How often have you underestimated how long it would take to recover from an injury or illness? Getting really frustrated when it's not as fast as you think it should be.
When it comes to our bodies’ we often want them to function on 'head timing' and not their own natural innate healing timing.
When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis I was totally devastated. I thought it would take a session, then maybe a few months to recover. The reality is it took a lot longer. I mean A LOT longer! Not great as far as my head was concerned but totally wonderful if I step back into the wider perspective of my life.
What I couldn't see in those first few months was that my clever body was actually calling me to a whole new way of working. Calling me work at a greater depth of understanding. Calling me to be more in sync with my own natural rhythms.
My body was not simply asking for relief of a symptom or fixing some area I thought was broken but I was being called to a kinder, more loving relationship with my body and myself. This benefits of this touched into every area of my life.
You don't run outside in winter and yell at the trees for losing their leaves. But how often do you offer the same understanding to your body?
We appreciate that the natural world is in sync with the earth, the moon, the tides and the gentle, natural shifting of the seasons. Connected to a deeper rhythm that is connected to all of life. But somehow when it comes to ourselves or our bodies we want to be in a state of perennial harvest.
Always on
Always go
Always at our best
Always on our game
This is exhausting. Not just for your body but for the deeper parts of yourself that are in natural sync with 'unfolding'.
There are spaces in unfolding. There are natural seasons in unfolding. There is time to shine and get out there and then there are soft gentle times of turning inwards, resting, connecting with the softer parts of ourselves. Allowing time for creativity to unfold. Allowing time for your spirit to unfold. Allowing time for your relationships to unfold.
You wouldn't pull the petals of a flower open because you want it to blossom faster. But with ourselves we seem to expect some ridiculous time frame.
This is when our bodies start yelling at us. And they just get louder and louder. First, they send a feather, then a brick and then a bus. Or in some cases a fleet of buses!! Yelling at us to STOP!
This generally shows up as some sort of crisis. Divorce, bereavement, major health issues, burnout, overreacting or just an incredible feeling of separation. The potential you feel in yourself and for your life is totally not the reality you are living. There's this huge gap and it makes your heart sink, your spirit feel flat and makes getting out of bed in the morning harder and harder.
The old games, the old constructs just simply don't work anymore.
How can you connect with this deeper body-based rhythm of unfolding?
Take time to be still
Time in stillness and silence connects you to yourself. Inner Guidance is soft and subtle and drowned out by the busyness of life and constant mind-talk so it needs time and space to be heard. Meditation, mindfulness or just intentional time in silence can really help you tune in to what your body is saying.
Spend time in nature
Connecting to the natural world connects you back to your own natural rhythms. Even if this is just taking a walk in the park, buying beautiful flowers for your home or scheduling a weekend getaway.
What is your Soul longing for?
We don’t often spend time connecting with our deepest longings. And if you’re harbouring deep feelings of not enoughness or fear that life is against you, then it can be downright painful to connect with our heart’s true longing.
Take some time to get quiet. Spend some time in meditation and then get curious. Listen. Explore. Create. Journal. What is it you’re really longing for?
Create things with your hands
Our hands are an expression of our heart energy. Taking some time to drawing a picture, bake a cake or doing some crafting with the kids are all ways of slowing down and connecting with the energy of heart. Bringing in more balance, more harmony and helping you to connect with gentle energy of creativity and love.
Let go of old baggage
Often by the time you hit your late 30s, early 40s and beyond, your barrel can be a little full.
Stress, trauma, unresolved emotions have been slowly dripping in for years and suddenly your barrel is starting to overflow. The smallest thing can set you off whereas just a few years ago it wouldn’t have bothered you at all.
This is an indication that the body wants to let some stuff go. This can have a profoundly positive effect on physical and emotional wellbeing and with tools like The Journey or BodyTalk is so much easier than you might think.
All of these are simple but powerful ways to connect you back to your natural rhythm and help you live a more connected life.
Because really, slow is fast.
Love
Patti x