Our body is made of many different parts and every part is naturally connected to all the others. It is not an option for each one to work in isolation and to not always be working together in precise synchronicity with all the other parts. So if one part is not supported, then the whole body is affected in some way, shape or form. Much like an orchestra playing together, one out-of-tune sound affects the whole piece being played.
It is a great understanding to have, to know that each organ, every muscle, the quality of our breath, every bodily system, even down to our cells and particles, plays a significant part in the whole – to either leave us feeling vital or depleted.
If we choose to not be present in our body, to not feel unity and be aware of the interconnectedness, then we can cause harm to ourselves. When we are present with ourselves we are able to take the care of our body in a way that allows each part to be everything it was designed to be… and thus US being everything we were designed to be in life.
So how does this play out in the practicality of our days? Let’s imagine a simple everyday situation like cutting vegetables for dinner. It is possible to do this one task in two very different ways:
One way… we can place all the importance and focus being directed only to the active part of the hand holding the knife while chopping the vegetables and forgetting the rest of the body. Perhaps in this scenario the head is leaning forward, the back slouching, the legs standing unevenly, and the mind being distracted and thinking of something unrelated. This activity is being done without an awareness of the rest of the body and a collaboration of the mind with it, which results in adding more strain on the hand, making it work in isolation. As the other parts are somewhat forgotten, they can end up in pain or tension from being in a poor posture or misalignment.
Second way… when we allow ourselves to feel our body, keep our mind with what our body is doing, we are then able to be aware of how we need to adjust our body and its parts to support the whole. It is easy to see that if we are consciously present, standing with our feet, our legs, our back, our hips and our head in a good even posture, keeping our mind also with the task at hand while cutting the vegetables, then the whole body remains supported and balanced with every part working together. Every part of the body is able to do its part, supporting the other parts in the activity, leaving the body in no way compromised or harmed.
When we work in this way the activity is not an effort, but something enjoyable that offers more energy to us because we have been present while doing it, therefore not draining ourselves by exerting extra energy than needed. The interesting thing is, it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves. It doesn’t add to the list or chores we do in our day, yet many of us seem to choose something similar to the first scenario in our daily activities. Is it any wonder humanity is so exhausted?
When we are aware, present and with ourselves in full, knowing every part matters, then we can clearly feel how we best need to support each part of our body. Activities do not become draining but offer the body a vitalised feeling.
When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.
And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”
By Amparo Lorente, Special Needs Educator, Bachelor of Social Work, Social Educator Qualified, Master’s degree in Music Therapy, Complementary Health-Esoteric Practitioner & Johanna Smith, Bachelor of Education (Major Special Needs, Minor Psychology), Certificate of Early Childhood Education, Complementary Health – Esoteric Practitioner, Student of Counselling Diploma
Related Reading:
Episode 1 – Whole Body Intelligence
Connection to self through conscious presence
Presence in the body – Our key to True Intelligence
Words on Serge Benhayon 
The more we listen to our body, the more we hear and the deeper the harmony of the whole.
It makes sense how musculoskeletal injuries occur, as we may be subtly injuring parts of our body repeatedly over time because we are unaware of our posture or the way we use our body, and then feel surprised when we are diagnosed with a painful acute or chronic condition.
Moving our bodies so they confirm our connection that we have aligned to deepens our relationships with everyone and also is evolving.
I had an amazing experience a while back where I was cracking eggs and as my mind drifted the rest of my body moved in slow motion. Once I realised and came back to the moment I was able to return to a sensible speed with the task. Makes me wonder are we living in slow-motion or fast forward rather than at the speed that we are designed to be in?
I have found that when I am able to be present with my whole body as I go about my day then I am more aware of what my body needs and how to respond, and I am also able to set the quality of how I am in each moment. Once I skip moments I skip me, as well as the opportunities to be love that each moment offers.
Walking is much better than skipping as it rejuvenates our bodies just like a good nap.
Thanks Greg, you always make me laugh. 🙂
Also skips do not handle big waves so well but once connected to the Soul-full-flotilla that is available it broadens our horizons and even the biggest wave is taken in our stride.
Not being present in the moment also leaves us wide open to knee-jerk reactions that often drain us super quick. Whereas being present we can respond to a situation without a heavily emotional response OR even respond before the situation has even occurred. I love that being prepared feeling and being present helps with this.
As everything is a an energy or a vibration ,when we align ourselves to True energy and thus “fully supported” by our essences we can then stay in tune with how our body vibrates from a True energy.
No importance has ever been placed on being present while doing something, taking into account the whole body. The way that impacts the quality of work produced doesn’t get spoken about & we just go on in our lives pretending like we don’t know or like it doesn’t matter. The first time I heard it, it didn’t quite make sense – I couldn’t make the connection. But the more I see it play out, the more I realise that the difference is so evident: when I do things and take into account the whole body, the end result has this majestic feel, like the job done is out of this world. If not, the job is still done, but it just looks normal – very much a part of this world.
This is great I love how you have opened and explored Viktoria, as with everything we understand that a job that is well done comes with the appreciation of self and also of other’s ,as we understand that we are beings of essence first and foremost.
We can only understand that through our own experience, it is difficult for somebody to show us if it has not flown through our body.
Could it be that we appreciate another for their connection to their essences and that their ability to connect to as much as possible is not for us to Judge but simply to reflect the appreciation we are living. As appreciation is nothing more than understanding we are more than this physical vessel.
Thanks Viktoria, great comment, I especially liked “when I do things and take into account the whole body, the end result has this majestic feel, like the job done is out of this world. If not, the job is still done, but it just looks normal – very much a part of this world.” This brings greater purpose to being present knowing what we can offer.
“The interesting thing is, it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves.” Amparo that is really an interesting thing to know and also to try it out as to work in such a way seem to be a great joy as well!
Multi tasking is one of the most exhausting things for us to do and yet we tend to do this a lot of the time. We can be doing one thing and yet the head/mind is thinking of another thing so in fact we are not really there doing either thing and yet we are asking the body to do two different things at the same time! Crazy really…
And so I have found that the more focused I am with any task I do, and particularly with the focus being on how I do it (the quality of how I do it) then the deeper the quality that I can bring to that task and the less I get depleted in energy and the more I feel energised and less scattered too!
But many of us multi-task all the time, for example even when writing a reply to your comment my mind was actually thinking of something else and I had to really refocus on the task at hand. And so if we do not bring awareness to our actions we could be disconnected all day from our bodies using just our minds instead.
I don’t think it is just multi tasking, it’s also multi being with all those roles and facades we take on – doubly exhausting!
We are so used to operating just from the head and leaving out the body, and yet the most ‘powerful’ of experiences can come to us when we use the head in conjunction with the whole body – this has time and time again been my experience and yet I still often forget to tune into the whole rather than just the part and so each time is a learning for me which is super valuable.
The greater awareness beings the greater harmony – to our body, as an individual as well as a collective.
When we take care our our bodies, we prepare them for greater levels of service, responsibility and capacity to love: setting a steady and solid foundation that is ready for whatever is next.
Understanding responsibility and purpose makes our living ways evolutionary.
I love the way my body communicates and for this reason conscious presence is very dear to me. When I feel something come up in the body I can choose to stay with it, give some understanding to it, and feel how that conversation can often change the way the body then presents. It’s a beautiful language to converse in!
To converse with the universe 🙂
The best way to support the body is to honor it, honoring the parts and the whole; honoring the whole through the parts and the parts through the whole. Moving in honor to our body carries an enormous beauty.
Honouring – That is such a gorgeous word to use in relation to how we can be with the body. And how the body constantly asks us to refine the way we honour ourselves.
It’s amazing really to consider, we have an amazingly designed system which works best when all parts are taken into account and they are designed to mutually support and work together, as the example offered here with the orchestra so beautifully illustrates, if one is out of tune, it affects the whole piece being played; yet we often operate in this way, and subvert the beautifully designed system that is our body, and we wonder why life is harder? And all along it’s for us to come back to moving and being in a way with our body that takes the whole into account and when we do we connect to the rhythm and flow that is there, and life becomes simpler.
Well said Monica – we are certainly masters at making things really difficult for ourselves despite all the possibilities for keeping it simple and easy!
What a lovely message from this blog, that in order for our bodies to fully support us, we have to be present and aware of all parts of our bodies, not doing tasks in isolation like the example given of chopping the vegetables.
