appointments, I also needed help making sense of what I was experiencing and how to approach my day. That was my experience, rather than a conclusion about everyone’s care.

What I mean by body literacy

Body literacy is the ability to notice your body’s signals, describe them, consider their context and communicate what you have noticed. It connects measurable information with lived experience.

You might notice that your energy is lower after a demanding workday, or that an evening outside feels different from an evening at your desk. These observations can prompt questions. They do not establish a cause or offer a diagnosis.

Body Intelligence is the language I use within Inner Seasons for bringing that awareness into everyday choices. You do not need a wearable to begin.

Making a small change possible

Behavioural science offers a useful way to think about change. The COM-B model describes capability, opportunity and motivation as conditions that influence behaviour. Knowing what you want to do is only part of the picture: you also need the ability and circumstances to do it.

For example, you might want a pause after work but finish each day with another obligation. A smaller experiment could be two minutes outside before moving into the evening. The useful question is whether that fits your life and what you notice when you try it.

This is the kind of reflection Inner App is exploring through short check-ins and Pattern Mirror™ prompts. The aim is to help people notice familiar patterns and consider small changes. The pilot will help us understand what is useful in practice.

A place to begin

At the end of today, ask yourself: what did I notice about my energy, and what was happening around me? Write a sentence if that helps. Look for context before looking for an explanation.

Body literacy complements professional care. It does not replace clinical advice, interpret symptoms or tell you what a health concern means. If something concerns you, speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

I am interested in how we can make everyday experience easier to describe and understand. More data is useful only when we can make sense of it. Listening to ourselves belongs in that conversation, too.