How do I get out of my head and into my body?

“How do I get out of my head and into my body?”

Short answer: When people begin to relate to their bodies as their home, what I notice in my work is a newfound awareness and honesty. That awareness gives us more space to pause and choose how we respond.

Last month, I gave a talk to a group of women entrepreneurs. A woman I met there invited me to share my story for an article. She sent me thirteen questions about my life and work.

When the draft came back, they had done a beautiful job. There was just one word I asked them to change.

They had written, “The body is my true home.”

I had said, “My body is my true home.”

One word. It’s the perfect word to get wrong.

That small correction brought up something I see so often. Many of us relate to our bodies as something separate from ourselves, an object we look at from the outside. We can spend a lot of time thinking about our bodies without really feeling what’s happening inside them.

When people begin to relate to their bodies as their home, what I notice in my work is a newfound awareness and honesty. They’re more in touch with how they really feel.

Sometimes that means feeling more relaxed and enjoying being present. Sometimes what they notice isn’t so pleasant. But even then, they’re in contact with what’s actually happening, and that gives them something to work with.

That awareness gives us more space to pause and choose how we respond.

You might be about to say yes out of habit, then notice how you actually feel about what you’re agreeing to. You have a moment to consider your answer.

Instead of doing the same thing we’ve always done, we can recognize how it’s affecting us and ask what would really help.

That’s why “my” mattered to me. It’s personal. It’s the living body we experience our lives through, and there’s so much to discover when we begin to pay attention. As one of my favorite yoga teachers says, anything we want to achieve must be done through the body.

The interview gave me a chance to talk more about this relationship with our bodies. We also explored how to recognize when we’re carrying too much and find the kind of support that makes a difference.

The practice

Try this: This week, take a few minutes for the stillness practice in the interview. You’ll find it in my answer to question 8.

Read it here: Learning to Listen to the Body

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Sending love,
Wendy

Related letter: How do I stop overthinking and actually move?