It makes sense that for everything to work together in harmony in the body all parts need to be connected, just like a group of people, once they connect and begin working together harmony is possible.
And also then we connect to the Joy of living and working in Harmony which makes life feel complete.
Greg you have reminded me of how foul it feels to isolate myself from others, and that is an energetic state and not necessarily physically removing myself. We innately are connected to everyone and everything and that feels like an ease and settlement for the body – a physical feeling of being open and expanded. Oneness is so our natural way.
Absolutely no cave dwelling to become enlightened in this era, as the deeper we appreciate all that we all bring the greater the awareness we get of this most divine connectivity.
Thank you Greg – I appreciate your comment and the words “divine connectivity”. I have recently been pondering on brotherhood and how each of us represents an angle of God, and because of the enormity of God each person has a responsibility to the collective to represent one part, so we can know the fullness of the beauty of God through each other. Indeed, no cave is supportive, because we know God through people.
Simply bringing focus and awareness to each area of the body begins to unravel any tension or unease. These articles are very supportive as they present opportunities to consider or re-consider how we are with ourselves.
Absoulutely Victoria releasing tension making our movements from our bodies evolutionary.
Interesting that when I am caught in a stressful situation or an activity that requires devoted attention, out of habit the first response is to put all my attention on the task at hand and ignore everything else including my body. Yet this blog clearly presents that such a choice actually compromises our ability to fully respond to life including what is in front of us.
When I do anything without connection to my body, I feel exhausted and can easily get agitated. So it is awesome you are raising awareness of how important it is to connect to our whole body and not just one part. Most of us function throughout our day often feeling disconnected from our body and don’t even realise we are doing this.
Everything is important… Attention to detail is vital, paying attention to all of our body is essential
It sure is Cjames2012, and we are yet to discover the joy and ease we can feel from deeply connecting to our body instead of fighting the intelligence it offers.
We complicate and make life difficult, just by not being present with ourselves and what we are doing, and this is what drains and exhausts us the most.
Love the two different kitchen scenarios, it makes it very simple. The connection with our bodies changes the quality of our experience..and yes ‘it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves.’
Fact is, as you have so wisely presented, that our bodies are already divine by design as such every part of it is innately aligned to a universal order, to be as a whole, a vehicle through which our Soul can be imbued. All that is required is for us to willingly surrender to the intelligence of our bodies, so the impulse of our Soul can be embodied as it is then that we can live the potential and purpose of our return to this plane of life.
I popped into a Bottle shop recently to ask for directions and this young man hobbled up to the counter so I asked him what was the matter with him, as he seemed in pain. He was in pain he told me he is a part time fireman and the night before had been scrabbling around on his knees a lot. Then in spite of his knees hurting he did a big cycle ride before coming to work where he then just sat down at his computer and so his body tightened up from all the exercise. He said he wasn’t worried about his knees because he could get some implants and then they wouldn’t hurt. This young man was quite serious he felt that it was okay to get new knees or anything else if it wore out because that is what you did now days. I couldn’t quite get my head around the fact that it seems perfectly normal for us to replace certain parts of our body without question like taking the car to the garage to get a new set of tyres. Have we reduced our selves so much that we can look upon ourselves as mere machines?
I am really feeling this with my feet at the moment! A part of my body that supports my whole body when I am walking it like they are saying ‘hey you need to take really good care of me .. love me loads!’
Someone shared recently how when a baby is growing the cells within the body don’t argue or decide what to be e.g cell for liver, heart, brain etc they just order themselves in a unified and harmonious way working for the all. That alone is a lesson for us in how we can be with each other and our own body.
Yes a lovely analogy Vicky. We each have a part to play and together we make up the body of humanity. When we appreciate this and play our part, however seemingly small, the world can remain true to the order of the Universe.
The beauty of obedience.
When not present with our bodies we cause great harm. Anyone who has been in a daydream and hit the corner of the coffee table / any table will know this. Also when absent others around us feel lonely because we are off elsewhere even if physically present the being is like a house with the lights on but no one is home. Another form of harm. It is much more joyful for us, others and the coffee table when we are present.
When we consider our body as being made up of an interconnected web – also known as the connective tissue – you realise that tension anywhere in the body has an impact on the whole. There is nothing that ‘does not matter’. For me that has been a stunning way to live because it has shown how important I am in the process because I then get to ask, ‘where is there tension in my body and why is it there?’ Simply asking the question, the tension eases because it is now in a conversation.
Beautiful to feel Lucy, by simply bringing our attention to the tension it gives it a ‘voice’ and we can then bring greater awareness to ourselves. The body sure has a lot to communicate.
When doing a task I am often aware of how my shoulders are feeling whether they are relaxed or held with tension up towards my ears, when I do become aware and gently drop my shoulders it feels like the body is sighing with relief, many more other parts of my body to pay attention to.
That is very true, in fact when being with the body like this there is more presence and space both with the body and around.
These practical examples are yoga in action, the body and mind moving as one. When we live in respect of the body every part of the whole is nourished.
Very true Victoria – the intelligence of the body is designed to guide us to live in union with and reflect the oneness, the All we all are and are from.
Wow, beautifully said Victoria. I have experienced this nourishment in my body and I know what you’ve shared is possible. I also know I can choose to move in stillness with full connection to my body throughout my day.
Moving from the quality of stillness (which needn’t be slow) feels very much in tune with the natural rhythm of the body.
When the our mind and body unites in conscious presence we are correspondingly more aware and connected to everything around us too.
When we exert ourselves it is no wonder we cause injury to the body and when we pay attention to the body we take care of it. It comes down to the fact as to whether we are willing to give ourselves the love we deserve and place everything first on our movements to lovingly support the body and not on what needs to get done.
Yes and sometimes pain is the form of communication our body uses to get our attention and ask us to slow down, be more present and perhaps consider if there is another way.
Maybe this is why my body loves exercise because all of the body is honoured as it is gently stretched so that by the time I have finished the workout program my whole body feels revitalized and is ready to go again.
Yesterday evening while going to prepare the salad I could feel my body felt tired, and as a result I chose to sit down and support myself while chopping up all that was needed, rather than putting a strain on my back and my legs. It has taken a long time for me to actually honour my body and myself.
I have chopped vegies in both ways and for sure, with the second one I dont end up having to put band-aids on my fingers!
I am very aware these days of my shoulders. It is far too easy to maintain a habit of tensing myself and putting myself in drive to get something done, of carrying bags that are too heavy etc. Just remembering to drop my shoulders when I walk and to clock in every now and again to allow space in my body and say no to heavy bags and pushing to get things done is making a huge difference.
I love the awareness that comes when we simply stop and connect with the body. Every little detail can be felt. I often consciously feel different parts of my body to check in, the shoulders at the computer are a great one, and feeling how my head is placed. Simply by bringing attention to these areas is an opportunity to shift and let go.
When I compare my body to an orchestra it is obvious that over much of my life there were often several members of the ensemble playing very out of tune and many sometimes missing-in-action. I really wasn’t looking at, and treating, my glorious body as a whole, inter-related organism but one of various and seemingly separated parts. How lovely it is now to appreciate every single part of my body, honouring each part equally and knowing if one part is having an off day another part has to pick up the slack if my body is to function as the harmonious vessel it was designed to be.
So true Ingrid, when we do start to honour every part of our bodies the rhythm of its tune is in harmony with the universal orchestra. Very beautiful to feel what is possible if we tuned our vehicles, our instruments to the vibration of love.
‘When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.’ Honouring the body is not something that is often talked about or acknowledged. Our Western society has more focus on it looking good and preserving those looks and on pampering it or on intellectually choosing a diet and healthy activity….or not. Very few appreciate their bodies and/or honour them. If we were able to do this consistently what a different world we would live in.
I got to feel recently how energy does affect us all the time even if we say we don’t feel it. I was part of a group that attended a presentation on ‘dark matter’ Black holes in the universe. From what I understood it seems to me that the whole of the universe consists of huge fine filaments of connectivity like a giant sponge and everything is connected which then means we must be connected too as we are part of the universe. But everything in our society would have us believe that we were not connected, which if you stop to think about it cannot be true in any way, shape or form.
When the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!” I have found it’s so true that the more we support our body, the more it supports us back. When I am really connected I don’t have to think at all about how I go about any activity. My body knows exactly how to move and alerts me as soon as there is any action or posture that will harm it.
Thank you Amparo for your sharing, it reminds me to not just focus on my hands as when cutting vegetables but to bring my attention to how my whole body is feeling, not as in parts but as a beautiful moving whole.
