What is your relationship to your body like?
How long does it take for you to notice what it needs?
There are so many distractions around us with modern technology. It’s easy to get so absorbed in them that we lose awareness of our body’s signals. Or we might purposely distract ourselves to avoid those signals.
I used to have stomach aches everyday. Doctors said my tests looked normal. I tried many things that didn’t help. It seemed like nothing would…except distraction. I found I could get so lost in tv that I wouldn’t be aware of the discomfort for a period of time. This developed into a habit at a young age. It’s still tempting to lose myself in tv in the face of discomfort, whether physical or emotional.
In our modern society, there is often a divide between mind and body. There is the pressure to perform in academics and career, prioritizing productivity and external measures of “success”. This comes first for most of us. When we are busy with this, maintaining a healthy relationship with our bodies quickly goes to the bottom of the to-do list.
And when we do find time and energy to invest in our health, the societal pressure is focused on looking “good” (by conventional beauty standards) not feeling good. And there is no shortage of health and fitness experts telling us exactly what to do. When taking this advice as instructions to follow closely, you might lose weight, you might gain muscle, and you also might alienate yourself from your body even more or even physically harm it.
Often instructions for how to be healthy involve pushing through with pure willpower even if your body is saying something else. Many diets prescribe a limited amount of calories to eat, regardless of how hungry you are. Intense workout routines might push you to ignore your burning muscles to the point of overexertion. These prescriptive, rule-based routines that are supposed to be healthy ironically have the potential to move you further away from a healthy relationship with your body because they are missing one key part, body awareness.
That’s why, as a coach, I consistently remind my clients to check in with their bodies. This is not about avoiding anything that feels unpleasant. In fact, it’s important to face discomfort. It’s good to push yourself past your comfort zone, little by little. That’s how we grow and get stronger. AND as we do this, it’s important to listen to our bodies’ cues.
Is this uncomfortable or is this painful?
Is this helpful or is this harmful?
It is also true that things don’t always need to be uncomfortable and challenging to be healthy. You can eat healthy food that tastes good. You can move in an enjoyable way that strengthens your body.
This week’s episode of Creative Life is all about Embodied Practices. These practices can do far more than change the number on the scale.
Embodiment means being present and aware in your body. It involves listening to your body’s signals, moving in enjoyable ways, and releasing stuck emotions through practices like mindful dance, stretching, singing, and more.
Practicing body-awareness has numerous benefits including:
Improved emotional regulation and processing challenging emotions
Heightened intuition
Increased awareness of your body’s needs
Greater ease in taking aligned action toward your goals
Improved physical health and pain relief
Greater sense of grounding and presence
Expanded self-awareness, self-love, and self-trust
Listen to this week’s episode of Creative Life, to explore the benefits of embodiment practices and learn actionable tips for creating an embodied routine personalized to your needs. There’s even a guided exercise to get you started.
Your body has a lot to say to you. When you develop a trusting relationship with it, when you work together rather than fighting against it, what might change for you?
On February 24th at 11am Eastern, I’m hosting a free workshop on creating an embodied morning routine aligned with your needs.
Starting your day with mindfulness, movement, and self-care sets you up for success. In this workshop, you’ll assess your current routine and explore practices to make it more nourishing and attuned to your mind-body wisdom.
The result will be a customized morning flow leaving you focused, energized, and grounded. Save your seat for the workshop here to create your perfect embodied morning routine.
In addition to checking out my podcast and workshop, you can also schedule a free call here for a taste of what creative life coaching can do for you.
Signing Off,
Erika Lewis
Creative Life Coach
Embodied Life Creation 