Taming Sensations and Thoughts: The Ultimate Superpower for Control

Last week end, while I was at a Japanese onsen in Bangkok, I had a moment of realisation that brought together much of what I’ve been learning about the human experience. As I plunged into the cold pool, I felt an overwhelming rush of sensations—shock, tension, tightness—and my mind immediately began to label these feelings as discomfort, maybe even frustration. But in that moment, I realised something profound: our experience is deeply shaped by two things—sensations and thoughts.

This realisation opened my eyes to how these two elements—sensations and thoughts—are constantly feeding into one another, influencing our emotions and reactions. I suddenly connected this understanding to the fact that, over the past few years, I’ve been unintentionally engaging in practices that have strengthened my ability to control both sensations and thoughts. Through breathwork and focused thinking (based on Nancy Kline’s Time to Think approach), I’ve been building up the muscle to regulate my inner world, even without consciously aiming for it.

What I hadn’t fully realised until that moment was that these practices, which I’ve gradually incorporated into my daily routine, have given me far more control than I ever thought possible. And by making these practices—both breathwork and thinking time—a daily habit, I’ve not only built the strength to handle sensations and thoughts, but I’ve also amplified the benefits. As a result, what might once have felt like an intense or overwhelming experience, like the cold plunge, became almost easeful.

A Personal Example: How I Shifted Sensations and Thoughts

A few days ago, I woke up and immediately felt a tightness in my chest and tension in my stomach. My mind quickly jumped in: “I’m feeling fear. I must be stressed and anxious about something.” These sensations felt heavy and uncomfortable, and the thoughts reinforced them, creating a cycle of discomfort that could have easily set the tone for the rest of the day.

But instead of letting these sensations and thoughts spiral, I turned to one of the tools I’ve been practising—breathwork. I plugged in my AirPods, put on a guided breathwork session, and within just a few minutes, the sensations in my body began to change. The tightness in my chest loosened, the tension in my stomach eased, and, just as importantly, my mind quietened. I was left with a sense of spaciousness and openness.

This simple practice not only shifted how I was feeling physically but also changed the way I approached my day. I got out of bed feeling lighter and more focused, and I like to believe it truly altered the course of my entire day. This experience, like many others, reinforced how powerful the interplay between sensations and thoughts can be—and how breathwork can be used to transform both.

Weaving in Neuroscience: Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s Findings

Interestingly, this connection between sensations and thoughts aligns with the work of neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research I’ve come across recently. Barrett argues that emotions as we commonly understand them don’t exist. Instead, emotions are simply the brain’s predictions—interpretations of the sensations we feel in our bodies, based on past experiences.

This insight resonated deeply with my own realisation. When I experienced tightness in my chest that morning, I wasn’t truly feeling an emotion like “fear” in itself. What I was experiencing were physical sensations, and my mind was creating a narrative around them. Recognising that emotions are not fixed entities but predictions offers a powerful perspective: the way to shift emotions is to work directly with the sensations or the thoughts surrounding them. This is exactly what I did through breathwork, shifting the sensation and quieting the mind’s predictions.

Taming Sensations and Thoughts: The Power of Parallel Practices

If the human experience is truly a combination of sensations and thoughts, how much of that can we control? What became clear to me in that moment at the onsen is that we can actually learn to tame and control both sensations and thoughts in parallel. And the magic lies in realising that they influence one another.

There are two ways to approach this:

1. Change the sensations, and in doing so, change the thoughts.

2. Calm the thoughts, which in turn shifts the sensations.

Over the past few years, I’ve discovered—almost involuntarily—that by practising breathwork and focused thinking, I’ve been strengthening both my ability to manage sensations and my capacity to guide my thoughts. What really struck me at the onsen was that I’ve made these practices a daily part of my life lately, and that consistency has built up a level of mastery I didn’t even fully appreciate until now.

As I sat in the cold water, rather than panicking or labelling the cold as unpleasant, I used breathwork to calm both the physical sensation and my mind’s interpretation of it. I could recognise the cold as simply that—cold, nothing more. Breathwork operates on two levels: it shifts the body’s physiology and quietens the mind, making it a powerful tool for controlling both sensations and thoughts.

At the same time, my practice of thinking partnerships—daily thinking time where I focus my thoughts with intention—has helped me guide my mind instead of letting random thoughts take over. This has strengthened my ability to control where my thoughts go, creating a sense of ease even in situations that might have once felt overwhelming. By regularly exercising both these mental and physical “muscles,” I’ve come to realise that the control I’ve developed over time has allowed me to experience something as intense as a cold plunge with far more calm and clarity.

Mastering the Interplay: Consistent Practice Like Martial Arts

Here’s the thing—just like in martial arts, you don’t achieve mastery overnight. It’s one thing to do breathwork or engage in focused thinking here and there, but real transformation comes from consistent, dedicated practice.

In martial arts, you don’t just show up once a month to practise a few kicks. You commit to the discipline, practising daily, and over time, you gain mastery—agility, control, and precision. It’s the same with taming your thoughts and sensations. You may get some benefit from practising occasionally, but if you commit to doing it regularly, you start to build the mental and physical muscles needed to take control on demand.

This is the superpower so many people are missing today. In a world overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, and emotional intensity, people often feel like they are at the mercy of their emotions. But what they’re really saying is, “I don’t know how to control my sensations and thoughts.” With practices like breathwork and thinking time, you can develop the ability to quickly come into control of both—and who wouldn’t want that kind of power in today’s chaotic world?

The Superpower of Control

In that cold pool at the onsen, I realised that mastering the interplay between thoughts and sensations is the ultimate superpower. By learning how to influence both, through practices like breathwork and thinking time, you can regain control of your human experience—no matter what the external environment throws at you.

The key is consistent practice. Just like a martial artist perfects their craft through dedication, you can master your sensations and thoughts through regular, focused practice. And in doing so, you’ll find yourself navigating life with far more ease, confidence, and control.

If you’re curious to explore either of these practices—breathwork or focused thinking through the Time to Think approach—feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn. I’d love to help you discover how these tools can transform your experience. You can book a session or simply connect with me to learn more.