We’ve been taught that to be successful that we need to work in spite of our bodies, not in tune with them. We push. Push to be the best. Push past pain. Push through exhaustion. Push through discomfort. Like many others, this was me too. But there came a time when my way of pushing harder and ignoring my physical needs (breaks, movement, sleep, sunshine, etc) wasn’t working anymore. What if we put our bodies first and our businesses second? If our bodies fail us, then our business doesn’t even matter, right? And our bodies are super smart; our bodies, which are really just microcosms of Mother Nature herself, have a wisdom that can teach us about time management and productivity. Our bodies always know what we need.
Historically, I’ve been a head person. Someone who thinks things through, considers every angle, and often experiences analysis paralysis. Anybody with me here? This year however, I’ve been conducting a little experiment – and have mostly handed the reins over to my intuition, the cues from my body. I’ve been slowing down, meditating daily and going within, asking myself what feels right, and then saying “thanks for protecting me brain, but I’m going to let my gut handle this one”. I’ve been blessed by the results not just in my personal and professional life, but also in my ability to pick up on cues from my body. You see, our mind often works from a place of “I should” whereas our intuition usually comes from a softer and more gentle place, truly connected to what we most need.
The effects of listening to my intuition has shown up in a myriad of ways in my life: I’ve said no more to things/people that don’t really serve my hearts interest. I’ve gone “out” less (which has saved me money and decreased my stress level immensely). I’ve shed a few pounds. Yes, learning to eat mindfully and listening to when I’m actually hungry and full has made a huge difference. I’m more connected to ME- I am able to communicate better what I believe, how I feel, what I want and make decisions confidently.
Here are some tips I used to start listening to my body’s cues and follow my intuition:
- M-E-D-I-T-A-T-E—-Yes, I know you’ve heard this time and time again. Well, there’s a reason why. The shit works. I won’t reiterate what hundreds of studies have shown about the benefits of just 2-5 minutes a day of sitting quietly and still in meditation. You can look that up yourself. But I will tell you that it works best for me first thing in the morning, even before coffee/tea. And you can download some amazing FREE apps to get you started. Insight Timer and Headspace are my two favorites, but there are many others. Now start tomorrow! 2 minutes a day is WAY better than 30 minutes once a month.
2. Try a Mindful Movement Practice: A year ago, I would have said: Just do yoga! But now I know that there are so many other ways to practice moving mindfully. I would recommend slower paced flow/vinyasa, restorative or yin in terms of yoga. But I would also recommend you try a Pilates class, a Tai Chi class, certain partner dance classes, or any movement practice that slows you down and offers you time and space to really feel and learn from your own body. (for my runners, power yogis, or Crossfit peeps out there, often times, slower paced classes are MORE physically challenging by the way) These practices are often referred to as Somatic Practices or Somatic Movement. Then you can take your new body awareness into any other sport/physical activity you do!
3. Start a Self Care Practice: Some of us are great at creating exercise and meal plans for ourselves, however not so great at looking at our lives holistically and thinking about what we need to care for ourselves. This often includes things like ME time, giving yourself permission to be pampered (hello massages and facials; yes even for the dudes!) and most importantly – rest and relaxation. It is in these times of self care and rest that we can find ourselves connecting to our bodies and our needs. Developing a self-care practice can be highly beneficial for your health and sanity, trust me.
4. Listen to the Warning Signs: Our bodies send us warning signs when they’re beginning to feel the pressure. I know that personally when I was over exerting and working, some of my warning signs were sickness, body pain or reoccurring injuries, feeling lethargic, digestion imbalances, and insomnia. And for the ladies, another sign is an inconsistent menstrual cycle. If we listen, our bodies have a way of telling us when we need more or less of something. When we learn to pay attention to the signs, we can give our body what it needs and most likely avoid that injury, sickness or stress-induced life drama that drags us down.
I hope this post has served you in some way and I can’t wait to elaborate more on some of the topics I mentioned. Stay tuned for a new blog every month!