And when we do stay connected with our whole body, it just makes sense that every part matters because intrinsically we are one, and there can be no separation.
Connecting to my body while I was working at my desk, I realised how sore my neck and shoulder were because I had been so focused in my thoughts and my work I forgot to check. Awesome to come across your blog because I started to sit up straight and reconnect to my body just before I read your blog. Brilliant reminder Amparo.
Being more aware of my body helps me to be more aware of the way I am expressing myself and how I’m reacting or responding to life – it’s like it helps flag up for me if I’m holding excess tension somewhere, or if something just feels off in the way I’m approaching something.
I volunteer at the local hospital and I witness the effects of not being in conscious presence with ourselves has on our bodies. The person is checked out and not present with themselves and we call this dementia. And from the statistics given to a group of us at a recent course the figures for Dementia and Alzheimer’s is rising rapidly.
It feels amazing when the whole of me is present. Even when something very upsetting happens, it is not the whole of me that is hurting, but I could act like that is all I have got in that moment. When bringing every part of me to be with myself, there’s alchemy, it allows love back in to see, feel, understand and heal.
I’m learning more and more the importance of being present with my body as if I’m not I get little reminders like bumping my head, going over on my ankle or missing a turn when I am driving resulting in getting stuck in traffic.
Supporting our body is like supporting our life. When we isolate one part it is at the expense of the others.
Very true Elaine, every part of our body is connected, so it doesn’t make sense to isolate any one part. When I am more aware of my body, I am also more aware of my surrounds and the people around me.
It is in the simple everyday things like chopping vegetables that we can let our mind wander and forget about the body, yet these are the times when we need to focus the most, because it is these moments of connecting to our movements that build the foundation for everything else in life. The more I am able to do this the easier life becomes because I no longer allow things to become complicated. It is on going but I love the reflections this offers.
‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”’ That is why ‘all’ we have to do is take super good care of our body 24/7 and the rest will follow.
Reading this blog I was in my own version of scenario one, and now I am in my own version of scenario two – I have placed my feet firmly on the ground, I went to the toilet, I got my glasses, I drank some water and moved my laptop closer to type. An interesting exercise and reminder to treat my body as a whole.
It’s those seemingly small things we can ignore or override but they can make a big difference to how we are…
I can tell by the quality of my sleep if I was with myself the day before. These markers help me in my day to stop to feel have I gone into my head to get the work done, or was I with myself? What was the quality of my day? I have come to my own understanding that everything matters and I know that the more time I spend in the quality of me the more restful and rejuvenating my sleep will be.
As you demonstrate so well with your cutting vegetables example, when we are fully present with every part of our body any “activity is not an effort”. In fact, it is actually very easy and flows smoothly. The example is also such a great one because one moment of inattention can bring many moments of pain if the knife were to slip, with the pain from a cut finger radiating throughout every other part of the body.
When you look at the workings of a time piece there are so many moving parts. Yet they are inter-connected, and nothing works without their fluid movement together. I am sure one day we will wake up and realise this is how we need to live with one another.
We are either with ourselves or we are working against ourselves. It is as black and white as that.
Being present in the body is not always easy as thought always wants to distract us. It needs a very solid focus to not fall for any entertainment coming from the mind. Why? Being in the body/ being present with whatever we do is superpowerful, it supports us in our authority and helps enormous to not get affect from whatever goes on outside of you.
Gorgeously simple, practical and oh so useful. Thank you.
I am sitting here with a body that has not been honoured today and feels abused,tired and sore, your blog is a great reminder to stay focussed and to do the physical work I am in with my whole body as I know and feel every part matters.
This is a great little reminder, thank you Amparo and Johanna. I found myself straighten my back, pull my chin in and enjoy the dance of my fingers on the keyboard after reading your sharing.
Small adjustments make so much difference! I tune in a lot in my posture during the day for example, or how I walk, if my face is surrendered etc etc. Only these tiny moments bring me back to a still place in me, where I get remembered what is the truth in me and that the quality is first before any function and end result.
Beautiful Stefanie! Yes, it is great to always come back to the quality of our movements as this is of utmost importance.
When I look at the medical system we have at this moment in time it is obvious that each part of our body is being looked at in separation. We have bone specialists, skin specialists, eye specialists and so on, which of course is necessary, but in my experience the total focus is on this one part of the body and not in relation to the whole body. And it is the whole body that enhouses the essence of who we are, so it is the whole body that ought to be the focus of our care.
I wonder why it is we look after our cars seemingly better than we look after ourselves. The moment we see the engine warning light flash up on the dashboard we know to stop and check with the garage if it is still safe to drive or do we need to call for a tow to the nearest garage. Our bodies also give us warning signs and how often do we ignore them and carry on regardless. With the huge rise in illness and disease I would say we are ignoring the signals we are given until it reaches a crisis point and we are stopped in our tracks so to say.
That is an interesting question Mary! I often pondered about that phenomenon. Maybe it would change if we as human beings would have to pay in money form immediately when we get sick. We would not allow ourself to get sick and would listen much more to signs I guess.
Our body is a fine tuned instrument and holds the wisdom of the universe, we can never be but whole to live its purpose, like you say ‘every part matters’ as every movement we make matters.
Feeling my posture and adjusting every so often – even the smallest ways like tilt of the head or adjustment of my spine/back/shoulders/fingers are really supportive in staying focussed with whatever it is I might be doing – at the desk, at the sink, at the cooker…
I understand why I am so tired at times, when I look back I have not been fully with my body, my mind has been off somewhere while my body is going it alone.
Reading this blog reminds me of a time when I was interested in learning to become a pilot and I was using a computer flight simulator with all the aircraft controls for almost two hours straight. Only when we were finished with the training and I went to get up did I feel all the soreness in my lower back, tension in my forearms and a creaky neck and upper back. It’s like I had completely shut off from feeling my body while I was focusing my mind so intently on flying the airplane in the simulator which took a lot of concentration. This was a bit of a wake-up call for me, as it showed just how much we can disconnect and actually abuse our body when we are really living from our head and not staying connected to our body.
I often find that when I am feeling the tension or yuckiness in my body from being in a posture that is tensed and straining my muscles for too long, I am resistent to change it and come back to an elongated position that supports my body. This is because when coming into a more supportive position I have to feel everything and that is not always something that is nice to do yet on the longer term makes me feel much more clear and yummy in my body than when I am stubborn and stay in the tensed posture.
You raise such an important point here, whatever the task, there are 2 ways we can do it, in line with our body or not, and if we do it in line with our body as well as being less tired, we also bring a clear quality of us to what we do, a win win.
Yes this is something we can understand on a whole new level if we take it from being about us and what we get out of life to us and what we can offer life. There is so much available to us when we consider everything as part of the whole, either contributing or depleting. Is our ‘whole’ our own body, our own life, or are we part of a bigger body and bigger plan and does this larger picture ask us to be responsible for our smaller picture as it all either contributes or depletes?
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” Beautiful Amparo – and so true. Just as with people – everyone of us is needed to make up the whole as we each bring a different part of the puzzle. A jig saw with one piece missing doesn’t cut it.
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” It is like cooking from a recipe, adding each ingredient as it is needed to support the other to bring together the final dish. Everything marries together perfectly and it goes the same with our bodies, how we move, express and live everyday as one fine vehicle of divine expression.
We are encouraged from young to think with our minds and to forgo our bodies, and I wonder if this is why we can trash our bodies by eating and drinking all the wrong things because we don’t consider our bodies at all until it breaks down with an illness and or disease.
No matter what we are doing, the body is with us. When we are aware of that, and in tune with it, what we are doing is imprinted with that.
Such simple medicine! I am certainly going to take a good dose of conscience presence today as part of supporting and loving me to be all of me!
When something begins to feel like a chore it is time to ask ourselves “Am I with my body?” and chances are we are not. We have disconnected and have begun to put ourselves under stress or strain.
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” To honour the amazing vessel that is our body by choosing to work in harmony with it is the difference between a life that flows with ease and simplicity and a life that struggles under the weight of challenges and complication.
From giving this a go I have found it to be so much more efficient as well. Being present, feeling my body, not distracted or anxious. the result is a better meal for others to eat as well. Sometimes that can seem illogical because it is the same meal on a practical level, yet when you add the energy factor and the quality we bring to the actions it is a vastly different meal.
