Photo by Alex Krivitskiy
Our bodies talk to us all the time. Are we listening? Are we paying attention? As embodiment practices become more popular, many of us are finding greater attunement to our bodies, not just in a physical way, but a mental, emotional and spiritual way. We realize that the profound intelligence of our subtle bodies is something we’ve underestimated for years. Most of us have been conditioned to believe our mind should be in control, leaving the body as something to BE controlled. After all, our brain tells the body what to do, right? We also know though, that our body tells us when something is not working, especially physically. By the time the body makes it obvious (when it’s screaming at us), we realize something may have been wrong for awhile. The mind body connection is nothing new, yet so many of us are still profoundly disconnected from our bodies. Many of us even hate our bodies, physically and emotionally, and the process of aging certainly doesn’t make it easier. Our bodies are changing all the time, which is why we must be diligent in paying attention, profound in giving ourselves compassion, and relentless in nurturing our relationship with our bodies.
As new (and old) research and articles continue to surface about the effects of body practices and exercise on anxiety, trauma, any trauma, perhaps it really is time to consider a new, more intuitive and connected relationship with our bodies. Can we heal our anxiety, our pain, or trauma, with fostering a new way to listen, connect, nurture, and trust our bodies? For so many of us who have anxiety, trauma, shame, depression, we understand the truth that we cannot ignore our bodies. We might be able to suppress, hide or fool ourselves and others about what’s happening, but the physical signs are there. In fact, it’s often the physical signs that bring us in to see the doctor first. We can’t sleep, we don’t eat well, or we eat too much, we have pain, we have panic attacks, our anger peaks, we can’t get out of bed, the list goes on. Our minds try to control the symptoms or blame our bodies for the despair. So we may try to medicate it, which might work for a time. Regardless, we suffer in various ways and the body is screaming at us for help. With emotional and professional support, what if we can let the body lead and metabolize these stress reactions? Experts like Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk have been doing trauma research on this for years. Feeling and following through with our emotions in a physical way, as opposed to suppressing and avoiding them. Somatic therapies, psychomotor therapies, EMDR. Our bodies’ participation in healing ourselves is proving to be critical, not just necessary.
Meditation, Tai chi, Qi Gong, dance, yoga, Ayurveda, walking, running, getting good sleep, eating good foods…the answers have always been there, they have never been secrets, especially among the Eastern traditions, and available for thousands of years. Our bodies were built to move. Many of us have found our way naturally to changing our mental state going through our physical state with moving the body, going for a walk, dancing, etc. But we can take this a step further, and let our bodies have more of the control. By using our senses, by quieting the mind and the ego. By staying present in our physical senses we notice even more. Notice the sky, the birds, our feet hitting the ground. We feel better, breathe better, we are nicer, more patient, and we handle better what comes next. We feel more grateful, and sleep and eat better. When the stress hits our body, our antenna, again, and it will, our task is to go to the tools that allows our body to manage this stress. What do we know helps our body in the moment. What preventative, as well as acute, tools have we gathered to support our body, and ultimately our mind. These things must take priority; Otherwise, if we ignore our antenna, or try to push through the physical, emotional or mental discomfort, the stress will remain in the body (and mind) and appear in other ways creating dis-ease, exhaustion, anger, and more.
Awareness. Paying attention, and trusting what our body is telling us. It’s a practice, it takes time, and we have permission to not get it right, but we must keep trying. We will get better at it. Being present with our bodies, tuning in, all of this is not new news, but for many of us, we are stubborn, more distracted, and more anxious than ever. Our times are changing and change is challenging. We can no longer underestimate what our bodies have known all along. The easiest thing to do in a quick minute is find a way to move, find a way to feel what you are feeling and use breath and movement to help you get through it. Look to something easy that brings joy, presence and peace. Moving our bodies in a way that keeps us present in our bodies can metabolize stress. Even chair yoga in the office. A walk around the building. We must stop underestimating the power of movement, the power of breath, the power of our bodies as our antennae. If you lean in and listen, you will hear it trying to tell you something. ❤️
Learn more about how to start your own gratitude practice in our guide.