Talking Body

It's still quite weird for me to write about body. I wonder why! 😂

I think I’ve mentioned it a few times before, I’m a walking brain kind of person and the idea that my body might express things outside I’m hungry or I’m sleepy (and still!) was a bit like “Uh… What?" You'd want me to believe that this thing with two legs, two arms and other not-so-important stuff “talks?” Like… Nope, no thanks! #Denial

I am smart, I'm gonna sort this out with my brain, thanks, bye!

But the more you'd like it to stay silent, the louder it speaks, it's only fair....

So when I finally "decided" (unwillingly accepted?) that maybe my body did have things to tell me, I wanted it to give me all the answers. #Obviously Did I mention I don’t like doing things halfway?

It didn't work out too well, it just gave me anxiety, which seems pretty normal when you go from « I can't hear yoooou » to « Tell me everything » about very scary questions.

I realized later, the body gives information, not answers. #Disappointment

It doesn’t tell me how to interpret information. And it’s still my decision to make. #Pouting

For example, if a shirt feels itchy on my body, I’m still free to wear it—or not. It doesn’t give any explanation either. Just information.

Same goes for everything else. When I do something the feelings in my body are information, that’s it. At first, I didn't get the difference, and that's a REAL difference.

Emotions are first, information given by your body. My life became much easier once I got that. For instance: My head spinning for no apparent reason, and feeling weak in the legs, is my version of a starting panic attack. I was so thrilled when I discovered that. Oh that's just anxiety #Relieved Yes, in the middle of a panic attack. #HappyAttack

But for real, how do you know you’re angry? Or sad? Is your head telling you? Not for me. I know I'm sad because my eyes are teary and I have a knot in my throat, I know I'm joyful because I feel like jumping around everywhere. It's surely different for each individual but it's physical for everyone.

I also find it quite fun, but that’s maybe just me, to think about something and see what’s going on in my body. Just to check in. WITHOUT interpretation: Obviously, interpreting is in your head, not your body. ;)

And, our head doesn’t tell us what is pleasurable and what’s not. It doesn’t tell us what we want or not. When you want someone, is it in your head? Not for me. #SometimesIWish

By the way, I know that’s not the point, but it’s a real question, how can we have a fulfilling sex life when we’re unable to spend time listening to our body on a daily basis? #LetSThinkForAMinuteOrTwo

Our head makes plans and decisions. But there are always physical sensations first.

Since I’ve started listening to what my body feels, joy and all, my life is much more fun. You have to know, it’s not (AT ALL!) an exact science, sometimes I have no clue where the hell I’m at, but it helps. We’re literally flooded with information. Maybe it’s a good time to choose our sources, don’t you think? As for me, my life is more fun since I started listenning to my whole self.

A few practices that help me, you might wanna try:

(Please, don't try to try everything at the same time, I've tried that for you and it doesn't work)

The basics:

—Using my five senses : What do I see ? What do I smell ? How does the touch of my clothes or the wind on my arms feel ? What does coffe tastes like this morning ? It's quite fun and relaxing.

—Dancing : This is a real basic for me. It’s the FIRST thing I do to get back to my body, to feel grounded and connected again. And it feels so joyful (it hasn’t always been the case #ThanksAkwardness) there’s no reason I (or you) shouldn’t.

—After my workout, I often stretch or practice yoga. Rather than following a routine, I find it interesting to pause and listen to what feels good. Do I feel like doing downward facing dog in stillness? Or would moving my legs feel better? Can I relax my shoulders a little more? Or do they feel too tight?

Time consuming ideas:

—An exercise from Les Aventurières I used when trying to make a choice.

I had several options (all super cool but still super anxious, you know my love of choices!) I wrote each of them on a piece of paper and put them face down in different places of the room. The only thing to do was feeling what was happening in my body in each space. #Sceptical

One felt heavy, I had a knot in my stomach. Another didn’t feel like much (at least with my current listening skills). The last one was fist clenching, restless legs, actually feeling angry… I just stayed with what was going on for me, taking all the information I could get.

When I looked at what was written on each sheet, I was a bit surprised, but not that much. Yep, I do feel angry when thinking about that (even if the reason is unknown, and there might be thousands of them, I could spend days trying to find #Confusion #Drama).

Feeling and letting things unfold help make a more informed choice. I still don’t know if it’s the best one, but I have as much information as I can.

— As I am quite familiar with noting my sensations, I started to question them. It helps stay present. I feel a knot in my stomach or a tingling in my legs, I wonder: What color is it? What shape is it? What texture? What sensations? How old? Do I feel emotions? What does it need? What does it tell me? Pretty much any question that goes through my mind, keeping it slow to stay with the sensations and let them evolve. Sometimes images or words come to mind, sometimes breakthrough or emotions, sometimes I feel like doing something, it can lead anywhere and that’s great for the curious explorer I am.

— A little less sensation oriented but still very interesting, you can have one of your body parts write you a letter. I’m very fond of letters in general, I love you can have pretty much anything writing you a letter, like what would your fear say? Or your anger? And you can do that with your body as well, you might discover a few things.

Thanks Bobine de clown for the idea. ;)

How is listening to your body feeling? What are your practices? #Curiosity #Share