“Your body has a story to tell you. In order to take better care of your body, you have to find out about its needs. And the best way of discovering what will nourish and nurture you is to simply ask yourself.” – Cigdem Kobu
If you’ve never asked yourself this type of question, you might be surprised at how your body responds, how willing it is to communicate.
Your body has a story to tell. Your job is to listen.
Listening to your body is about letting its messages come through; messages you’ve ignored or avoided, messages overshadowed by the busyness of life.
Not listening has a significant cost to your well-being as I remember so well.
A few years ago I would have these sudden bouts of laryngitis, sometimes two or three a year. They would come out of nowhere and I would wake up without my voice.
There were plenty of warnings, messages from my body that I had shrugged off, pushing through to get things done. I was like a child who sticks their fingers in their ears singing “lalalalalalalalalalalala” refusing to listen!
How often do you push through pain, discomfort and urgent messages from your body in order to get things done?
For me it had become a default mode that kicked in without any conscious choice on my part.
“The body never lies.” – Martha Graham
At some point I began to dig deeper into the laryngitis.
I thought it was interesting given my work as a coach that my throat (and voice) was the only part of my body that shut down; I very rarely got sick and was generally pretty healthy. And even then, I wasn’t really sick. . .I just had no voice.
No sore throat, no cough, nada.
Just. No. Voice.
Made it tough to do my work when I couldn’t speak to my clients!
One day the epiphany struck. . .
I pushed myself through tiredness, busyness, too many commitments, etc. ignoring most physical aches and warning signs. But. . .my body had found a way to get me to slow down, even grind to a halt. Without my voice I couldn’t do my work and if THAT didn’t get my attention, nothing would.
But it did. I finally got the message loud and clear, and I began to watch for early warning signs: feeling extra tired, a slight scratchiness in my throat (remember, so slight I’d previously ignored it!) and more sensitivity than usual.
These messages had been there all along. I just hadn’t paid any attention to them. As soon as I began to respect the messages the laryngitis stopped. I know, kind of woo woo, but I’m really not kidding. In the years since that realization I’ve only had it come up once or twice, and looking back at the month or two prior I realized the messages had been there as before.
Your body has a story to tell. Are you listening?
As you begin to consciously listen, your body’s wisdom will surface and help you discover better ways to take care of yourself.
The following reflective process will help you learn how to listen to your body. The more you use it the more effective your internal communication will become.
The first few times you do this I suggest using paper and pen to jot down your thoughts. After some time, you’ll be able to use the process more as a meditation.
Exercise:
Speaking directly to your body, ask the following questions and listen for the answers:
1. What do you need?
2. What do you need more of?
3. What do you need a break from?
4. What do you want me to do less of, or even stop doing?
5. What would be most nourishing right now?
6. Is there anything else I should know?
You might be surprised by what comes out of this exercise. Allow yourself to do this without judgment; be curious about what your body has to share. You’ll more than likely notice needs that have been ignored or denied in some way.
When I first did this exercise I realized more deeply than ever before how much I needed the restorative nature of the silent retreat. It was one of the few environments that cared for all of me, mind, body and spirit and I began to schedule them more often.
Because of the many challenges this year, this need has been on the back-burner, and the cost has been great. This week I restore the balance with four days of silence at my favourite retreat centre.
You are a unique human being with unique needs. You may not need or love the silence as I do. That’s what so effective about this exercise.
[Tweet “By doing the work – asking the questions and really listening – you will get what YOU need.”]
Hi Sandi,
I love these six questions! I have recently started to “listen to my cells” but I only just listened, Now I’ll ask questions! 😉
I believe very much in listening to the body. The connection between the mind, emotions and physical health is indisputable. In my Reiki practice we can usually get to the root of the issue when we listen to the body.
Great post!
Lori
It’s amazing what happens when we speak directly to the body. Sounds woo woo and yet, there is always a message, even to the most skeptical people!
Reminds me of something one of my very first coaches said to me years ago – the messages will get louder and louder until you listen. This is so true, especially in relation to what our body is trying to tell us we need to do but often goes ignored. Thanks for the reminder Sandi.
Losing my voice was the loudest, best way my body had to get my attention! Not funny at the time, but looking back the humour and the irony slay me 😉
My body is pretty happy right now because of all the self-care of late! However, it did ask that I cut back on the caffeine and do more breathing and meditation. I’ve built up a bit of tension in my body lately. Off to do my 10 minutes of breathing for Day 8 of 66 Days…
Isn’t it great to notice your body’s appreciation of the self-care you’ve given it?
I’m going through a medical complaint at the moment that requires me paying close attention to my body, specifically my neck and hands, and then report back to my chiropractor. And I am surprised (horrified actually) that my brand of paying close attention to my body is really rather inadequate, even when I’m trying hard to do it. Practice, practice, practice.
I’m a head person. I’ve got much more faith (probably misplaced) in what my head tells me than what my body is trying to tell me — and I say trying because my body has to get pretty vociferous before I will stop and listen. But I know from experience that listening to my head before my body isn’t a good idea. If I had done that a couple of years ago when I discovered a lump in my breast, I might not be here to tell the tale.
Sandi, enjoy the golden silence. So glad you are doing this for yourself. What a great example you are of walking the talk!
I think that’s why the process of speaking directly to your body works; it bypasses the head and all its rationalizations!
Love this Sandi! In the last year I made this connection; when I am not living in alignment with values my body tells me! If I lose my voice or lower back is aching something is off and I need to pay attention.
I actually prefer this process because it is my body telling me what I need, not an external source. Can’t beat that 🙂
What a glorious place of silence you’ve chosen 🙂 The silence broken only by what has been trying to get through to you and can’t be heard. Ahhhhh, bliss!
You know, I’ve been to other retreats but there is definitely something magical about Rivendell, on Bowen Island.
I got a couple of quick, short directives from parts of my body. I’m used to this practice, though I don’t do it enough. I do Guided Imagery Meditations with a coach which mainly focuses on getting me out of my head and in touch with my body. The rewards, when I suscessfully do so, are stupendous.
I hear you Walker! Seems there are a few of us trying to get out of our heads 😉
Great post Sandi! I couldn’t agree more! I was first introduced to this concept when I read Your Body Speaks Your Mind, whoa this book seriously opened my eyes to what my body was screaming at me for years!
Thanks for the reminder!
My programs are all designed around this body mind connection, its vital for health and wellness for a life time.
Hi Sandi,
I just stumbled upon your blog and I really love this post and couldn’t agree with you more about tuning into the body’s wisdom. The 6 questions you list above begin important conversations we can have with ourselves that open the door to maximum health and wellness. For me, your 6 questions (brilliant by the way) also open the door to a more embodied experience. I recently wrote a post about this and would be honored if got a chance to check it out. For me, what is really restorative is mindful movement, specifically dance!
We need more people talking about staying connected to our bodies and how exactly to do this. Our society crowns the mind king when in truth, the body is much much more powerful.
Glad to have found you,
Maira
Maria,
Thank you for joining this conversation, your words are so appreciated. Having just come back from a retreat where I had 4 days to myself, I had plenty of time to ask myself these questions. I’ve come home more in my body and grateful than words can say.
Thanks too, for leading me to your blog. I love what you’re up to and look forward to reading more!