Your Body is Speaking, Are you Listening?
Busy, busy, running, running. That is our world today for many of us. We are deep in the energy of doing each and every day with not much time left for being. A healthy life is all about balance which in Traditional Chinese Medicine is known as the harmony of the yin and the yang. If the body is only experiencing yang (or yin) energy all day, then disharmony is certain.
A wonderful way to find this balance and support a harmonious life is to become silent, allow yourself to slow down and breath. The answers your seek to support a more balanced lifestyle can't happen in a constant state of go, go, go. I invite you to try that now, close your eyes, let your focus go inward and simply watch your breath. Take a few moments to listen to your body. What is it saying to you? What does your body, mind and spirit need now? Not what you think it needs, but what it says it needs. Only in the stillness and silence can we hear this inner voice that is drowned out in the "busyness" of everyday life.
Now, some people have said to me that they find it very difficult to slow down and meditate. Their mind is always on go. Do you relate? So, here are some possible creative ways to invite in a sense of balance into your life. Feel free to try them individually or in combination with one another.
Take a moment to simply follow an impulse and let your body move however it would like to. Much that the body wants to say is not verbal, it is sensed and felt within it. Let it express itself. This can be little movements like with the hands only or bigger movements involving the whole body. Just let yourself honour whatever comes up. It isn't about preparing a presentation for others, it is about listening and checking in with what seems resonate and truthful to you.
Grab a piece of paper and some colouring instruments (crayons, acrylics, paint, pencils, etc.) and take a moment to sit and acknowledge the blank paper in front of you. Ask yourself something like what is resonating in my heart, my gut or my feet now? Let yourself simple put colour to paper and draw. Let your hand move on the paper and work with the energy within you. Trust what appears is what is needed. Let yourself work in the abstract. And, like the above suggestion, this isn't about drawing a Picasso for display. This is about honouring yourself and what feels real to you.
Get a pen and some paper or a journal, if you have one, and simply begin to write in a stream-of-consciousness way (like in the book the Artist's Way). Let whatever comes flow onto the page. Let your mind clear out on the page for 10-15 minutes or 3 pages, whatever comes first. Don't stop until you have competed the time frame and/or 3pages and if that means writing the same thing for the whole time so be it. Allow yourself to purge out all the stuff stuck in the head. Write for the simple joy of writing to release.
All of the above suggestions, help you move through the stuck energy and into the creative flow of life, which is the juice that sweetens the river of life. These ideas invite you to be more attentive to your body, mind and spirit, thus giving yourself a chance to check in to what is really important to you. All our "doing" isn't a bad thing, but unconsciously running around is exhausting. Fill your well with a little silence and your creative spirit and let the juices flow again.
