#1 CONNECT to YOUR WHOLENESS
Today you’ll meet the physical sensations your body uses to communicate with you.
YOUR BODY SPEAKS. LISTEN.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when it comes to the ‘mind + body + spirit’ paradigm, the wellness industry does the body a bit of a disservice. Instead of encouraging us to get to know our bodies on a somatic (felt-sense) level, many experts focus on treating the body like a third party: focusing on how to feed it and how to move it. And that’s great for physical maintenance! But it bypasses the fact that your body is a powerful communication tool.
When you learn to ‘drop into the body’ and feel how it experiences joy, love, pain, and sorrow, you quickly realize that your body is talking to you before your mind can cognitively form the thoughts to explain what’s happening.
Culturally, we have become so out of tune with these signals that we process mostly with our minds, which leads to ‘overthinking’ our decisions and feelings, which leads to second-guessing ourselves, which leads to self-doubt, which leads to a lower sense of self-worth—and total disconnection from self.
Your body is whole. Connect to it.
Raising your self-connection—and ultimately your sense of worth—starts with learning how your body registers its feelings. In doing so, you not only connect deeper to your feelings, leading to less self-doubt, but you also become more equipped at dealing with them. Because as you explore how your body registers feelings, you begin to notice that your uncomfortable feelings aren’t as life-threatening as your brain makes them out to be. Your feelings are safely contained in your body, which is your ally.
Furthermore, when you learn your body’s queues for feeling empowered and alive, you can memory-recall those sensations whenever you need a boost.
Developing this ability—of regulating your emotional state by connecting to the energy in your body—is life-giving.
It’s a legitimate superpower.
We’ve all experienced physical sensations associated with emotional pain (an aching heart when heartbroken, or a squeezing of the gut when anxious), but because we’re not always in attunement with our bodies, we tend not to notice the physical sensations associated with emotional nourishment.
This is what you are here to explore today.
In the meditation below, you’ll be calling forth a memory where it felt good to be alive.
By doing so, you’re going to learn your body’s physical response to that sensation of aliveness in your soul.
With enough practice, you’ll start to recognize that this felt sense of aliveness is available to you whenever you need it. And, spoiler alert: that sense of aliveness activates your worthiness.
Before You Listen
Quick reminder that this guided meditation asks you recall a moment in your life when it felt good to be alive — this memory is the linchpin of today’s practice, so I recommend you have something in mind before you drop in.
This ‘moment’ in question does not have to be earth-shattering! It can be as simple as petting an animal, being in nature, locking eyes with a child, or just feeling ‘present.’
This moment can be as big or as small as you want it to be. It will be effective either way.
Write It Down
Journaling your experience after a meditation like this strengthens the mind/body connection. You’re building new neural pathways by mentally breaking down your physical sensations. This will allow you to drop into your body that much faster next time.
What memory did you use to spark the sensations in your body?
What physical sensations were most pronounced?
Did you notice any resistance to dropping into your body? If so, it’s okay! How did that resistance show up?
A note on resistance: this is often your ego expressing where it’s feeling unsafe. It’s a self-protection method, so there’s no need to get frustrated by it. It shows you where you are needing some softness and grace. Explore it. Where in your body did you feel it? What did it feel like? What were some of the beliefs and phrases that came to mind as you were feeling it?
If you felt resistance, I encourage you to try this meditation again before moving forward to the next one. Stay with the resistance when you feel it and ask it directly what it would feel like to let go. Notice the associated feelings and thoughts that arise when you ask. Allow whatever rises up to be present without judgment. When you have a strong sense of what this resistance is protecting you from, thank it for its service to you and move on to the next meditation with this in mind.
What did your inherent goodness, or the energy you held outside your body, look and feel like?
What did the energy say to you, if it spoke?
What was the belief that came up about yourself? Did you create a mantra?
How do you feel now, compared to how you felt before the meditation?
Do you feel confident that you could memory-recall the felt sensations you experienced here whenever you need a boost? (If not, I recommend trying it again with a different memory to see what comes up).
TAKE THIS WITH YOU
Here’s what I’d like you to try as you move through your day, week, or month:
If you notice yourself feeling triggered, reactive, or stressed-out, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and recall the sensation that you felt during this meditation as you experienced your aliveness. Use the memory you brought up to anchor you back into this feeling.
Can you take a few moments to reconnect to this ‘aliveness’ feeling in your body?
Notice what happens to the stressor when you take a few moments to connect to the aliveness in your body.
Ground yourself in this feeling—it isn’t meant to distract you from the stress, but to anchor and recharge you in a way that makes you feel capable of handling whatever comes at you.