You don’t know what you don’t know.
It’s an interesting thought. It very much applies to our bodies. We don’t feel what we don’t feel. Moving freely, relieving stress, many times requires us to feel our bodies in ways we are not familiar. When we go about it this way, we begin to notice our body actually gives us some clear direction and can give us feedback to take the stress off chronically tight muscles, being emotionally drained and more. Think about it, our bodies know how to do it. But to unlock this wisdom we need to ask the right questions of the body. That in turn will relieve the symptoms, or help you move easily and reshape your body. But for now, most of us, we don’t feel what we don’t feel.
For example, years ago when my shoulders got tight, I was constantly trying to relax them. I would stretch out, try to improve my posture, I would meditate and my shoulders were still tight. I was trying to “fix” it. Sometimes the “fixing” can be stressful in itself, never mind the tight shoulders. Why wasn’t my body simply listening to my direction, RELAX? I have learned the body doesn’t work that way unless you feel it first. A word like relax for the body is not specific enough.
I have found that when I stop to notice, and simply bring attention to the “whole “body, I put that in quotations because many times we isolate one part from the rest, that guarantees that we will only get temporary relief at best. Observe your whole body as well as how you breathe. This will begin to help you feel your body as it is, not how we want it to be. This can be the most challenging. As you bring attention to the whole you may be able to feel specific ways or areas that you work the hardest, and other areas you don’t seem to even feel.
We all want things. Sometimes we will do anything to get them. We are all in search, constantly to feel better. It is better to simply feel, and take what you get and learn from that. Don’t judge it, or fix it. Don’t think you know better and a good stretch will make everything go away. Ask yourself to simply bring attention to your body and observe what you notice. Feel what you feel! This gives the body a chance to reply. What I mean by reply is respond. In our anxious desire to be better, we never listen because as I learned, no one teaches us that process.
That is how you get started each day. Then the amazing body can reply with real information. We don’t use information someone told us will work. We work with the information our body gives us.
For me, when it came to my shoulders, it wasn’t my shoulders, it was much deeper. Eventually I learned to allow the whole body to support them instead of carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Do not underestimate the power of feel. I discovered even small worries were messing with my ability to freely breathe during the day. That set me in a better direction having that information.
The body organizes itself in ways we cannot even comprehend. That doesn’t make it difficult to do but we have to be clear when we would like something to improve to ask the right questions, give ourselves the right cues and then be open for how that can change the whole landscape of your body, feel things you normally don’t feel and know things you didn’t know!
Next blog on how this process even changes your shape, improve muscle tone and help you feel amazing.
The Miracle Ball Method
The miracle is your body