Can you hear your body talk?
You might be singing the popular song from Olivia Newton John in your head right now. Let me hear your body talk, body talk. If you are old enough, you just sang it as you read it. You’re welcome. It will be stuck in your head all day.
Isn’t it funny how much nonsense we store in our amazing beautiful brain. Just one of the magical and miraculous functions we take for granted.
Most people do not acknowledge their body for the magical creature it truly is. Did you know that your body is communicating with you and you don’t even know it? Most people only notice the problems with their body. The “problems” that may not actually be problems at all. We tend to focus on our pains, illnesses, discomforts, wrinkles, excess fat, or the multitude of judgments we have with our bodies. But what if those “problems” were actually your body getting frustrated because you aren’t paying attention?
What about you? Are you suffering your body or enjoying it? I haven’t found many people who are enjoying their body, quite the opposite actually. Most people complain about their body, abuse it, pick at it, torture it, and judge it to death. Literally, to death. Think about an ache or a pain that you have right now. What are you saying to yourself? I had an interesting conversation with an older friend of mine. She has been suffering with lower back pain and sciatica for many years. I asked her “who does this belong to?” and she immediately said “my husband”. Then she laughed, and said “not really but he is a pain in my ass”. I asked her how many times a day she thought to herself “man he’s a pain in my ass”. She had that deer in the headlights look and said, “well probably more than I should”. She realized that her body was paying very close attention to what she was saying. Oh you want a pain in the ass, okay here you go, boom sciatica! When she acknowledged what a powerful message she was communicating with her body she was able to change it. Her back pain diminished and she no longer referred to her husband as a “pain in the a**”.
Think about your morning routine. Stumble out of bed, crunchy and stiff, you go to the bathroom and happen to glance in the mirror. What do you notice first? The dark circles under your eyes, that one pimple that erupted sometime in the dark of night. (It always happens at night, am I right?) Or do you see the magic you and your body be? Do you smile and thank your body for the legs that caught you as you rolled out of bed? Do you express your gratitude for the eyes that allow you to see yourself in the mirror or the hands that will guide the toothbrush to clean your teeth? Consider what comes up for you when you look in the mirror and acknowledge where you have been judging your body.
What if your body is not a problem to be suffered? When you’re in judgment of your body, you create what you think will work for it, but your body has its own awareness. Most of us override that awareness and choose what we want when we want it without listening to our body until it is too late.
How often do you go against what your body tells you?
You…
eat something you know your body doesn’t like
take a drug your body is telling you to avoid
wear clothes your body doesn’t enjoy
exercise in a way that your body hates
Afterward, you think, “I shouldn’t have done that!”
When you have those moments of awareness, it’s the body trying to tell you what will work for it and what wont. Your body warns you, “Pay attention! This isn’t going to turn out well.”
When you resist the awareness and choose what you know isn’t going to work, your body gets louder, trying to get your attention. Pain, discomfort, and disease can all be the result of ignoring your body and your body attempting to get your attention.
Would you like to create more ease with your body and allow its awareness to contribute to your life or would you like to continue ignoring it? If you choose to be in communion with your body and invite it to be involved, these tools can help.
1. Be in Communication
Noticing what your body desires and requires that will make it work better for you.
Communication begins with asking questions. You aren’t as likely to hear what your body would like if you don’t ask it!
For the next day (or week), ask your body about everything that concerns it:
“Body, what clothes would you like to put on?”
“Body, would you like to eat right now?”
“Body, what would you like to eat?”
“Body, how would you like to move?”
“Body, do you want to go for a walk?”
Your body doesn’t communicate through words, so don’t expect to hear an answer. Instead pay attention to how your body feels after you ask it a question. I recommend using the Light and Heavy tool. What is true for you will always make your body feel lighter and what is not true for you will make your body feel heavier. Think about something that brings you joy, now notice what that feels like in your body. Now, think about something that triggers emotions such as fear, worry, stress, etc… Notice a change in how your body responds? You may feel heavier, like you are wearing heavy chains or the weight of the world is on your shoulders. What makes you feel heavy is a judgment or lie and it is not true for you.
Remember, what is true makes you feel lighter, so even if you’re not sure what your body is saying, start to follow what feels lighter.
For example, if your body would like to eat, you might ask it if it wants to eat this or that and see which one feels lighter. If you’re getting dressed, notice what clothes your body is drawn to and what makes your body light up.
As you start asking your body about everything, you will create a relationship with your body. Like a muscle, it gets stronger with repetitive movement and you will begin to communicate with your body with total ease.
2. Be in Celebration and Gratitude
When you focus on the faults you see in your body, it’s easy to forget that your body is miraculous and magical.
Everything you do involves your body.
Here are a few ways you can be grateful for your body.
Brushing your teeth in the morning, appreciate your teeth, gums, tongue, and jaw.
Walking down the street, enjoy the movement and strength of your legs and feet, giving them gratitude for how well they carry you through life.
Eating a meal, celebrate your hands that help you eat it, your entire digestive system for taking in the nourishment, and your bloodstream for distributing the nutrients.
Judgment and gratitude cannot co-exist, so the more you are in gratitude for your body, the less you’ll be able to judge it.
If you try this exercise and notice thoughts arising about how your body isn’t working as well as you’d like, notice those thoughts and remember you can change it by asking your body a question.
Say “Hi” to your body, “Hi body, show me something beautiful today.” And notice what shows up.
If you would like to learn more about body communication, an Access Bars session can help you learn how to receive the whispers and change what may not be working for you.