Listen
Is your body smart? How would you know?
Do you listen to your body’s messages as if it were a dear friend? Or do you try to block out its painful noise … having decided long ago that it must be out to get you, or just wants to make you miserable?!
Imagine this: You’re walking in a small town in a foreign land. You’re really hungry! As you try and get your bearings, you don’t see any places that look like restaurants or grocery stores. So you ask a passing woman, “Where is a good place to eat?”
She starts… to SING! What the…!?!?! You want toeat and she is singing in a language you do not understand. So, you rub your belly. You pantomime eating. Aha! She gets it! She knows what you want! She takes your hand and… tries to get you todance !?!?! She sings louder! She adds more passion and movement. She beckons you to join in… but… but… you don’t know the words, you don’t like to dance, and you’re HUNGRY. As if singing and dancing are going to get you fed…
Is this singing, dancing “tour guide” an IDIOT? Would it make any sense to HATE her? If you were planning to live in this town for the rest of your life, would it be wise to turn your back on her in disgust and declare, “I can’t trust you! You don’t make sense! You’re no help whatsoever! You obviously don’t care about what I really want…” ?? What if there is an intelligence in what she is doing that you just don’t perceive yet?
Most of us were never taught how to listen to and understand the language of our body. We never learned how to interpret messages from our gut and guidance from our heart. We were raised by people who didn’t know either. So the language of the body feels foreign, strange, inaccessible. We shut down that guidance. The result is a disconnect between you and You.
We assure you, most of the emotional suffering we experience… the self-hate, the self-rejection, the fears and doubts… arise out of this disconnect between our “thinking” head, and our heart, our gut, our groin… our Whole Being. If you want to shift that, if you want to feel whole and complete, if you want to build a healthy relationship WITH your body rather than being at odds with it, let’s get started with a simple exercise.
Listen to the audio. You can also read the PDF Transcript. It takes less than 6 minutes. Notice what your body is telling you. Notice how when you focus upon something that is good and right for you, your body will naturally feel a bit more open. And when you focus upon something you don’t want, your body will typically contract (or go numb or cold or some other less pleasant reaction). Isn’t that smart!?! We think so.
This really can be one of the most delicious and enjoyable explorations we can have as a human being. But for those who have experienced trauma, rejection, and chronic pain, it can also be scary. We’re here to help and support you in this exploration.
Very helpful and clear. The hug test is a great body monitor.
Thank you.
Great exercise, this helped me to fine- tune the yes or no feelings in my body, now knowing the differences, & the collar tap I did along & instantly relaxed me after the no exercise! Thanks
Most interesting. It works with projects you’re considering, even clothes! Great exercise and will probably help avoid getting started on something you won’t finish, whether in work or outside.
The Yes, No is good place to start. Sometimes I wish I could get more information about why my body is saying Yes or No. I sometimes need an explanation to accept the answer, especially when it is contrary to what I think I want. 😉
Have you tried putting your hand on the area of the body that is saying NO and ask it for more information? -Rick
What a lovely way to describe getting to know your body yes or know. I found this visualisation really easy to understand in my body and have never thought of explaining it this way. Thank you Cathy and Rick.
I’m so glad this helped you, Susan! I love listening in this way- it can bring so much clarity!
I think I’m so afraid of myself. If I am successful with something I have tapped on, it feels like I have lost ‘something’ I can feel my body’s yes and no but I am afraid to trust it
Hi Lynnzee, You’re certainly not alone in that confusion. Do you remember having strong guidance about what was “right” for you, but being punished or pressured into doing it anyway?
How our guidance was respected and honored (or NOT!) during childhood and adulthood has a lot to do whether our primitive brain feels like we can trust ourselves.
What does your body say about this? (There’s no right or wrong here 🙂 )