When to NOT listen to your body!

Today's Nia tidbit is about listening to the body, and reading it's subtle sensations with greater clarity. After 10 years of teaching people to listen to their body, I never thought I would be saying to use that as information to step into what the body doesn't want to do- till today.

I have noticed from experience, and from listening to countless others talk about how easy it is to get "out of the habit" of doing those things that we wish we were doing-that our bodies can trick us! Sometimes the signal of what the body needs is mixed up with what it wants. Like a petulant child, there are times my body want things that are not "good" for me! This has become my new signal that tells me I need to listen to my mind ( in Nia we call this me the Conscious Personal Trainer) for the time being and do that which it is I am feeling resistant too.

The body does need time to be still. The nervous system and brain gain strength by simply being. Not watching tv, not reading, not making a list, not meditating. Just being. This is evident if you watch a child or infant as they go through cycles in the day. There are intermittent periods where they just appear to be doing nothing, maybe staring into space daydreaming, or gently rocking. This is like re-booting a computer to the brain and nervous system.

On the other end of the spectrum, the body and mind also benefit greatly from everyday movement and I do believe for most of us, this is the end of the spectrum that needs tending too. The body is designed to be moving in lots of different ways, daily. If you have an injury or are healing from a disease, than it's even more important to move, and to bring "stillness of the mind" to the movement of the body. Think smaller, slower and less exertion, but still moving.

Truthful moment here, how much time during every day do you spend either fully doing "nothing", OR moving physically in a strenuous enough pace to break a sweat? For 99% of people, it is more of these activities ( which are energy plus activities) and less time doing activities that steal our energy ( like tv, computers, poor time management, etc.) Another option is to move while having inner stillness, this would be being fully engaged in whatever it is you are doing. Not thinking about anything except what it is your are experiencing in the moment as your body moves.

When our energy is "freed up" we have more time, we have more ability to choose what we want to do and we do it, we feel more positive, and we feel more in control and hopeful.

At first this can feel like it takes a tremendous effort, you are stretching your capacity! Step into that resistance, do more of what your body doesn't "want " to do, and see what you have to gain!

Happy Easter, Passover, Spring Equinox, with love, Kelly