When we breathe, our body moves.
Do you feel that? When you take a breath? Where do you feel your body move with our next breath? Just close your eyes and feel.
For some of us, this is easy to feel.
And for some of us, it is impossible to feel.
And both is totally ok.
When you do feel it easily, you are probably connected to your body, or at least used to tune in to your body and to tune in to what you feel. When you don’t feel it easily, you are probably not used to tune in to how your body feels, moves and breathes. And that is very common!
We are generally not taught at school or by our parents how to tune in to our bodies. (They weren’t taught either.) We are taught to tune in to our heads and enhance the capacity of our brains. To become really good at math, science, history. To go to school, college, university and let that beautiful mind get you at the best place possible in society.
Many people find themselves reaching the goals set out by themselves or by their parents for them. And once they reach them, they don’t feel the happiness or satisfaction they were seeking for while getting there. They feel empty.
I have experienced this myself with getting my bachelors and masters, then a great job I thought would make me really happy, then another job. But all of them did not do the trick.
Actually, to sustain my emotional, physical and mental wellbeing to a degree that I could still do my studies and my job, I needed a good dose of yoga and meditation to keep myself going and to stay sane.
And this set me off on a different path. A path unknown to me where I was invited to work more consciously with my body. To start listening to what she wants and needs. In this moment.
This was something totally new to me when I started yoga 12 years ago. Today, it is my life. And let me tell you, my life feels way better than it did 12 years ago :)
I have found that the key to having a sense of wellbeing, feeling energy and feeling happy is listening to my body. She is amazing in how she talks to me. So subtle and profound. It is a journey and a practice to listen to her, still every day, but I believe I am getting better at it.
And sometimes I drift away and my mind takes over. I do the things I believe I need to do rather than listen to what my body tells me to do. And then I find myself overwhelmed, moody, getting headaches, experiencing indigestion, breathing very fast, lacking energy and being very tired with myself and the world.
These are some of the symptoms for me that tell me “shhh, you need to start listening to your body”. I am sure you have some of your own. Basically the annoying and painful sensations in our bodies are our best teachers, the whispers or in some cases yells that tell us to stop and start tuning in.
So how do I do that?
The most simple way is to stop and breathe. The breath is the most direct way to connect to yourself. It is THE way to tune in and feel your body.
Just notice your breath as the air from outside moves into the body on the inbreath and the air from inside the body moves out again on the outbreath. Notice where the breath moves your body as you breathe.
By taking a few breaths like this you are connecting to your body, tuning in and feeling sensations in your body. And by relaxing into whatever you feel, you are telling your body ‘hey, I am here, I feel you, you can talk to me’.
And then notice, how your body feels. Perhaps there is tension somewhere, perhaps you feel more relaxed. Notice and feel what it is that your body needs right now.
You know best.
With love,
Lisanne
