Interpreting the feedback from your body.
Throughout my years of teaching, I’ve valued the feedback from those in my classes. It’s been gratifying to witness the transformation—from the initial apprehension and tension some students bring to class, often accompanied by neck, shoulder, or back pain, to the end of the session where they express surprise at the disappearance of their discomfort. They not only experience relief but also find joy in the process. It’s a profound change, one that often leaves them asking “How do I do this again, I don’t know what happened?”
This sense of accomplishment is deeply rewarding, and it’s what led me down this path in the first place. Wanting everyone to be able to “do it again” and “know what happened” has been and continues to be my mission. In order to “do it again” you have to recognize your body is giving you feedback when you do the method, and how you respond to that makes all the difference.
But there’s more.
While many people appreciate the physical sensations that arise using the Miracle Ball Method—such as the feeling on the ball—there’s so much more. I cherish the miracle that occurs when we follow the instructions, surrender to the experience, and allow ourselves to rest while feeling the weight of our body and our breathing.
However, there’s an even deeper layer to explore. Perhaps I’ve dwelled longer on this aspect than most, but I’ve come to understand the significance of the instructions through personal experience. It took me at least a decade of grappling with chronic pain to truly comprehend what I was doing. The fear of the pain’s return, coupled with a lack of understanding its origins, left me feeling helpless and controlled. Yet the relief was so tantalizing, impactful and profound I couldn’t ignore that my body was leading me in ways no one had explained well enough for me to feel confident in my outcome. I knew something was going on and having spent countless hours a language developed. This was the feedback from my own body. But I had to put a language in order to find directions that worked.
“You only have two options with the body, to stay stuck or to allow your body to change. Intimately knowing the difference between the two is freedom.”
The Classes
In our classes, I often find myself emphasizing that there’s much more to the process, yet you needn’t make drastic changes in what you are doing. The subtle shifts that occur when you experience the soothing effects of the balls can be easily overlooked yet in those lie your body feedback. This can be a dialogue between you and your body, that improves the way you feel and move throughout your life.
The great feeling you have on the ball can include acknowledging specific responses from your body. They are not arbitrary, or simply relaxing muscles, they are taking you in a direction. If you linger longer, you can begin to put a language to what you are experiencing. This is a language of physical feelings. Your body never stops giving you feedback. Everyone is getting feedback all the time, but if you don’t understand or simply find the language, we can misinterpret what it is means and how to respond.
The concepts of release, relaxation, and letting go which are everywhere in the marketplace beg for clarity. They are very general. Those are the results of what you are doing and more of an emotional need. To get there is a different process. The great feeling of relaxation, releasing and letting go needs a physical direction that our body understands. Our body wants to take you from the protective, fearful, and historically entrenched patterns that dictate our movements. But it can’t do that if you are unclear of what you are doing. And, if you don’t have a language that your body will understand, it remains stuck.
For example, taking a ride in a car.
There are three parts to doing the method in every hour you spend or any moment, it’s always the same.
- Sense what you are doing
- Linger with it longer for feedback from your body.
- Add cues or directions to your body
Your approach shapes the outcome; by allowing your body to guide the process, you facilitate meaningful change.
It’s a simple process, really. Yet many of us find ourselves on the wrong path, searching in the wrong direction. Directions determine outcome. Its as simple as taking a drive to a restaurant. But you have the wrong directions. You are driving around in circles and continue to follow the wrong direction. What could have been a five-minute ride might take an hour. It is that aspect of giving yourself directions not to complicate, but for clarity.
While driving in the car with bad directions you might become upset, frustrated, angry, and ask “what is going on here?”. Its similar with our body but we have to realize we can get emotional with the body, frustrated, but ultimately our body is listening. We have to give it the right directions. They are not difficult but very specific. They will help you get the feedback your body is craving to give you.
That incredible feeling you experience is a testament to the fact that you’ve ventured beyond what’s familiar. Even if it begins with discomfort or pain, it’s a sign that you’re on the cusp of transformation.