When I swallowed hard, I knew I was stressed and was feeling uncertain. My body was an amazing barometer of my emotional and mental condition. I had developed my subconscious awareness. I had learned to start paying attention and listening to my body by connecting thoughts, feelings and noticing where my body was talking.
That might sound crazy, but your body does talk to you if you listen. This isn’t the obvious screaming of a Charlie horse after a run or a sharp stabbing pain of pulling your back. This is the quiet shifts in your body that appear when thoughts, feelings, and energy is moving in your body. Sometimes when doing yoga, stretching, or mindfulness you can become aware of unusual body messages.
A lump in your throat when feeling emotional, lacking voice, or feeling fearful. The tightness in your chest when you stand at an impasse again. The pit in your stomach when you know something is wrong or there is nothing you can do. The odd heaviness of your feet when not knowing the best path forward. The weight on your shoulders when feeling alone and responsible. The rock in your head when you have thought it to death but still don’t know what to do.
Your body is a powerful information source to notice thoughts and emotions. Once you notice the body message, you can explore it.
- What is that like (heavy, dark, deep, etc.)?
- What is that saying? What does that mean?
- Where is that coming from?
By doing this you begin to connect deeper messages that are happening in your body, intuition, and subconscious, which affect your conscious thoughts and feelings on the surface.
Often by simply noticing and giving voice to these body messages, they will be quieted. Other times understanding the message helps to guide and direct insights, conversations, and decisions. The body messages are powerful, however. They help to expand awareness and your ability to hear and understand yourself to navigate the world and your human complexity better.
It is a great practice to create space each day to check in with your body. Allow yourself to rest and become present. Notice noise or static happening in your body to live in a place of greater awareness and presence.