When we stay present with our movements there is no exhaustion felt in the body as we are not ahead of ourselves. Letting the body lead the way is wise and then we do not have to play catch up.
It’s so true Victoria, when we get ahead of ourselves we are effectively double timing and doing more than two things at once. No wonder we get so exhausted living like that.
So true — if we all move in compartments (meaning; by connecting for instance only to our head and move the rest along) we are misconfiguring our body’s natural state that is actually moving (internally) together with all the cells. Hence, movement is our everything — how we move our body must come whole as without we are configuring our body in a state it is not.
I was operating a cherrypicker the other day at work that had a very small footprint for its base. It is quite cute and compact. I was working at its maximum height of 18 meters and required very delicate control over the controls. A chair has four legs and is stable, but even that can fall over if you lean too far. This blog reminded me of being fully connected to one’s body and the perils of not being aware at all times.
It is incredible how we have made it okay to just neglect one part of the body and only focus on one part and then wonder why we feel so cold, exhausted or empty inside.
When in parts it’s easy to rush and burn/cut/bump into something. And then it shows how much I need the whole to be whole because without one part it makes life more difficult. Like a papercut on the crease of my thumb right up to a broken bone.
This for many will be a new way to relate to their body as most of us rush around in our daily lives without a thought of what is happening in our bodies we just get on in life and it’s almost as we drag our bodies around after us as they are so tired. I have to wonder that if we were to take more care of ourselves and how we treat our bodies if this would make a difference to the rise in dementia that our society is experiencing?
I feel when we are deepening our awareness to living conscious presence, it is extremely important not to try to fix postures, walking gaits etc and control them rather I have found it supportive to simply observe where there may be tension while staying in tune with the rest of the body and its rhythms and simply allowing the body to drop and realign naturally when it’s ready. Forcing change to a posture you feel doesn’t support only creates more disharmony and strain, this is what I have felt and experienced in my years of practising conscious presence.
The difference between the two ways is very clearly expressed and felt in what you share, living in parts leads to exhaustion as so much energy is used by the mind in keeping us in distraction from the body, when we are present and feeling every part of our body in its flow we become revitalised by what we are doing.
I love anatomy and feeling the absolute beauty of how every part of the body plays a part in making the body work as a whole unit. Surely we ought to learn from this and know that if all parts of our lives are not in harmony and working in a flow then there is something that is out of order and needs addressing.
I am beginning to sense the amount of energy that is required when I live in a way that comes from self eg.the trying and the complication that I can create when in truth life is simple when I am present, connected to my body and allowing myself to be impulsed by a flow that is in co-creation with God and the universe.
Thank you Amparo, I enjoyed reading this again and feeling the energetic difference it makes when I am with my whole body, not just with my mind or the body in isolated parts. For a human being to be with the whole of their body is like a microcosm of a human being also being with the whole of humanity – where every move and choice is known to affect the whole (the macrocosm). The whole body and the whole of humanity. Whether we choose to be with part of our body or our whole body, and whether we choose to believe we only affect those around us or we see the truth that we affect the whole of humanity, the overall truth is we always impact the whole.
Our bodies are so good at adapting and coping with our lifestyle choices that it can seem on the surface that we can live in an unbalanced way and get away with it but the fact is that our organs and our cellular make up are delicately, beautifully finely balanced and ordered and every movement we make supports this order or creates disorder which eventually causes a correction that we call illness and disease.
It is demanded of us from day one at school to focus our mind on one area and ignore everything else we may be aware of, and for many years of our life as we go through education we are praised and rewarded if we apply our brain in this way. I was so well trained in just focusing with my brain that when I was invited to consider that the rest of me mattered too, I was dubious.
Only by trying it out I started opening up to the idea. And of course it make so much sense.
Thank you Golnaz, I had not looked at the education system this way, that it trains us away from our whole awareness. All of our focus becomes about the mind in exclusion to the inner heart and whole body awareness.
This is a simple yet profound psychology to live by and also it has been outstandingly expressed with exquisite detail. Isolating any part of us creates issues, what is so interesting that we are bombarded by a culture that promotes the opposite of what this blog stands for and at times champions the over use or focus on one area, you see this in sports stars out of proportioned bodies.
I suspect it is about control and safety Sarah. We find a way that works and stick with it because it works – fearful that if we go outside the box we may fail, not be ready, which creates a well of anxiety, potential hurt and pain. So we stay with what we know without questioning how or why.
When we are fully aware of our body, we have more energy because with presence, we get replenished.
The example of chopping vegetables to highlight the difference between connection and disconnection is so real and relatable. We’ve all done the checked out chopping before I’m sure. In this state it becomes a chore and is draining whereas when we are present and connected it’s a self-living act that supports greater vitality in our bodies.
Showing us all that loves comes from our body when we allow it to be and… “When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.”
Beautiful to take this further with you in your life. I will do so..
Every single part of an aeroplane matters so how much more so does every single part of our body matter? We cannot afford to neglect any part or see one part as more important than another because if we do the whole body gets compromised.
Such a simple example and it captures so clearly how we move to either support the whole body or just a part – that any task can be done in this way and it transforms how we are, our quality and how our body feels.
There is so much that comes to me when I read your blog. The same applies to reading and commenting on blogs, how we are with each other in the world and how we are with each other in our work. Being aware of what we bring, how we contribute and the ripple effect of our decisions offers something quite grand, for us to appreciate or dismiss.
It is true even something as simple as chopping vegetables can affect the body and put a strain on it when we are not fully connected and aware of our movements. I recently found this out when I was preparing some vegetables, but only had a limited amount of time as I had to get to work. The pressure I put on myself meant that I was not totally with me and my back started to ache because I had not fully honoured my body and created tension in my arms and shoulders.
‘When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.’ So true Amparo, I work very long shift work hours and the more present I am when working through the night the more I am guided to move my body in a way that supports me to fulfill my duties without feeling exhausted.
Our bodies are walking science labs and for the vast majority of us we are totally unaware of what is actually taking place in our bodies as we go about our daily lives. what we have also become totally unaware of is that our bodies are attuned to the cycles of the day, month year and universe. That there are cycles within cycles we have become so focused on ourselves and ‘doing’ life. We have forgotten to appreciate the all that is around us. And to me our lives are lessor because of this.
I love connecting to my body and feeling it flow in unison. This is a completely different situation to when I am not connecting to my body and everything feels all over the place, so to speak.
I LOVE cutting beans and just being there 100% in the moment with my body. All the thoughts just go and there is this lovely flow with cooking. So much wisdom can comes from our body when we are present with the whole of it.
Reading this made me more aware of how I was holding my body and how my shoulders were hunched forward. Over the last few months I have been consistently going to a gym to support my body and I have seen and felt how this has supported my posture and body throughout the day.
It only takes one second of inattention for us to trip, fall, burn ourselves and more. From one single moment, when we are in separation to ourselves, so much can unfold. The unfolding consequence may be minor or major, it doesn’t matter, it is simply a message to remind us that when we don’t move with all of us ‘accidents’ happen and if we do life flows so simply and easily.
I love how you equate feeling all of our body as feeling unity. There is a sacredness in our body that we do not always allow ourselves to honour. This sense of unity supports us to connect to sacredness and move in a wholeness/holiness.
What you share here makes sense Elaine for when you stop and think about it all our physiological and bodily systems work in harmony and unity with each other and this is something I don’t think I have really appreciated in full before.
As always when we bring conscious presence to our activities… In anything and everything we do, everything and everyone benefits.
Every part matters as every part is part of the all neglect any part then one neglects the all.
A great article Amparo and Johanna, thank you for sharing, I am becoming more aware of how I am when I am doing the daily tasks of life and after reading your article I can see that a lot of times when I think I am with myself I am actually being in parts I will now put much more focus on whole body experience as I go about my day.
I really notice the difference when I consider that I’m not just made up of parts, and that my whole body is connected. Simply standing when doing something with my hands can have a positive or negative affect on my back, my neck, legs and shoulders. Something as a simple as leaning to one side rather than sharing the load across both feet makes an enormous difference.
Recently taking care of some ailments in my body I get to appreciate that every tension, posture, little pain has a meaning, a history. While I am dealing with the consequences that have manifested physically my ignorance of not having paid attention gets exposed and needs to be carefully looked at.
Me too Alex. This week I’ve been suffering from pain in my right shoulder and this joint has been clearly revealing for me to see the hardness in which I use to treat myself in my daily basis. Its has been an opportunity for me to go deeper in my relationship with my body, which has allowed to me to feel how delicate I really am. Having this constant pain, and not overriding it, has been paramount to understand some patterns and also to attend myself in a much more loving way.
