Listening to Your Body

There was a time when all of us had a very good relationship with our body. When we were babies and experienced hunger, cold or exhaustion, we’d wail so someone would take care of our needs. 

Now though, when we are hungry, tired or cold, we’ll push our bodies beyond their limit. We are good at ignoring the language of our bodies, that is until they begin screaming out in pain. 

As a yoga instructor, I begin each class with five minutes of being still. Whether lying down or sitting does not matter. What matters most is that everyone finds a comfortable position to be in for that length of time. 

I also ask that if everyone feels okay with the idea of closing their eyes to do so. With eyes closed and in a comfortable position we make interior inventory possible. An interior inventory is simply noticing our breath, our mood, and places in our body where we hold unnecessary tension.

Starting my yoga class in this way helps everyone to begin noticing how a particular asana or position feels to them. The more everyone is aware of how their own bodies are feeling, the better they can take care of their needs during their practice. 

For example, when sitting on the floor and folding at the hip hinge in order to move into a seated forward fold, I will suggest to those whose hamstrings are tight, to put a block under their knees. Keeping straight legs is not going to work for them. 

Participants sometimes resist the accommodations I suggest telling me that they want to be able to do the pose without any help. I understand. When I first started practicing yoga I had the same frame of mind. I only wanted my body to do what I wanted it to do!

But, the longer I practiced yoga, the more I realized the benefits of making adjustments for my body. Whether using a block to steady me in a balanced pose, or by not expecting myself to look like some model in a yoga magazine, my body eventually began to be more at ease with what I was asking it to do in my yoga practice. 

Yoga has helped my body, mind and breath to work in unison. But you don’t have to practice yoga for this to happen.

Bringing our body, mind and breath together in one place at the same time instead of all three working separately and apart from each other is a matter of paying attention, tuning in and being conscious as much as possible.

When sitting at our desk, typing away on our computers, as so many of us do today, the moment we become conscious, we’ll sit up a little taller, breathe a little deeper and release the tension in our shoulders. 

The moment we become alert to our bodies while driving, we’ll sit up a little taller, breathe a little deeper and release the tension in our shoulders. 

We’ll do the same whether we are running, swimming, walking, eating, building a house, standing up in front of an audience, or doing the dishes. The more conscious we become, the more we become conscious.  

Why Bother?

Why bother listening to our body? Our bodies do have something to tell us and they begin telling us long before they have to scream at us.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.