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.

Now expand your consciousness by asking yourself which side of your body feels lighter, freer and less heavy.
    
The lighter side is the one that you work with easiest, whereas the darker side is the area where you experience the greatest conflicts.

• The right side represents the intuitive self.
• The left side represents the analytical self.
• The lighter places of your body represent your power spots.
• The darker areas of your body represent your fears and blockages.

If you’re aware that only parts of your right side are lighter, it may be because you are:

1. not completely aware of the depth of your emotions
2. afraid of connecting with your feelings
3. confused.
   

The left side dark sports might be because you can’t:

1. release a job you’re not feeling satisfied with
2. release past hurts
3. put aside old belief patterns
   

The more you become sensitive to your light and dark areas, the more you’ll understand why certain illnesses attack your body.

Many intuitive counselors perceive the energy field around the right shoulder of a client as holding the past events of this lifetime, past lives, and the energy of loved ones who have passed on.

These intuitive counselors will often peruse the energy around the left side of the client for all future possibilities, and the area directly above the head for the current situation.

Most of us walk around doubting the veracity of our feelings. We don’t value our hunches unless we get physical proof. Everyone is born with the ability to sense danger, feel love, know when something is wrong – these abilities tend to diminish if a child cannot handle all the incoming data. If the parents are fighting or angry, the child will shut down his or her senses. As the child enters formal education, he or she abandons more of the inner feelings to blend in with the school system.

Teenagers are notorious followers of trends, losing even more of their self-trust to become one of the crowd. By the time the child reaches adulthood, he or she is fearful of the ridicule lavished upon those who are “different.”

You can free your mind by stepping out of the rut and asking yourself some questions:

• Are my feelings hurt?
• Am I getting frightened?
• Do I feel I’m being manipulated?
  

Whenever your heart is feeling unpleasant sensations, you can be sure whatever you’re hearing or thinking needs further clarification. Learn to trust your feelings. If someone is giving you correct information, you’ll have a warm feeling inside your heart area. When the information is incorrect, you’ll feel a discomfort over the forehead.

Successful business people have always known how to use their ‘gut feelings'. They intuitively know within the first five minutes if they should hire a person. They rarely know how the process works, only that it does.
High-earning salespeople usually experience inner signals when their prospective clients are ready to sign a contract.

Mothers throughout time have spoken of an inner signal that lets them know whenever their children need them.

The more our sixth sense is used, the more reliable it becomes.

However, when the physical mind is contradicting the inner mind, there’s a great sense of loneliness and a feeling of being trapped within the emotions:

“I should have taken that job.”

“I knew that person wasn’t good for me.”

“My heart told me not to go that way.”

Separation from the inner voice creates an imbalance in the physical body, increasing one’s frustrations and fears. This can often lead to illness.

You body knows what’s right or wrong for you better than anyone else. So listen to what your breathing is trying to tell you. The next time your body talks, check out the facts and trust your inner wisdom.