Is it possible to really talk to our bodies? Will it listen and does it make any difference at all? My answer would be “it depends”. If it is a one-way conversation then I say “no”. If it is a two-way conversation then I say “yes”.
Our bodies are just like any other person who we have a conversation with. People respond to kindness, love, appreciation, forgiveness, gratitude, and full attention and listening. These qualities are the hallmark of a successful personal interaction and almost always result in mutual understanding and positive outcomes.
Listen To Your Body
My experience tells me that the first step to successfully talking to our bodies is to first listen to them. The body has millions of feedback loops which enable it to talk to itself.
A common definition of a feedback loop is “Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to feed back into itself.”
This is the miracle of the body’s ability to heal itself. This constant feedback is a self-adjusting mechanism that if co-operated with will keep the body in balance and heal it when it goes out of balance. This is where listening comes in and is the first step in successfully talking to the body.
It would seem like it is a natural thing to listen to our bodies and perhaps it is. However, due to a number of factors, particularly stress, we don’t always listen to our bodies.
During acute and chronic stress we tend to disconnect from our bodies as a way of coping with the situation. Chronic stress can last for years which means we can be disconnected for years. This disconnection results in a communication breakdown with our bodies. Those feedback loops that are constantly giving us needed information about what our bodies require are ignored. Cooperation breaks down and there is no one to steer the ship. We know when this happens the body begins to breakdown physically, mentally, and emotionally. We need to take steps to correct this.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation specifically focuses our attention on our bodies in the present moment with the purpose of reconnecting and reestablishing the flow of information from the feedback loops to us.
Once that flow of information is re-established, we can then cooperate once again with our bodies and make decisions that will benefit our health and wellness. At that point, we are listening to our bodies speaking to us. Not necessarily with words but mostly in nonverbal communication. Call it intuition or insight but it is the way the body speaks most clearly.
Once we start listening to our bodies, we can begin to have a conversation. We can ask questions, make requests, and generally tend to our needs. The body will listen to us because we are listening to it.
When we talk to the body either in words or feelings, we should talk with kindness, love, appreciation, forgiveness, gratitude, and full attention.
These simple steps will make it possible to heal our bodies by talking and listening to it.
- Practice focusing attention on the body, thoughts, and emotions as they are in the present moment.
- Listen carefully to the signals the body is sending to us about how to care for it.
- Act on those signals and take steps to provide the necessary care.
- Fine tune by talking verbally or non-verbally to the body by asking questions and making requests. These questions and requests will set up a positive flow of energy between you and your body and will lead to good health.
The body wants to talk and feel cared for. All healing and good health begin with this ability to converse with the body.
