What is your body trying to tell you?
The power of unlocking physical wisdom to support transformational change.
“In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk
Last week, I found myself in a familiar spot, I place I visited many times over the last few years. And yet, as my car made its way off the freeway and inched closer to the building, it felt as if my body was on the wrong side of a magnet. The energy of the building was literally repulsing me asking me to stay clear.
I’m sure this experience happened to me before, but over the years, I wasn’t paying close enough attention to notice the subtle cues of discomfort. Last week, I still made my way through the building with unease and the energy was only lukewarm, affirming that it’s a place I no longer want to be.
I am thankful that I’ve learned to notice the messages my body sends me and listen to them.
I was reminded of the power of our bodies when I watched MJ The Musical last night to celebrate my dad’s birthday. As a pre-professional dancer, my body has always been a place where I can tap into joy and self-expression that words or thoughts could never master. Similarly, Michael Jackson needed to feel in his body whether the song list was just right, as no words or analysis could replace the genius stored in his body.
When I was in an advanced coaching program focused on neuroscience a few years ago, I got a bit squeamish when the modules on embodiment came into play. It felt a bit “woo” to stand up during a coaching session and use our body to act out or embody whatever emotion, action, or intention we were working through. I avoided using this at all costs – it didn’t feel natural to me.
But as I gained the courage to experiment in my coaching practice, I noticed an accelerated shift with my clients when we tapped into the wisdom of their body. Their insights came faster, and their growth came more quickly. I was amazed.
There are two great books that support the science of tapping into the wisdom of our body. The first is Amanda Blake’s Your Body is Your Brain and the second is The Body Keeps the Score. Both highlight the importance of the mind and body connection in supporting our whole selves.
I became a personal believer in the power of embodiment last May when I experienced tremendous healing during a myofascial release massage that was accompanied by some connected wisdom coaching (thank you Kristi Vitali).
I had been experiencing abdominal pain for many months and after extensive testing, nothing showed up as injured or unwell. I explored this pain during my massage and realized I was storing beliefs, ideas and fears in my body from a 12-year-old version of me who was striving to “make something of herself.”
Through a mind-body connection, we literally moved these limiting beliefs out of my body and the transformation and courage that I experienced afterwards propelled some major changes in my work and home life. I walked away from that one hour with the courage to let my faith in my inner knowing be greater than any fear I had in conquering my next chapter.
What wisdom does your body want to share with you? How can you tune in and pay attention?
I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
The world needs who you were made to be!
I, too, have read The Body Keeps the Score - such a great title, reflecting such truths. It feels as though in our mind-focused culture we've buried our body intelligence and taught to disregard it, forcing us to move forward, even though an intuitive body sense says otherwise. There's a book called The Gift of Fear by a former FBI agent who writes about women overriding a bodily repulsion to a stranger (who ends up being an attacker) because of social conditioning on how to be polite. I think there's so much more to unpack about embodiment. Thank you for writing about this.