“I know it needs work,” I think to myself as she’s causing what I will describe as a fair amount of discomfort. I focus, breathe, and try to relax in. I’m aware that my ego-mind wants to make way more of this sensation then it really is, she wants to focus on the discomfort and make it into something so much scarier, so I calmed her and let her know she’s fine and then my body changes its perception. I relax. It occurs to me how nice it feels to have the time and focus to really pay attention to my body and where my mind is within it while it’s happening. It also occurs to me that I really need to work on creating my reality far more often. Why? Because it’s good for me, and I don’t do it enough in my moment to moment life.
Where is your body right now? Oh, I know. It’s right here with you, but honestly, how does it feel right now? When was the last time you paid attention to it? I mean really paid attention to it. Some of you are thinking, “I got my workout in today, I paid attention to it”, or “I did yoga this morning, I paid attention to it”. That’s not at all what I‘m talking about, and some of you already know where I’m going. You probably have things to teach me. I have to remind myself to pay attention to my body.
I am, what in the Ritberger Color Personality world is defined as, a Yellow. Simply put, my body is the thing that carries my head around, and largely it’s often how much attention it gets. I’m lost in my thoughts all the time. I practice, I really do. I meditate and do yoga every day as an attempt to get my body and my mind in the same place at the same time. I’ve often thought Spirit made me a massage therapist and then a psychic because She knew I would need to connect to my body and realized I was not hardwired for it to be a priority. So, it’s a priority, sometimes. Typically, when I realize I’m so far removed from what’s happening in my body, it’s about the time I realize I should probably check-in.
I believe most of our culture conditions us to be in our heads and not in our bodies. So often people talk to me about, “knew it in my gut, but ignored it”, “my head got in the way”, “I just had a feeling, but”. We have all been taught to rely on our heads, our logic, common sense, things only defined by the person evaluating the situation. One person’s version of what is logical is another person’s version of insanity, but when you say, “ I feel in my gut” everyone knows what you’re talking about. We’ve all experienced this wisdom, at some point. Sadly, most of us have been taught to ignore it in favor of someone else’s version of common sense which results in not being our version of wisdom or good choices or honoring ourselves, at all.
Our bodies are our messengers. Spirit is limited on how to communicate with us. Sadly, and I more than most probably wish this were possible, but Spirit can’t write us a note and leave it on the nightstand. Oh, how I wish it could! On top of that, when we get stressed or anxious, our ego-mind kicks into full gear and takes over everything, including our emotions. Now, a point of clarity. Our emotions are not the same as our feelings. One more time, emotions and feelings are different things. Our ego-mind can drive our emotions, but not our feelings. Try this: think of something sad, just for a moment. Do you feel tears welling up? Do you remember the events in more and more detail as you ponder the memory for a longer period of time? Certainly. But now ask your body if this memory is true right now. Does you physical being begin to change? Do you brighten back up suddenly to your good old self as your feelings remind you you’re not that memory? Certainly.
Our feelings are the voice of our intuition or wisdom. It’s why when you’re worried about something and go deep within your body you get the truth, good or bad, without a sense of serious attachment. Your body wisdom, how you feel, knows the truth and this truth is aligned to Spirit.
Your emotions can be run by your ego. What you’ve experienced in the past will determine how you react and the emotions that come. If you’ve been bitten by a dog, then hearing a dog probably makes you afraid, you experience a level of fear. Once you realize it’s just a dog on TV, you relax because the truth of it sets in and you know you don’t need to be afraid.
Tapping into our bodies wisdom not only allows us to make better decisions and be more present but allows us a greater level of health and general wellbeing. Practicing presence within our body helps us to know our truth and connect with it more fully, so we can be true to ourselves, follow our Spiritual heart and align our vibration to our truth, and our goals. It’s good.
Try this: when you find yourself off in your head, lost, stop and breathe. Then, find five things in the room you can name specifically; black pen, cell phone, red coffee cup, rock salt lamp, sage stick (I’m sitting at my desk, can you tell?). Focus on those things for just a second this will bring you back into your body. From there, check-in. Are you holding your body tight somewhere? Why? What were you thinking about that caused your body to tighten up? Can you bring the truth in and relax? Byron Katie has one powerful question (she actually asks four, but I have one go-to) “how do I know that is true?”. It takes me from my fear, my tightness to actually focus on what is true in the situation. Am I making up a scenario that’s stressing me out and hasn’t even happened yet? Am I reliving and reviewing a situation from the past that is creating sadness or anxiety? Get in the moment, get in your body, and relate to your world through the vehicle you chose for this lifetime. Your body.
Being present and experiencing the wisdom inside of you is not a new theory. In fact, it tends to be one of those we think of and say, “oh yeah, I’m in my body” and then just keep flying away in our minds.
Get in there. Feel it. Relate to it. If there are things you are ignoring because you don’t want to feel the pain, be with yourself in the depth of your body, your Spiritual heart space. The space of peace and quiet that lives right behind your emotional heart space. Sink deeper. Your body is your wisdom piece, it’s always with you, learn to make peace with it, love it, and honor its wisdom.
It is your preferred way to travel, after all.
Blessings Galore, Anne