You're so much more than just your mind

Many of us naturally retreat into our heads, into research and analysis, when things go wrong, when deciding what to do next, or just spend all our time in our minds out of habit.

It’s not that surprising when so many of us spent ages 5-22 in schools mostly immobilized at desks with brief breaks for movement, being fed ideas and “food for thought” like they would sustain us. Treated like brains in jars, treated like bodies of all ages *don’t* thrive with constant movement, especially in youth.

Analyzing a situation is seen as reasonable and responsible, and analysis is touted as the best way to solve problems. For that matter, being reasonable (using the mental faculty of reason) is generally seen as far preferable to being emotional or acting on intuition.

But being a human is much more than just the mind, much more than just thinking. You’re a human being. Who are you when you just be?

My adult life has included a long journey back to listening to my body. First I had to be convinced that listening to my body was worth doing, that she was someone: my ally, my true self, rather than an inconvenient “thing” I had to ignore, “whip into shape,” and override for academic, athletic, and business success.

Then I had a lot to learn, but more importantly, a lot to EXPERIENCE, to reconnect with my intuition and my inner body-based wisdom. Personal wisdom each of us carries that cannot be taught or transmitted, only heeded or ignored. Look, your life will feel flourishing or stagnant in direct proportion to how much you live from what you most value deep down.

I was fortunate to have many teachers who helped me greatly. But “teachers” implies a classroom, and a hierarchy. I suppose they were guides or facilitators. I learned over Zoom, encouraged to move, breathe, and make sound in whatever ways my body was asking for. Encouraged to dance, drink water, hold pillows, wear blankets, or take walks to integrate the sessions. To relate to painful memories as tensions my body held instead of something to suppress or dissect endlessly through conversation.

Living from my whole, embodied self (instead of from endless analysis) has saved my life. I couldn’t go on as I was before. It’s transformed my experience of being a human so thoroughly that I now love to guide and facilitate others through this same transformation through my 1:1 coaching and articles.

The simplest starting point—bridge between mind and body—is values. My free Step One guide makes it easy to identify yours: https://subscribepage.io/stepone

Left/top image: @raminnazer – click/tap image for original post link
Right/bottom image: @animamundiherbals – click/tap image for original post link