In stillness, you can hear the way forward
Feeling stuck or unsure about what’s next or how to move through a challenging situation? You’re not alone since this is super common for most (all?) people, including myself. There are ways to interrupt the circular loops of thinking that go along with feeling stuck, and I share one effective practice here – quieting the mind by connecting with the body. When we are able to do this, we can more effectively listen to our inner voice that almost always knows the answer to the question we are asking, then move forward or return to flow.
We all experience an immense amount of distraction, primarily through our focus on thinking and activities that keep us in our heads. In fact, we are often conditioned to believe that our minds are the source of all things that matter, particularly at work, and we often subscribe to the notion that we can think our way to creative and innovative solutions. However, that discounts or dismisses what we can discover, know or remember when we intentionally connect with our bodies. Somatic practices, those exercises or techniques that work to create a stronger connection between body and mind, can help us access our creativity, our inner wisdom and our ability to innovate. On a basic level, connecting with our bodies means we can get more grounded in the present, and there is good reason to do this when we are seeking answers.
A unique property of our bodies is that they can only be in the present. The body itself can only be in this moment, and you can easily understand this as you consider where you are right now. You are in your body, wherever you happen to be, and this is a tangible connection to the present moment. In contrast, our minds can wander into the past or project into the future, distracted by all kinds of different voices, fears, scenarios, expectations or hopes. We can get caught in these thoughts when we let past experiences or fantasies we create about the future get in the way of accessing our inner knowing, our in-built centre of creativity and innovative thought. When we connect more with our bodies through practices like meditation or mindful movement, we shift our awareness from the chaos of the mind into the present by connecting with our physical presence right here, right now. The mind goes quiet, so we can listen more fully into the stillness.
When we manage to ground ourselves in the present, even for a few seconds, we create space for answers or ideas to emerge from our true selves or what some people describe as our inner knowing. Who we were or might become or what we experienced or what might happen is let go so we can connect with who we are and what we know without distractions, then simply listen for what comes up. I have experienced this over and over again when I have used different techniques to let go of my thoughts by simply connecting with the present through my body. Answers, creativity and innovative thoughts emerge into the quietness I have created. Instead of getting stopped by past experiences or all the different possible futures, I connect with my inner wisdom and knowledge that’s already available to me.
If you feel resistant to this idea, you aren’t alone. I have experienced this several times as I’ve worked with different clients. “I can’t do that. I can’t sit still. I’ve tried meditation and simply can’t do it.”
The good news is that you don’t have to meditate or sit still to quiet the mind. The simple instruction is to connect with your body. Meditation works well for some by sitting still and focusing on the breath. However, you can also do this while walking, noticing the feeling of your feet and legs as you walk or the entire movement of your body and breath as you move. I often will do this while lifting weights, intentionally shifting my entire focus onto my body, making it easier to let go of any thinking about the past or future. More recently, I have used cold water swimming when it’s almost impossible for me to think about anything except my immediate shocking experience! The important idea is to create space to intentionally use the body as a way to connect with the present and our inner wisdom.
If you’re feeling creatively blocked or stuck in repetitive thinking, consider how you can connect with your body. Sit and simply focus on your breath, walk and connect with your movements, swim and notice how your body feels in the water, dance and feel the rhythm like a heartbeat as a way to let go of thinking…and then listen. The ideas and answers you need are already there waiting for you to get quiet enough to hear them.
If this speaks to you, but you aren’t sure how to integrate somatic practice of any kind, I offer holistic coaching that integrates our experience across the mind, body, spirit continuum and can help. Get in touch or read more here: https://www.apiscg.com/individuals
Also, we will use some somatic practice in an upcoming workshop for people in transition, and that might be a place to pause and listen. Details for HEADSHOT: A Pause, A Picture, A Possibility can be found here: https://www.apiscg.com/headshot. Registrations open in a few weeks, but please reach out now if you would like to hear more.