It’s beautiful and really touching the way our body simply reveals itself, the way it shows us ‘why’ it feels like that and ‘how’ to come back to its innate harmony.
I love the simplicity that you share here Amparo, life is all about a certain quality we align first as when we live from this true movement, our bodies are in connection with the all.
I know both the one way and second way you have described … having lived most of my life the one way and it being filled with struggle I can wholeheartedly vouch the second way is sooooooo much easier when we allow it .. being present with every single part of us in what we are doing. It feels and is Divine. I love what you shared at the beginning about how our body naturally does not work in isolation to another part of the body this in itself teaches us about brotherhood and the importance of it within families, communities, society and humanity.
“our body naturally does not work in isolation to another part of the body this in itself teaches us about brotherhood and the importance of it within families, communities, society and humanity.” Yes this is profoundly beautiful Vicky and makes it super-clear the depths of wisdom held within our bodies.
What reminds me here is how we are in a constant building foundation of ignoring or responding to our bodily messages. We often tempt to focus on the next easily without truly accepting, allowing and appreciating all that is already there and have made you come there in the first place..
I bought myself an early birthday present which was a set of electric drums and I soon found if I wasn’t aware of my posture at all times when I played it was very tiring and I soon got a sore back. It is very good practice to be aware of all of our body even if we don’t think the other parts are playing such a big roll.
I never thought of that, so what we do can offer us quite a learning if we don’t just brush it off. I have found when I am concentrating really hard I can often contort my body without even realising I am doing it!!
Being with our whole body as we move in any way is so worth understanding, when we do we can start to appreciate the amazing difference to how doing any task can transform the mundane or exhausting into inspiring and joyful.
The whole supporting the whole or focussing on a part in disregard of the whole. Two styles of movement we can choose from.
Thank you Eduardo, you have summed up our relationship to both our body and humanity – two clear choices.
When we live in the awareness of our body and are wholly present with our movements and flow, it is simply not possible to abuse ourselves and to ignore the Love that we are called to be.
When I started to become more aware of my body, I realised how often I stood with my legs unevenly balanced. I was always leaning more to one leg than another, and when I noticed that, I could feel how much pressure I put on one hip. It is great to become more aware of how you are with your body and then you can support it much more. I now stand with the two legs firmly on the ground, even weight distributed.
I have discovered that living in parts is not only very exhausting but it often ends up with an injury to some part of my body. It is as simple as thinking of something as I am walking down the steps; a sure recipe for a fall. To live and move in a way that honours all the parts of my wonderful body ensures that it comes to no harm.
“Our body is made of many different parts and every part is naturally connected to all the others. It is not an option for each one to work in isolation and to not always be working together ….” AS science learns more about our interconnectedness maybe one day we will be treated as whole people by orthodox medicine rather than isolated into parts. When nursing it wasn’t uncommon for people with many ailments to see a variety of different specialists in various departments – not one liaising with another.
“When we are aware, present and with ourselves in full, knowing every part matters, then we can clearly feel how we best need to support each part of our body.” Very true Amparo. Staying more present with all parts of my body on my daily walk is having a knock-on effect on my daily life.
Wow, to not only see the body as a supportive whole in terms of every organ and blood vessel, but also every muscle cell, bone cell and connective tissue. I imagine walking in this connection and how sometimes we favour certain sides over our body than others and adopt postures which we are familiar with. This im of course is coming from the configuration of energy in our bodies which impulses the physical cells, it’s quite amazing.
There is a deep wisdom underlying this article that has the potential and the power to re-configure society in many ways, from how we treat our own bodies to how we, as a microcosm of society relate to each other.
It is amazing how our whole body works in synchronicity – the intricacies of homeostasis are something to really appreciate! And so our whole body certainly is worth appreciating and valuing for the innate intelligence that it naturally aligns with and the more we can bring our awareness back to the whole of us rather than letting our mind run isolated the more harmony we can bring to our lives.
I agree, there has to be something that designed that homeostasis, there has to be a divine design that I need to honour, not abuse. It reminds me to be responsible, accountable and respectful to more than, perhaps, my mind can understand.
Every part of us really does matter and the harmony and flow with in us is the all we are talking of flowing through us. Every blockage or movement of disruption is felt and harms the whole and the living of love and harmony we are . And our stillness and honouring of our every part is treasured by our body and who we are simply being with our breath and the all .
What you have shared Amparo is that living in connection to our bodies every movement then prepares us for what is to come next. So when we surrender to these movements and not fight against or ignore the body we find a great synchronicity of life and how we then live it. Our movements then become a marriage of purpose, quality and connection and that is a true symphony for all.
I have been noticing how taking great care of one area of my body leads to me to taking great care of the next. I started to take greater care of my hands and realised that without being consciously aware, I started to take great care of my feet too.
Yes, there is a whole different way to be in relationship with the body which leaves us feeling vital, full of joy and embracing of life. What Universal Medicine presents is good medicine for every part of us.
‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”’ So true Amparo, and it is great to heed the call, always in that forward movement of returning to our true beingness.
‘When we are present with ourselves we are able to take the care of our body in a way that allows each part to be everything it was designed to be… and thus US being everything we were designed to be in life.’ – this is a beautiful teaching Amparo, imagine the difference in how we would live if we were taught this at school. It is not possible for us to be here without our bodies, as our bodies are the vehicles that enhouse our Soul. And we are the custodians of the vehicle that is constellated for us to live the light of our Soul, and be all that we are.
When we support our bodies to be present to the best our ability we not only enjoy the benefits of being present with a certain quality in what we do but also create the space for everything we need to constellate in order to evolve.
A very simple explanation of conscious presence and working with the whole of our body and not pitting one part against another or overloading one part to the detriment of another, which when we are not consciously present can easily happen.
Being aware of the whole of our body, whilst we do what we do, makes a huge difference in life. It is all too easy to focus on one small part, as per your example with chopping vegetables and yet ignore our posture, to the detriment of the whole body. When we listen to – and honour – our body, it feels amazing how life-changing this can be.
‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!” The body is such a great marker and guide for how we are with ourselves, communicating clearly, if we listen.
The body is a miracle for how well it is working, in sync and without missing a beat; it is even more miraculous considering that it does its best to do all of this while we vacate, trash and downright abuse it.
I am always amazed how different the two ways of doing things in my day can feel. I love observing the incredible detail my body will go to, to ensure I am at ease and supported and no part is left out when I am actually feeling everything.
I feel my movements show me so much about how I am living, if my movements are jerky and without any flow then it is a great indicator that I have been living from my head.
Building an inner connection with the body gives me a constantly improving line of communication from the body about what is loving and caring, and what is not.
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” – we are all like CEOs of a huge company (the body) and each of the organs is an employee keen and eager to do the job that is needed without any expectations of a pay rise! And so it is a huge responsibility that we hold as CEO to ensure that all the employees are well looked after and cared for and interviewed regularly to ensure that they are being supported in their enormous work load. This way the results are amazing too, as a result of the harmony within.
I once read a funny poster about all the parts of the body arguing as to who was the most important, and when we are unhealthy it is energetically a bit like this – one part of the body dominates over the others and there is an imbalance. The same thing can happen on a bigger scale in groups or in society. If one is dominating or behaving in a way that does not consider the whole then there is no harmony and the group or society will not be healthy.
Love to read this blog today and all it delivers and explains a lot. Have to go to work now, but I do plan to come back and have a re-read.
It makes a lot of sense what you are presenting here and it shows the benefits we have when we regard our whole body in everything we do.
It is so true, we exhaust and drain ourselves when we are not present in our every day movements and expressions.
Makes sense that it takes less energy to be aware, present and support ourselves, because we are going with a natural flow. When we are in our mind we use so much energy tossing around what we should or should not do next or tomorrow or next week rather than being with our body and allowing it to unfold in the natural rhythm and flow.
I have just moved house for the third time in two years, and what I noticed this time was how much less compromising I was in my movements, making sure there was no stress or strain, and doing lots of trips rather than burdening my body with too much to carry at one time. I feel great after two solid days of unpacking and have managed to completely move in!
We have lived for a long time from our minds, but all that truly supports us to bring our focus and presence back to our body -to live from our body – then this will result in a whole different quality of life.
