3 Easy Ways to Practice Listening to Your Body Every Single Day
Hello!
It’s been a while. I hope you have enjoyed this season of sunshine and outdoors.
This summer has brought a lot of changes into my life and navigating these times has required me to connect with myself more often. I have learned from previous experiences that when there is stress and change in our lives, the connection to our body gets easily forgotten. Maybe there is no time or the focus is just somewhere else. But the body is always present and will remind us with various symptoms if we forget to listen to it. So in order to avoid getting sick or waiting for some of my usual symptoms of disconnection (frustration, anger, anxiety, fatigue, aches and pains, muscle tension, digestive issues) to appear I have focused on the basic steps to stay in touch with my wellbeing daily.
And because many people have said to me that when it comes to listening to the body and connecting with it, they just don’t know where to start. I thought I will share these simple ways with you. Let me know if you find them useful!
So here are the 3 things that you can start practicing today!
No. 1 Respect the familiar needs and messages coming from your body.
Drink when you feel thirsty
Eat when you feel hungry
Use the bathroom when you need to
Change your position if you feel uncomfortable
Change your clothing if it doesn’t feel comfortable
Stop exercising if something hurts or doesn’t feel right
Don’t delay these basic actions just because you can. Every time you ignore the basic bodily needs, you are sending a message back to your body that it is not your priority. This will overtime create more and more disconnection. The more you pay attention to the basic needs, the more you’ll start hearing and recognising the other messages too.
No. 2 Bring yourself back to the present moment throughout your day.
Focus on the task at hand
Stop multitasking when you can
Pay attention to your surroundings
Use your senses to anchor yourself into the present moment
What can you see, hear, taste, feel or smell?
The body lives in the present moment and in order to hear its messages, you want to be present as much as possible. The more you anchor yourself into the present space and moment, the more you live from the body.
No. 3 Take a moment daily to be with your body.
Pause for couple of deep breaths and ask yourself: what does my body need right now?
Give your body some gentle touch and just notice what feels good.
Take a moment to move intuitively: stretch, dance, shake. Ask your body how does it want to move right now.
Welcome any sensations, feelings and emotions without judgement. Allow them to surface in their truest expression without trying to change them or label them as good or bad/right or wrong. Meet them with curiosity and wonder instead.
Every body has its own unique way of communication and with practice you can learn to listen better.
How to approach these steps:
And I know sometimes these simple things can feel unfamiliar and challenging. But the only intention is to practice opening up to the possibility of the connection and allowing it to form as it is meant to.
Try not to control or set any goals for these steps. Every body has its own unique way of communication and with practice you can learn to listen better.
This means asking questions without expecting answers, sensing sensations without the need to explain why, following the intuitive guidance without explaining it. Becoming aware that the body is communicating with you all the time.
Which one are you going to try first?
