Listen to your body! But…how exactly?

In the yoga and general health and wellness industry it’s often said, “Listen to your body!” I know I say it a lot to my students and clients. But how do you listen to your body? How exactly are you supposed to know what is best for you as an individual?

Here are 5 of my top tips!

#1: Be willing to explore

Sometimes what we’re currently doing — whether we’re talking exercise, diet, sleeping patterns, relationships, or any other aspect of health — isn’t the best for us. Maybe it’s not exactly harmful, but it’s also not getting us closer to our goals or allowing us to improve either.

Exploring means trying new things, even if what we’re doing already seems pretty good!

#2: Understand that discomfort doesn’t always mean it’s harmful or unhealthy.

For example, I’m encouraging people over on  my Instagram Stories to try cold showers this month (see the highlighted story: “Nov Cold” for info). It’s not as bad as you’d think, I promise!

You can still begin with hot water, but you just switch the tap all the way to cold for the last 15 seconds. Then you slowly increase it to 30 seconds, 45, and finally 60 seconds each week.

When you think “I can’t do this! I’ll freeze!!” of course it will be unpleasant, and seem impossible. But if you simply BREATHE and think, “This is temporary, and it’s good for me. I find this refreshing,” then the cold water really does become something to look forward to.

This is such a great exercise for learning to listen to your body — i.e. not listening to your mind. Sometimes we think we listen to our bodies, but it’s really our thoughts controlling the situation. I promise it’s not your body that wants you to grab that donut! It’s your mind. See how that works?

3: Forget where you’re going. Focus on where you are.

Whether you’re moving on your yoga mat, eating, walking down the road, or brushing your teeth, it’s easy to do these things with half our brains thinking about what’s next. But practicing total mindfulness of the activity that you’re engaged in helps you to hone in on what your body feels about what you’re doing. You can tune in to how your arms or neck or fingertips feel in each posture, or how your stomach is receiving the food you eat (maybe you realize you’re full much sooner than you do when you’re eating just out of boredom or habit.)

4: Make tiny adjustments, one at a time.

So, whether you’re listening to your body as you move, or as you make changes to your diet, or anything else, of course it makes sense that it’s harder to understand what’s happening if you make quick, drastic changes in many areas.

So instead, change one thing at a time.

5: Understand it is a never-ending journey

That’s why we say “enjoy the journey” because there’s no getting off it! Well…until you leave your body and begin a whole new journey in the next life!

There is no such thing, though, as figuring out exactly what is best for you all the time, forever and ever. It’s more about understanding that each day is an opportunity to do your very best.