How to listen to your body
“Listen to your body.”
It’s a directive that comes up when we talk about how hard to workout, what and how much to eat, how much sleep to get, water to drink and more. It’s thrown around a lot and sometimes in deeper ways, too. “Go with your gut,” for instance, refers to following visceral intuitive instruction from within.
This is a powerful concept. One of my biggest observations from teaching and practicing yoga is that tremendous insight can be gained when we’re connected with our bodies.
So, let’s talk about what that means.
First the big picture.
I get the sense that deep down, we all know what is uniquely right for us: What direction to go; what will bring us joy, satisfaction and meaning; where we belong. But that often gets muddied up.
We lose sight of our inner knowing because our erratic minds veer us off course. We believe our thoughts as they bounce around wildly, we get hung up on certain ideas, we cling to our desires. This is the nature of our minds when left to their own devices, and the result is that we get a little lost.
But our bodies don’t get confused. They don’t lie. They don’t get lost. Yes, our physicality reflects what’s happening in our heads, but it’s also indestructibly bound to that deeper knowing (which you may or may not believe stems from a higher spiritual source). Thus, coming back to what’s distinctly right for each of us may often be a matter of coming back to our bodies — back to the sensation that so many of us lose touch with because we’re so absorbed upstairs … in our thoughts.
There are lots of subtleties here, but the most informative physical information is simple: tension vs. ease. This is a great place to start. Muscular contractions are a sign of stress and resistance. Something is off. Relaxation in our muscles is a sign of acceptance and ease. We’re on the right track.
When unsure about how to proceed in a given situation, discerning how our bodies feel in response to various options can be very telling and helpful. Even a slight inclination toward tightening can be a flag. Openness, a gentle sense of ease, softness and relaxation, on the other hand, are encouragement to lean in.
I’ve found this to be a rich and fascinating subject, and it’s led me personally in somewhat unexpected ways.
I remember back about 15 years ago, having an audition for my first TV job. I had never been in front of any camera more sophisticated than a camcorder, but there I was, at one of the stations in the market where I grew up, acting like I knew what the heck I was talking about as I described traffic in front of the green screen, with the anchors and reporters I’d been watching for years standing by. Talk about gut sense — my stomach was in knots. But as I recall, even though I was mentally freaking out and my body was carrying all that stress, the thought that maybe I should scrap the whole thing — give up and go home — that was what made my muscles tense up. It was faint but clear. I was right where I needed to be, physical discomfort and all.
I don’t think being “connected with my body” was on my radar at the time, but it was such a pivotal experience that I can recall how it felt. As I prayed and questioned, my body relayed the answer: Stay the course.
Gleaning insights as they’re reflected in our flesh starts with becoming more aware of sensation in general, especially of how tension vs. ease feels in our own skin. I have a short guided meditation called “from tension to ease” (available here) that can give you a taste. Please try it out.
I believe listening to the wisdom our bodies impart puts us on a promising path.
But of course, see if that feels right to you.
