As you’re reading this, consider if you let your body lead the way today.
And ponder what that means and how it would look in your life.
Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who was raised to give priority to what their body was telling them.
Rather, those people who raised us would have tried to help us fit in and live up to the expectations of others.
And, this early and consistent pressure to deny our body’s needs and wisdom didn’t even need to be nefarious or unkind.
It could have been as simple as you showing up for school on the first day and your body saying, “Nope.”
And yet, because attending school is just what everyone expects you to do…
It’s what you did, like it or not.
Again, it doesn’t mean going to school was bad.
It’s that in moments like this your body’s communication was denied by your caregiver and that’s how you learned to deny it, too.
Even now, are you sitting somewhere and your body is telling you to get up and move?
Do you push that sensory message down with thoughts of all that you “should” or “have to” do?
You’re not alone.
And because nearly everyone you know is doing it…
This makes it even harder to break from the herd and listen to the wisdom of your body.
Especially when your body’s telling you something that directly contradicts the expectations you and others have of you.
That’s when your Rational Intelligence will jump in to fill the gap with facts, figures, fears, and opinions.
Who’s In Charge?
Now, your Rational Intelligence will give you plenty of evidence for why you need to overlook your body’s voice and it can sound like this: “If you let your body lead you…”
- “You won’t be successful.”
- “You won’t be loved and accepted.”
- “You won’t be safe and secure.”
- “You’ll be seen as a flake and unreliable.”
- “You’ll be seen as weak and lacking willpower.”
- “You’ll be in danger of being called out and having to explain yourself.”
- “You’ll be rejected as a weirdo.”
- “Life will pass you by and you’ll miss your chance to accomplish.”
And on and on.
There’s no end to the data available to shore up your learned pattern of ignoring your body.
Unfortunately, there’s a real cost to this conditioned behavior.
In fact, you may already have noticed the toll it’s taken on your physical health.
It’s likely to have eroded your mental well being, too.
And, no doubt it has overburdened your nervous system.
Your Rational Intelligence will tell you that all those aches, pains, stresses, fears, doubt, and uncertainty are ‘normal.’
“That’s just what happens to people who achieve success.”
Oh and by the way, all those superhuman successful people don’t let any of it slow them down or stop them.
They push through…
And so should you.
Reverse Course
So, how do you reverse decades, or even a lifetime of conditioning?
What’s required is a leap of trust…
That somewhere within you a reservoir of wisdom resides…
Quiet and still…
Like a mineral-rich, underground lake, deep within a cavern of silence.
And that this space within you is your birthright.
It’s the source of a powerful wisdom that guides you in exactly the direction that’s correct for you.
Because weirdly, it knows the past, the present…
And even, the future.
Your First Five
While it’s not going to be easy at first to shift from the training you’ve accepted and believed in all these years…
It can be as simple as consciously creating a time frame in which you’ll do only that which your body tells you to do.
Perhaps this sounds and feels heretical, dangerous even.
Well actually, that’s because it is.
Letting your body lead you is one of the most revolutionary things you can do in a world where the Rational Intelligence is worshipped and revered as the correct source of all decision-making.
It requires reconnecting your awareness to your Sensory Intelligence.
So, start small.
Take a morning when you don’t already have a schedule crammed with obligations.
Take 5 minutes, if that’s all that seems available to you and explore this exercise:
Start with the instant you open your eyes and write down the answers to these questions:
- What do you see?
- What do you hear?
- What do you smell?
- What physical sensations do you feel?
- Where are you in time?
- Where are you in space?
- Are you hungry?
- Are you thirsty?
- Does your body want to move or be still?
Notice what your body is telling you and only act in agreement with what it’s saying.
Also notice where you feel resistance to only following what your body is communicating.
Kind Curiosity Is Enough
For example, if your body says it wants to stay still but you’ve been taught that responsible/successful/respectable people get right up and start their day, notice any thoughts pressuring you to ignore the feeling of wanting to be still.
Surprisingly, you don’t have to actually change WHAT you do…
Rather, change HOW you’re viewing your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Experiment with holding Kind Curiosity toward yourself, both the part of you that asks you to stay in bed as well as the part that says you “SHOULD” get moving.
There’s no need to use force in either direction.
Don’t force yourself to stay in bed.
And don’t force yourself to get out of it, either.
Observe yourself.
Recognize the voices of the past that have taught you that it’s safer, better, smarter, or responsible to ignore your body.
Recognize the wise voice of your body that’s letting you know what it needs.
Allow them both to exist at the same time without judgment, blame, or shame.
And then, when you either stay in or get out of bed, be willing to release any inner criticism.
Because the act of simply being present to all the voices within is enough.
I promise you that even 5 minutes of this sensory awareness exercise will create spaciousness within you.
And then, the next day you can play with giving yourself 10 minutes.
And so on, and so on.
The Human Design Connection
There’s an element of the Human Design System called your Authority.
And this part of you is the wisest place within you for making decisions.
Learning your Human Design chart, in particular your Authority, is key to living your life fully, as you’re meant to.
Now, there are 7 different types of Authority and each one has its own way of operating.
Yet, no matter what your Authority, it’s your true source of wisdom.
Fortunately, you can reclaim that reservoir of wisdom deep within that is your birthright and restore your vitality and well being with these simple steps:
- Reconnect your awareness to your Sensory Intelligence.
- Learn your Human Design.
- Live your Human Design.
- Love your Human Design.
And as you do, you live more fully and freely as yourself.