I love having the picture of the parts of my body being like “an orchestra playing together”, and knowing that if one instrument (part) is out of tune or time it will affect the whole of the orchestra (my body). I feel like the conductor who knows the score but then trusts the various players to play their part, and the more I support them the bigger that trust becomes and the more harmonious the music becomes. Time to tune up this orchestra of mine!
I often relate to my body as if it were a mini universe, like Russian dolls, our cells are when within something, which is held within something etc until we spread far and wide into the sky and space around us. Many universes within universes of varying sizes and structures, we often neglect the fact that we are part of something much greater than ourselves, our local communities, our house, our individual bodies become one thing, an item rather than looking at how we are interlinked.
I love my body’s enthusiasm for ‘what next?’ when I take care of it.
So true, support the body, honour the body and the body builds a vital relationship with life and work so the natural feeling is “what next?” This is not from a place of overwhelm or exhaustion but from knowing you have nurtured yourself therefore you have capacity and a willingness to offer that to others.
There is a huge difference between a body stating: “I am exhausted and depleted by the disregard in which I have been run” to one that states: “I have been honoured and supported. I’m up for whatever is next”.
We spend a lot of time and focus on developing skills in order to be better able to respond to life, yet one of the greatest ways to empower ourselves is through paying attention to, honouring and supporting our body.
What a beautiful and supportive sharing of the harmony and love which our body is naturally . Connecting to and living this is the only way in our every movement we do and really makes all the difference.
An image of the inner workings of a clock, all cogs and wheels turning, doing their part that in turn, turns other cogs and wheels… one part can’t do without another … which demonstrates just our body is out of this world- ‘hi-tech’ when it comes to maintaining balance and order.
It is easy to come apart if we work in parts.
I love the point that’s made about when we are aware of the whole of our body and its interconnectedness as we go about our day, the tasks that we are involved in are not exhausting. This is very interesting because it means that we can have a super busy day doing a lot of things and not be exhausted by it. But that’s what we automatically think that a busy day equals exhaustion. In fact we are exhausted by thinking about our busy days. I feel that is the give away, because we set ourselves up before we even start our days. But being very simply with our body, you still get through the same day, but in a different way, a different quality because the foundation is how you are with your body and always coming back to that during the day rather than getting through the day in whatever way possible.
To stop and consider that even the way we hold a knife to cut vegetables can have an impact on the rest of our bodies is probably not something many of us do. But to have it explained in the way that you have here, it makes complete sense that unless we aware of how we are standing, the whole of our body will be impacted in one way or another. And of course the same will go for absolutely any activity that we do.
“Is it any wonder humanity is so exhausted?” Such a great question. We are so instilled from birth that the way we move does not really matter but it really does! And it makes sense because if we are not with our awareness with what we are doing it will just be done in whatever quality and this can cause tension and pain later on.
It takes less energy to be aware, so why would we choose lack of awareness. It is such a deep question, and i suppose many would argue they are fully aware and feel full of energy. But when you meet people who role model energy and awareness on a scale where they need less sleep and seem able to understand everyday situations, symbology, numerology, the rhythms and cycles of the moon and stars, and respond to life with steady consistency, then you get to see that awareness is scalable and that choosing lack of awareness to any degree is a very strange choice, unless we understand the outplay of energy that means we choose to build or self destruct, moving towards or away from that in every moment.
I love how each part of the body supports another part. If ever we have broken an arm or a leg, have had a plaster cast on, even a small one, we can feel completely incapacitated. It feels quite difficult to function and all the other parts attempt to help to support you. Or even a small problem with the foot will make mobility by car or walking quite difficult. The systems all work together to keep the homeostasis of the body with all parts working in unison.
A car is often used as a reflection of our bodies, but a motorcycle is a better example. A car just takes you someplace, it is like sitting on the couch watching TV. On a bike, you are a part of the moment, and every part is essential to your well-being that requires your total awareness.
I never thought about that before but you are so true, there is an at-oneness with a bike, you move together and your attention to every detail is vital. Yet in a car you can become complacent and zone out, an arrogance of the protection the metal surrounds offer you. I will be much more aware of not sitting in front of the TV when I am behind the wheel of my car!
Gorgeous Amparo – after reading your words I am getting a picture of my body’s parts, a bit like people in a high rise tower block. In day to day life they never usually talk or share anything but live on top of each other the whole time . Now I am feeling what would life be like if they just got together and understood we are here to share, grow and learn, not hide away and stay set in our ways. Hey body it’s connection time! I can see how this applies to me, inside and out.
It is great to be reminded that if we are focusing on our bodies when we are doing some task that we will be aware if some part is not comfortable in its position, standing, sitting or bending. This would be putting stress on that part.
“Every part of the body is able to do its part, supporting the other parts in the activity, leaving the body in no way compromised or harmed. It is easy to see that if we are consciously present, standing with our feet, our legs, our back, our hips and our head in a good even posture, keeping our mind also with the task at hand while cutting the vegetables,” and using our upper arm and not our forearm makes all the difference! When chopping food we can feel the difference different parts of our body plays in this process.
The analogy of our human bodies working in harmony and unity just like an orchestra does is exactly how it is. Beautifully said Amparo.
When we bring harmony to the body and open up a space to let go of the contraction we feel a wonderful sense of unity with ourselves and with humanity.
I am enjoying discovering how precious my arms are. Being the link between our upper body/heart area, and our hands, which are how we touch and hold, it makes sense that they need to be treated with the utmost of love and care.
Beautiful Vicky, I feel inspired to bring this deep love to my arms as well and their connection to our heart, it makes sense to treat them in such a delicate and honouring way.
It is so true that ‘it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves’ so why do I still frequently allow my posture at work to be less than supportive when sitting at the computer and even when I clock it my tendency is to think ‘I will just finish this and then I will adjust it’. I have been given some connective tissue exercises to do during my day and I am finding it much more challenging to commit to these than the ones I religiously do at the start and end of my day and this feels like a great opportunity to explore what gets in the way of me supporting my whole body? Thank you for the super practical example that illustrates the two alternative ways so clearly.
“Much like an orchestra playing together, one out-of-tune sound affects the whole piece being played.”
I love this!
I appreciate so much the possibility of having a body that knows the difference when I am present or not. A body that reflects me very clearly when I am in the mind and therefore no more experiencing harmony in doing what I normally do.
Thanks Amparo and Johanna for this beautiful blog.
I find the body loves to be still and in motion equally and that from stillness the motion has a quality that supports the whole body throughout the day. I have moments of this in activity and it is beautiful, building and deepening my commitment to this way of life is what life is all about for me now.
I love what you are presenting here Amparo. We get taught that is is ok to use only parts of our body and thus we can easily forget that there is always the whole of the body, and that the whole of the body needs to be respected in any moment. You bring a very tangible example how simple it is to include the whole body in everything we do and not check out from some parts or many most of the day.
I have had a tendency to support parts of my body and not all. Which is weird really, but actually really reflects how we can separate the body into parts and not view it as a whole living organism, that is constantly interacting and living in a way that is changing all the time.
Amparo, this completely makes sense; ‘It is not an option for each one to work in isolation and to not always be working together in precise synchronicity with all the other parts’, I can feel how it is often the case that in our society we do not have this whole body awareness and can do tasks in a hard, jarring way, from my personal experience and from what I have observed this is harmful for the body and can cause injuries because there is strain put on certain body parts without there being a harmony and balance with the whole body.
Thank you Amparo for a simply beautiful blog on supporting our whole body, while cutting up vegetables i have been focusing on the movement of my hands I now need to look at my body as a whole and not isolate one part.
What a beautiful understanding of the importance of our bodies parts all working together in harmony and flow or if one part is not the disfunction that arises. So simple so clearly described with everyday living moments that we can all relate to leaving the choices up to us.
We can either honour our body and reap the benefits or we can disregard it and wonder why it has let us down.
We can so easily take our bodies for granted, but we don’t live maximising what our body can offer us.
Amparo, you are offering a simple remedy to so many of our woes.
It is so important to remember that every part of us is connected not only physically but energetically.
I love this Amparo, the respect for every part of the body playing its part to support the whole. There is not one part greater than another, each part knows its purpose and when it all works together, it makes the whole work in beautiful symbiosis and harmony.
We are the makers of our own ills, but we do have a choice to live differently through the connection to our inner soul and listening to our body.
