In an effort to make the “right” choices regarding our bodies, eating, exercise and health we can feel bombarded by “the experts.” This can be especially confusing when these experts offer conflicting advice.
Have you ever considered what can happen when you connect to the “expert within?” “Who is that?”, you may ask yourself. You are that expert! You and your body truly have the information and wisdom you need to make the right choices for you.
So, take a [private_membership circle] breath or more in this moment and connect to your body’s sensations. Position yourself in a space of comfort, with eyes open or closed. What do you notice? Where do you notice the sensations in your body? Is your judgment voice commenting or criticizing? Is she telling you this is ridiculous? What do you notice about what you truly desire…in this moment? In your life?
The more intimately you connect with your body’s authentic desires the more able you will be to make the right choices for you; the healthy choices for you and your body. When you master the art of your body’s knowing you will gain greater clarity. You will be able to integrate what you hear and read from others as you play with listening to your body’s internal voices, acting on the information and noticing how you and your body respond. Are you experiencing pleasure responses or uncomfortable or even painful reactions. Do you want more? Do you want something different? Do you want to stop? Listen to your physical body, your emotional body, and mental body. Notice any chatter, such as the eating disorder voice or the critical judgment voice, that may be interfering with receiving messages from your bodies. This practice can strengthen your internal expert!
You can apply this practice to many issues…food, eating, exercise. Experiment with the practice and let your bodies tell you how this can be of help to you! Accessing the expert within your body is a practice that can be mastered.
You will become aware of innumerable possibilities each day.
For example, during one of my meetings with a client I’ll call Martha she expressed a strong desire for tuna fish. When I asked her if her head was craving the tuna or her body she looked at me perplexed. “I don’t know”, she replied with confusion. This was not a question she had ever entertained.
We talked about going to the supermarket and getting tuna fish. I suggested she notice how she reacts to the smell, texture, sensation and taste of the tuna. I assured her that she would get the information she needed to answer the question. She felt dubious. This process was foreign to her.
When we met the following week she laughed and told me her body did not want tuna at all. After she tasted it she did not feel excited or satisfied. She felt surprised at her reaction and she decided to play with this process.
Over the weekend she had a strong desire to lie on the couch and watch movies. She was recovering from a stressful and physically and emotionally exhausting week. Despite her left brain chatter which was telling her she is lazy and nonproductive and she needs to “do something”, she decided to override the messages and notice how spending the day on the couch with movies would feel to her. The next day she woke feeling energized and relaxed and felt her choice of behavior really satisfied her authentic desires.
As your bodies “truths” emerge you will discover more pleasure and joy in your body and your life. Increase this awareness by listening to your body’s feelings and sensations and acting on them whenever possible. Your body is communicating messages to you all the time. Please approach this process playfully, like a game. Your body’s feelings and sensations may have been hiding for some time. Now you can seek them out.
Robin Okun, LMSW, is a certified Nia Instructor, Movement Therapist, Center for Eating Disorders, Director of Mindful Movement Studio, Ann Arbor, MI, 734-395-2624, robinokun@gmail.com
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