Body Talk -
Body, Mind and Spirit 

How often has your body said not to do something,
but you went ahead anyway and everything went wrong?

Perhaps you fell in love against your better judgment and then felt bad because you couldn’t make the relationship work.

Or you stayed at a job because you were afraid of not finding employment elsewhere even though you were unhappy.

These kinds of thoughts can diminish your health.

Ten years ago my 21-year-old daughter Penny, developed multiple cataracts in both eyes. The leading ophthalmology center in Illinois said surgery wasn’t an option. They suggested she learn Braille before she went totally blind.

I didn’t accept their opinion because, somewhere deep inside my body, I knew they were wrong. My daughter lost her eyesight only when she was in crisis. When I asked the doctors if there might be a relationship between her loss of sigh and a panic attack, she’d had three or four days previously, they looked bewildered. “Emotions don’t have anything to do with vision,” the doctor declared.

Stress was causing my daughter’s eye problems. Penny’s body was trying to tell her something, but she wasn’t listening. Today Penny can see well enough to read and live a normal life.

Your body knows what’s right or wrong for you. Taking the time to listen to your body may save you from getting sick. One way to listen to your body is to pay attention to the way you breathe. Your breathing can reveal many secrets to you. It can also tell you when you should say yes or no.

Close your eyes, breathe evenly and slowly. Think about the person who upsets you the most. Pay attention to the way your body reacts: stomachache, neck pain, stiffness in the joints, etc. This is your no answer.

Open your eyes and let go of that individual. Then close your eyes and envision the person who makes you feel loved. Note how your body reacts: lightness, relief, a sense of freedom in your chest, etc. This is your yes answer.

Now close your eyes and concentrate totally on your breathing. Think of your breath as a road you’re traveling on. Is the road smooth or bumpy? Easy or difficult? Note which direction of breathing is easiest, the inhalation or the exhalation.

Inhalation represents how you receive new thoughts. A rough or bumpy inhalation can show resistance or impatience to ideas different from yoru own, or fear of change.

Exhalation represents how well you release people and old habits. A short or difficult exhalation may indicate fear of letting go, or the desire to hold on to people and objects long after they’re useful.

Focusing on the way your body inhales can help you make decision, pinpoint the right relationship for you, or simply tell you whose advice to follow. Your breathing can teach you more about yourself than any outside source of information.

A good therapeutic technique to help you achieve balance is to inhale to the count of six, hold your breath for a count of three, exhale for a count of six. And do nothing for a count of three. Repeat this exercise six times.

If you don’t love yourself or feel loved, you may not be able to get your breath beyond your chest. The chest area represents love; an inability to get past the chest suggests blockages to your self-love.

You can try to extend your breath by visualizing your inhalation flowing past your throat, chest, stomach, elimination areas and legs. The inability to get your breath to the elimination or reproductive areas may be because of a relationship or situation that you can’t stomach or release.

The inability to get your breath to flow further down your body and legs may indicate a deep-seating feeling of not getting anywhere, or not being in command of your life.

You can learn how your body reacts to your thoughts by just closing your eyes and tuning into your breathing.

To keep your mind from straying, just affirm that this time is reserved for getting in touch with your body; tell yourself that anything else can wait till you’re done. Don’t allow your mind to think of anything but completing your exercise. As you do so, notice how relaxed your body begins to feel.