Get Inside the Body!
The quality of our experience is determined by our connection with our body.
Whenever I realize that I am out of harmony, spinning in circles, or in general off my path, my first step is feet barefoot on the Earth & get down to exercise time. You see, my body is my temple; my body is my guide; my body is conscious; I am my body. When I feel off course I am, without a doubt, not fully in my body, not fully aware of the signals it is sending and not in conscious communication with my temple home.
We have many bodies: the physical, mental, emotional/energetic, light/soul... Depending on who you ask the list continues, or ends with the physical. That is ok & perfect. In my experience, the many bodies all interact, sometimes in competition and others in harmony.
Competition Between Mental & Physical
How can our bodies be in competition? Easy, it happens all the time and this is essentially what disharmony is. Remember the last time that I was working a bit too long and hard... I am so focused within the center of my mental body that I ignore all the others. Time flies and all of a sudden I reach a place where I decide enough is enough and I'm done for the day. Then, I realize I've not eaten in 6 hours and I'm STARVING!
How is it that I'm all of a sudden starving? Was my physical body not sending me the tiny signs and reminders of lunch and snack pleasures? Chances are it was and I was too busy in my mind to pay it any attention. With my depleted self I'm in survival mode and like a starved wolf I'll grab the quickest food possible and gulp it down. Not caring so much about nourishment or vitamins, but purely interested in reaching satiety.
That is ok; it's one experience. Generally I prefer another way of being in communication with my bodies so that extreme states aren't necessary.
Communication & Harmony
In harmony we experience flow, we smoothly take decisions as they come and are able to create our desires with ease. When our bodies are all communicating, our intuition is on point, we feel like we are continually at the right place in the right time, and are easily guided with grace to live out our days & dreams. How are ways that we may increase our bodily harmony & communication? What are the ways that work best for you?
I find these three to be my primary resources...
Exercise
Grounding exercises, as simple as pushing the feet firmly against the ground and feeling the full connection of the foot to the support of the Earth does wonders (even in socks & shoes underneath the desk)! I find I feel best when I spend at least 3 hours a week engaging in some sort of exercise, whether it be bike riding, yoga, walking, or dancing. Take your pick and get out there in the world!
Conscious Eating for Individuality
There are many holistic systems (my favorites are Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine) that describe a number of different constitutions and corresponding ways for them to be nourished. Eating organic, in season & local to the region in which we live is also wise and supportive as well as ecologic and respective to our Mother Earth.
Probably the most important part of conscious eating is the actual eating part. Slow down! Chew at a snail's pace! Notice what is happening in the mouth and body and really intake all the nourishment that is the full experience of eating. This presence given to the body clears up our communication and we become much more refined in knowing what is good for us and what our bodies needs to function best.
Meditation/Silent time/Contemplation
The benefits of a regular meditation practice are far reaching and undeniably delicious. I consistently advise clients that even 2 minutes a day of following the breath will dramatically change their mental/emotional/physical connection with life and really ground down while opening up to greater insights.
Emotion is energy; when we experience emotion we often become overwhelmed by the energy and get caught up in it. A regular meditative practice allows us to pay attention as the emotion arises and then redirect its energy so that we are the experience of the emotion and we retain our cool. More on that another time...
Until then, get in & enjoy yo body!
