For most of my 57 years I have been classified as an intense worrier and chronic over thinker – to the detriment of my mental and physical wellbeing. Is that where my auto-immune disorder came from? Maybe.
I was always in my head, and you wouldn’t describe me as a heart-centered person. Not being heart-centered doesn’t meant I didn’t give or receive love, it just meant that I didn’t feel or lead from the heart in my daily life – or make major decisions – all decisions had to be rationalized and scrutinized and mulled over again and again in my thinking mind.
I hit a major wall in my life that firmly closed the door on my heart back in 2012 when both my parents passed away at the same time (in their 80’s), my significant relationship ended, moved to a new city with my little girls… and I just started my coaching biz – all within 6 months of each other. I decided I was never going to be vulnerable again!
In 2019 that all shifted for me when I went to Costa Rica and embarked on a journey out of self-loathing and horrible self judgement – and into self-awareness, self-acceptance and eventual self-love. It all started with a surprise experience at a retreat center for plant medicine – Ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic – which I had no idea! Duh!
It was the first time I moved from my mind into my body and my heart, and it felt soooo good!
Read more about my story here…
My Healing Journey
It was awful. On my hands and knees, my head in a bucket, barfing my guts out. Did they poison us? They must have. Trying to lift my head out of the bucket was an impossible task, soon to leave me with a dent in the middle of my forehead. My badge of honour? ...
It’s now 2024 and the journey to lead from the heart and body in duality with my head (they are a team now!) has been like a wild roller coaster ride! I was determined to stay on the ride.
It wasn’t easy but it was so worth it. My brain was so thankful to take a break! My heart was bursting with the chance to finally feel again. My body started to feel again.
I want to share an amazing exercise with you to move your over-thinking mind into more joy and happiness by accessing your heart and body’s wisdom and give it a voice at the table.
You can do this alone or with someone – if you do this with another person, take turns guiding each other in this process.
It’s called BODY WISDOM
1. Feel into your Body: Close your eyes and breathe into your heart and body (if you don’t know how to access that, just breathe slowly and deeply 3-4 times). Try to visualize your heart expanding and contracting with each breath and air travelling throughout your body.
2. Tap into the Wisdom of your Body: Your body is all knowing but for most of us we don’t listen.
3. Ask this question: Body if you could talk, what do you want me to know? Just lean in and listen to your body tell you how it’s feeling, what it needs from you in this moment. If your mind gets in the way, don’t worry, just do some more deep breathing and practice learning to listen.
You might hear things like:
-
- I am tired and I need you to take care of me
- I love you
- You are amazing and thank you for everything that you do for me
- Please, I need to be heard and loved more.
- I want to feel again
- I am getting older, and I know it’s hard for you to accept, but I’ve been with you every step of the way
- Please nourish me with fresh water and healthy food
- You are doing such a great job in our life; I am so proud of you.
- We got this! Keep doing what you are doing!
Do this 4-5 times and each time go deeper and listen more intently. If you are doing this with a partner, switch after every round.
The first time I did this exercise, I was resistant, which told me there was something healing in this for me. Behind any trigger is an opportunity or healing. Triggers are wonderful because it’s your bodies way of telling you something is off and needs help. Most people are triggered by triggers but with practice, you will learn to embrace them.
Once you are done, you can journal the Wisdom your Body shared with you.
This can be done a few times a week or daily.
Let me know how you do!
I did this exercise at the Soul Journey Retreat and all the participants shifted from head to heart and expanded into self-acceptance and self -love.
Here is what the retreat was all about: stay tuned for the next one!….
What a retreat with me helps you do
You might already know that I am hosting a retreat in Costa Rica next month. It’s not my usual business retreats that I have done in the past – it is a retreat that is way more important than that. This retreat is for YOU. I know this is challenging, to focus solely...
I guarantee that if you slip out of your overthinking brain and feel into the wisdom of the body, your over thinking will subside – because you will be connected to your intuition, you will hear the truth from the body and not the stories your head tells you.
If you are ready to get out of over-thinking and expand into your heart and make life decisions as a head-heart-body team, drop me a note and let’s see if I can support you.
It’s time to give your brain a break and seek out deeper connections within yourself and with life around you.