Amparo, love the way you describe the two ways of cutting the vegetables, it brings focus to the importance that we eat and consume what we have previously prepared.. and so preparation in slouchiness means we and those we might be cooking for, also eat and are fed by us that [slouchy] quality too.
‘It is a great understanding to have, to know that each organ, every muscle, the quality of our breath, every bodily system, even down to our cells and particles, plays a significant part in the whole – to either leave us feeling vital or depleted.’ – I am blown away by the stupendous intelligence of my own body and the way it has brought me back to vitality, even coming from a background of long periods of disregard and total depletion.
When we honour the body and what is needed to support it, it lovingly and effortlessly works towards what is needed to be done.
The body parts never truly work in isolation. A hand never works on its own.There is never a hand chopping veggies that does not rely on the eyes, on the legs, on the heart pumping blood, etc. Yet, this does not mean that our way of living and functioning does not lead to specific patterns o configurations of how each body part relate to the other one and that this does not make a difference. It does. The other point to consider is that we can choose to do something isolating us from our being or not. So, isolation or communion has two aspects to it. They are related but different.
This section: “If we choose to not be present in our body, to not feel unity and be aware of the interconnectedness, then we can cause harm to ourselves.” If that was to be studied it would be a miracle to how we understand why illness and disease occur.
When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose. And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!” Love that Amparo – the body always wants to move forward – in a spherical kind of way 🙂
That is true, when we do work with our whole body we can often have as much or more energy afterwards than before.
When in connection with our bodies we are able to move with true purpose, where nothing can be draining as we are not trying or pushing to get things done but instead there is more of a surrender to what is and in that space our bodies deeply regenerate from our connection with the all.
‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!” ‘ – How true, the body can turn around serious conditions or illness and start to heal if it is deeply honoured and by that, truly supported.
Yes and it can even be ‘What’s next? I’m ready for more!’.
Amparo, this is a great example of how we can support ourselves doing everyday tasks. I have noticed that my neck can be strained in a forward position when I am preparing food. This small observation has led to me taking notice of other parts of my body too. When I take all of me into consideration, there is a feeling of flow and connection to myself. Far better than the first way you described.
I know when I am fixed on just one area of my body, for example when I am cutting vegetables, my body is more tense and I cannot feel the beautiful flow within my connective tissue system. When I honour my whole body in the movement everything changes. There is a deep appreciation of my movements, I move harmoniously and I can feel the fluidity within. As I write this I am pondering why I would ever choose to compartmentalise my body in its movements?
Having not honored by body for most of my life time I can definitely say that
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.”
I have spent a long time ridding myself of other people’s ideals and beliefs which I had taken on and claimed in full as mine. Freeing myself of them has allowed my body to open up and it feels amazing to live to now in my body, there is more of me and that is the space I feel in my body.
It makes sense that if we are connected to the whole of us instead of excluding other parts, and at the expense of other body parts, then we will be able to support ourselves in ways that we did not know were possible.
What if in the same way every part of our body is interconnected, each 24 hour cycle or ‘day’ was too? That what happens on Tuesday has a direct correlation and is connected to what happens on Friday, even if it isn’t a temporal consequence of ordering something online for example, but is actually an outplay of how we moved, walked, talked, cooked and slept which could be presented to us in the form of a lesson.
How the microcosm functions will affect how the macrocosm functions. Everything is related.
How glorious to support ourselves in full rather than focusing on one part of us in exclusion to the whole.
“Much like an orchestra playing together, one out-of-tune sound affects the whole piece being played.” When we do things with our whole body we bring all of us to the task at hand. If that is consistent, then we are bringing all of us to all of life, all of the time. This is quite different to doing things while thinking about something else and only being half present with what we are doing. It’s the difference of a life in function and automatic pilot vs one where we are fully engaged with the richness of each moment.
I choose to come back to this blog today to share how much reading this blog and the comments have been supportive to me. Since then I have been much more focussed with my body in daily activities that I would not pay so much attention before. I laugh a lot throughout my day remembering the blog and it is so sweet how the body loves to be treated like this – in my experience I am feeling more at ease and more relaxed in my body.
The signals from our bodies are constant and may sometimes feel unnecessary or too much to take notice of, however the payback if we start to truly honour what we feel is vast and as a bonus it even builds greater awareness.
I have just stepped into an eight hour time difference and then immediately done two back-to-back twenty hour shifts at work. I was very tired at times, but whenever I got tired I took myself for a gentle walk around the space in which I was working and used that walk to reconnect to my whole body. It’s magic. The support and energy that the body is able to deliver and the feeling of how actually we are designed to work (perhaps not quite this hard – and I will get some extra rest over the next 48 hours!). It’s pretty amazing to have done that without caffeine or sugar – our bodies are awesome.
So cool Otto! I had a not so ‘intense’ but similar experience this week when I was very busy with different activities and tasks. I choose to have stop moments whilst doing the tasks to feel my body. If I then noticed any part of the body tense I would deliberately make sure I released any tension in that area. I realised how much I tense my feet throughout my day! On noticing this I also chose mini walks around the dental clinic where I work. Looking back, even that I was not able to complete all the tasks I had planned to, I left each day feeling complete with myself. Thank you super sweet body (sugar free and cafeine free)!
While quite an extreme example Otto, you are right, it does show the capacity of our bodies, and if we are working but still have full regard for us our bodies respond in kind.
Your wonderful blog has really got me pondering on the many parts of my body and how they all work together so naturally. Our job, and a most essential one, is to deeply care for our amazing body so all parts can work in harmony. I have noticed that if I put all my weight on one leg while I am standing – the baby on the hip pose – that every other part of my body feels totally out of alignment; that is how easy it is to upset the harmony of the body.
It’s a simple thing – to be aware of our whole body and the way we are moving but it can make a big difference!
Indeed Fiona very simple, something that I have been exploring after having counted on my mind for so long and being tricked by it – and my always best friend my body always patiently reminds me of it!
Fascia, the connective tissue that holds everything in our bodies and allows it to work together as one. And, our mind thinks it can improve on this process by taking short cuts and skipping bits.
Such arrogance to believe that we know better than the absolute masterpiece that our bodies are.
Of course when you put in like that .. it makes complete sense and we know it, yet we live in a way that separates our body into parts, one where we do as you note above pushing through and being singularly focused on one thing to the detriment of the rest of us we cut ourselves short; imagine driving your car in such a way we don’t, so why treat our bodies in this way. Could it be that we know in ourselves that our bodies heed the call and know the responsibility we all carry and care live, and that we know the best way to sabotage that, namely to compromise the body, and so then we can’t be asked to be more … convenient isn’t it, and yet our bodies keep speaking to us, reminding us that the lesser way we choose to move in is not us and that we are more, and we’re here to live that more.
Thank you for this blog. It is such an important area. I know from personal experience how easy it is to go into automatic action – this tends to involve focusing on the end product and the part of the body that performs the desired action and only paying attention to the rest of the body if it is getting in the way of the outcome or there is pain. This is so far from the honouring of our body as a whole and allowing the wisdom and awareness that we can only connect to via our body to start leading the way.
Being present with only one aspect means to neglect the rest of our body or we could say we are checked out from that rest. When the moment comes to use the rest, a different part or the whole of the body it will not be naturally ready but take a moment or two before we are fully present with it. For most this will be normal and not appear to be a problem as long as we don´t have an experience of being with the whole body. Only then we will be able to realize the effects of compartmentalization and or being checked out.
“…Our body is made of many different parts and every part is naturally connected to all the others. It is not an option for each one to work in isolation and to not always be working together in precise synchronicity with all the other parts…” …. Even though you are talking about the human body, there is symbolism in describing how every single person is a part of the whole of humanity and that we are connected in some way to each other and have the capacity to work harmoniously together.
Isn’t it ironic that the one thing we will never be able to escape from is our body? Clearly, the answers lay within.
I cannot help but think as I read this blog how in the past I would have viewed this simple science as hog wash and of no real importance to the real issues of life. But what if this is the real issue that is part of the cause of it all!
Most of my life I have taken my body for granted and this has been a revealing experience that I wasn’t aware of. When we shutdown and contract from who we are and go into a hardness and a protection in life then it is impossible to feel how incredibly powerful, delicate and precious our bodies are. Self-Love has been my stepping stone to connect and feel this again, something I knew when I was a baby but chose to let it go to conform with everyone else around me.
