Body talk

So many people speak about listening to the body, what does it really mean?

And even if we are able to listen and hear, what is it that we are to do with the information we receive?

Simple facts:
Our body talks. This is the truth for everyone, however in some people’s case, more sensitive people or those born with some particular sensitivity or body condition, this is more clear and direct.
This means it reacts to our feelings, to our emotions, to the food we eat, to the air we breathe (via our lungs as well as via our skin), the activity we do (or don’t do), and to our inner state – how generally content, calm and at peace we are.
The more our life is in harmony, in balance, the more chance there is that our body will be in harmony.
Our body can get out of balance in various way, let us look at just a couple:
Food: When we don’t provide the body with nutritious food, when we provide it with the balanced, sustainable amount, and in a regular way. (Such as, eating junk food, overeating or under eating, or eating in an irregular manner and distribution).
Rest and Sleep: irregular sleep patterns, anxiety, sleepless nights, inability to relax, not enough sleeping hours in a row, going to sleep late and waking up late- which disturbs that natural rhythm of the body.

The list of ways the body can be disturbed is endless. And yet, all these various ways create their imbalanced imprints on the body. The body can usually sustain small imbalances, however once a certain point is crossed it loses its ability to handle even small challenges, for it is lacking resources and has reached a state of internal unwellness.
Such a state is very vulnerable. This can be reflected in reference to a particular part of the body such as overly active thyroid glance, a pulled muscle, an aching tooth or even an entire collapsing system such as the respiratory system.
Once we have a particular sensitivity in our body, and it’s important to keep in mind that this can something that we have developed thought life, or something we are born with.

Either way, if we have a particular part that is extra sensitive and vulnerable, we can, if we choose to see it that way – become our special friend, a radar of sorts that indicates to us the moment we have lost our balance.
Maintaining our equilibrium, our harmony is a continuous process, it has no end and request real care. It is as if we live our entire life on a narrow bridge, such as a rope bridge, if we lose our attention we can easily slip. If we carelessly shake and rattle the bridge some of its ropes may snap and this will make the bridge even less stable. Throughout our life’s the bridge gets weary and demands more attention, it demands we take better care and that we me more patience and kind, that we develop sensitivity and careful.
Listing to our body means first of all that we care enough to hear and be attentive to its needs, which are our needs for harmony, healthy lifestyle and a peaceful inner state.
We may have feel we have other needs, such as inspiration, motivation and the desire to learn, but we must remember that these can only be met from the place of wellbeing, that we can truly grow without compromising on our basic health and harmony.

In this way we can learn to see our body as a guide, and its signals as arrows.
Have I gone too far allowing myself to indulge in my fears, to talk from a pace of stress, neglecting my sleep, forgetting to eat?
Has that pain come back just as I was getting too upset and unnecessarily emotional? Has it reminded me that I have crossed my line? Have I sacrificed my rest time carelessly getting angry?
If we learn to continuously listen to our body it will not need to scream, it will trust that we will hear it’s every soft whisper and that we will respond to if with an abundance of love.

(c) 2010 Meditative Art School, Mochita Har-Lev      Web Development: galordesign.com