When in Doubt, Feel the Body

Sept. 4, 2017

One of the first lessons I learned when beginning my own personal journey to self-awareness was this, "When in doubt, feel the body." Let me explain, I had been doubting myself for my entire life...I don't know when or why it began exactly, but at some point I started to question my inner wisdom...or as it's more commonly referred to: my intuition, my gut instinct, my truth. 

You know sometimes when you are making a decision and something just doesn't feel right? You might feel a knot in your stomach or a weight in your chest or even just a shortness of breath... however it manifests, it's uncomfortable. Discomfort is your body telling you that something isn't right. All too often we lead with our intellect. Our decisions rely heavily on us weighing out pros and cons, considering what others might think, wondering how that will fit into the story we have told ourselves of how things ought to turn out. Well, if you're like I was, you rely solely on this form of decision-making. But there is so much more to us, to life, than intellect...

Yes, we feel heaviness in the chest and our throat feels tight, but we ignore these signals. I know I did. Sometimes they become so intense that it's almost unbearable, so we dull them by covering them up with band-aids (drugs, alcohol, money, vacations, relationships, etc.), but the truth comes to surface every now and then. It always does...and we wonder why we feel so stuck, empty, lost, sad. 

When you aren't doing things based on what aligns with your truth, then you will ultimately always feel abandoned...by yourself. You can not ignore discomfort. You can not reason your way out of what is true. You can not figure out a better way than the way that is meant for you. The only way to find this is through feeling the discomfort that your body so lovingly provides you. Listen...incessantly. Do not abandon your inner wisdom. Thank the tiny pinches of sensation that come and ask yourself...why? Why am I feeling so anxious? Why am I feeling so guilty? Why am I going down a road that I know I don't want to? Then, listen carefully to the voice that arises. "Because this isn't working, this isn't right, this isn't truth, this isn't love." These are all things that I heard from my gut once I gave it room to speak. I had been so trained to question my truth that the only thing I could do was feel my bodily sensations in order to gain back the connection that had been lost within. This was the first step I had to take on my path to realign my life. When will you take yours? Remember, you are wiser than you know. 

Big love,

Leah Morris