Do you check-in with yourself as many times as you drink water?
Greetings!
In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed a recurring theme of questions around my decisions (big and small)…
“How did you know to do X?”
“What made you do Y?”
“Did you have to think about A before choosing A?”
The answer to all of the questions was some form of, “I checked in with myself…I felt into it…I just knew.”
Their response? Either a look of surprise, confusion or “oh…”
Trust me, I still have my moments of uncertainty, but have come to trust the relationship I have with my self, body because it’s a daily practice. Like they recommend 8 glass of water everyday, I recommend checking in with yourself as many times during the day.
EMBODIED CHECK-IN
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath (if you need more, take as many as you need).
- Ask:
- How am I feeling right now?
- What do I need right now?
- Is there anything my body needs? Wants?
- Listen.
- The form of the answer can vary - a single word, a feeling, a person, a place, etc.
- Hold the space for yourself for the answer to emerge.
- You may need to ask and wait.
- What you do about the answer is up to you.
- Do you honor the request?
- Do you say no?
- Do you ignore the answer because it’s not what you wanted to hear?
- Do you negotiate?
- Do you find the next best thing?
- Do you do some combination of the above?
A word of caution…if you’re not willing to honor it, be prepared. Once you hear the answer and acknowledge the scratch that needs to be itched, it’s going to feel like telling a child that you’re taking them to the toy store or Disneyland. They will keep asking, “When are we going? Are we there yet?” You know they won’t forget until you deliver. Prepare yourself. ;)
I know it might not be feasible to honor a vacation some place warm right now, but I can research and experiment with what I’m really longing for in that request. Do I need rest? Do I need to be somewhere warm? Do I want a fruity cocktail? Do my feet desire to walk in the warm sand? What is really underneath the answer? What are the clues? Follow them - even if you think it won’t lead you to where you want to go or feel you should go.
All jokes aside, it’s a practice of asking, listening and creating a trusting relationship with yourself as often as you’re willing to build it. We are taught to trust others and that they will know us better than we know ourselves. We all desire connection with others and often place that above our own connection. When we ignore our body’s request, we are ignoring ourselves.
If you’re needing a little more adventure, magic or surrender in your life, play with this practice to see what you experience. See what you discover about yourself and the power of deepening a relationship with your body. Keep me posted…I love hearing these kind of enchanted embodiment stories!
In ease and flow,
Ninna Amora
Creator of Live Embodied