Completely in sync with you on this one. I too have always used my body as a machine to get things done giving little or no attention to is care or maintenance. That isn’t to say that I have treated it very badly – but it is important to discern that any choices that I have made to “look after my body” have actually come from a desire for it to just to be able to keep on functioning and serve ME in what I as doing…rather than a true love and nurturing of it. This has been the huge sea-change for me. I’m still not anything like there yet..but, more and more, my choices and movements to love and nurture and care for my body are with the intention of it leading me, teaching me, showing me the all that it knows. I want to build that relationship and dialogue so that I can be inspired and led by it. Rather than how it has been thus far with ME telling IT what to do and what I need.
‘Our body is made of many different parts and every part is naturally connected to all the others. It is not an option for each one to work in isolation and to not always be working together in precise synchronicity with all the other parts.’ Compartmentalising our body does not work just as compartmentalising our life does not provide the fullness that is available to us all.
What you are sharing Amparo feels very simple and true; being aware of whole body rather than just one part, we are then present in our bodies and moving in an honouring and loving way, this simple way of being would make a huge difference in our society – there would not be the huge levels of illness and disease that comes from our unloving and disconnected way of living.
I love this Brendan. It is so true. When we are while in ourselves we are then able to observe and bring understanding.
Our body is like an ecosystem. You cannot make a change in one part without it affecting the whole body. Modern medicine has tried to break down and treat the body in parts, but Plato warned of this being impossible and unwise well over two thousand years ago. We think we are getting smarter but sometimes I wonder…
Love this Fiona. Made me chuckle because I wonder the same thing.
Focusing on the detail and each and every pocket of life is indeed wise – for our life will be one of heavenly substance or otherwise sounds or looks good perhaps but lacks the true quality of love.
I like what you present here Amparo, the importance of working with the whole at all times.
Beautiful reminder that every movement matters. We are either moving with the all which includes all our body, or moving to what is not, which likes to separate all, even our body.
Great blog Amparo and Johanna – I love how you have pointed out how we cannot put our focus on just one part of the body and ignore the rest. This fits in beautifully with the universal law that we are all part of a greater whole, and that whatever we do will affect the whole. Separation is not who we are.
Then what if we then looked at our whole body as an organism that is one simple part of a whole, and it needed to align to the other parts in harmony so we could all return to brotherhood? ‘When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.’ Could it be our true purpose is to orchestrate our life to be one of Love and Oneness so that we all feel equally Loving in our food preparation?
How can we expect to receive or apply any form of holistic healing treatment when we as a patient or a practitioner don´t hold every part and aspect of our body and who we are as a whole person with equal value? Same applies to respecting and honouring every person just the same, oneself included, without any difference. We initiate wholeness, it is an attitude or philosophy, a general relationship with life.
This is exactly what the Pythagoreans were talking about over 2500 years ago maybe it is time to rejoin this level of truth? This is great what you have shared Alex, as we can all treat our body and not simply one aspect that happens to call out at any given moment, because in treating the whole we take away those moments. And agreed, our ‘general relationship with life’ should be one of wholeness or philosophy that is one with love.
‘When we work in this way the activity is not an effort, but something enjoyable that offers more energy to us because we have been present while doing it, therefore not draining ourselves by exerting extra energy than needed.’ In fact working in this way energises and sustains you.
‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”’
This is brilliant.. How often do we look for problems to solve or fix outside of us, forgetting all along that the simplicity of the above sentence holds the answer to everything.
I resisted developing a present and respectful relationship with my body for a long time thinking exactly that it was an extra thing to do that I didn’t have time for. It is amazing to realise that the opposite is true… that by being aware of my body as I go about my day, I have a guide, support and barometer with which to attend to things with a greater quality and am not in the disregard which leads to depletion.
It’s lovely to feel how the body responds to us being consciously present within it. Every adjustment, however tiny, is met with a release of tension and a surrrnfering into ourselves that is full of appreciation.
Beautifully said Lucy, when we bring presence and love to our body we create space within.
So much of life is lived ahead of ourselves, doing one thing being focused on another. It wastes a lot of energy unnecessarily and the task is often not completed any quicker. Moments of presence in and with the body feel very nourishing and there is always spaciousness.
I remember someone saying to me that a person they knew had had their gallbladder removed but that it didn’t matter as the gallbladder didn’t really do anything. It felt odd to me at the time that we would have an organ unnecessarily and now I know for sure that we don’t. Every single part of our body contributes to the whole of us, as does every single one of us contribute to the whole.
Great 2 examples here, of how we can cut veggies, we can reflect on the quality of every activity, move we make, how we do it matters so much more than the actual activity. What is our relationship with our body in each moment? Being present changes our relationship deeply.
I am working in an environment where I am regularly on my feet a lot of the day and using my hands so when I started to bring in self-love I started to realise that for me to be able to do such work and hours I would need to nurture myself. Simple things like hand cream, massaging my feet and drinking water even though I can think I am too busy.. Making that time to look after myself means I can do so for others.
We have to live with and in our body, there is no escape – so why not treat it as a whole rather than segregating it into parts, some liked and others not.
Thank you Johanna, it was great to read about the difference to our vitality when we are always present with and attending to the whole body’s needs.
I know I’ve hurt my back in the past by going to pick something up; not aware of my whole body but just thinking about wanting to move something or just my upper body but now when I go to pick something up or push open a heavy door and do it with awareness of my whole body I move in a different way and one that just knows both the way to do it that doesn’t put excess strain on any part and also is more aware of my physical limitations…
As I feel my body this morning, I can feel how important every part is, down to my toes. My toes on each foot all work together to steady, stabilise and balance my foot when I am standing and they stop me falling over. As I take a step, the big toe of the moving foot does the push off to propel me forward, while the toes on the standing foot hold the body steady so it can be propelled forwards. The steadiness of the body’s intelligence inside us energetically supports the steadiness of the physical function.
When we treat the body in parts, we weaken ourselves and the power of the body to tell us what is true for us – when we live in a way that supports the whole body, it will support us straight back and guide us in what is true for us.
We can support ourselves hugely by being present. It is the most loving act ever.
“When we are present with ourselves we are able to take the care of our body in a way that allows each part to be everything it was designed to be… and thus US being everything we were designed to be in life”. Love this Johanna and your simple everyday example of how every part matters and that by simply being aware we can know how to truly support our whole body.
Imagine if the sun gave up, did its own thing and could not be bothered to shine just for one day – the whole world would be plummeted into darkness and nothing would thrive nor flourish. It is the same when we withhold our true love and care and adopt instead a way of living at odds with the whole we are a part of. Energetically speaking, we are living in darkness because we are denying the world the warmth of our true self – the light of the burning Son.
We often get by on function alone, satisfying ourselves with getting something done and completing a task but we rarely consider how we are doing what we are doing – are we present, or thinking about something else, are we compromising our bodies to get the job done
The human body is symbolic of all of life in that everything is connected to everything. We may think that an unresolved argument and tension from the recesses of our closed up home doesn’t have an impact much further afield – but it does. We live in a world of energy first and foremost and everything we do has an impact on the whole. Our bodies can teach us so much when we begin to have a true relationship with it, one where we respect its limitations and care for it deeply. It will teach us about ourselves, life and the entire universe – because its intelligence belongs to a much grander source.
When we reduce the body to mere function we do not just bludgeon ourselves. We bludgeon humanity as a whole.
We may not be aware of it but by favouring certain parts of our body, e.g. by giving much care to our hair or face, fingernails or body shape or the sensation of tasty food in our mouth we neglect other parts. This creates an imbalance as neither are the parts nor is the whole considered equally.
When we are only aware of of the movements of our hands cutting carrots and put our whole focus on that, every other muscle in the body is strained and pulled out of alignment, and in contrast, feeling the energy and connection with our whole body supporting the action means the actual task is performed lightly, easily, with less force and effort and becoming aware of the way the knife we are using does most of the work for us. A very clear description of the two ways, Johanna, and there are only the two, and one is loving and the other is abusive, to the carrot and the knife as well! I bet the carrot is a lot tastier too if it is cut up with love,
I love the two scenarios you have depicted, Johanna, as a super clear presentation of how everything matters, and what big a difference it can make to be open and responsive to the subtle messages from the body.
Well said Janet – everything matters… it makes sense, we are part of everything and our bodies are a whole unit of expression so it is very important how we live, care for and move… every detail matters.
After a demanding week at work I realised when i came away on holiday last week that in my rush to get everything done I had failed to listen to my body. At what point this happened I do not know but during the week my body was just about forgotten and today I am feeling the difference of living a life in connection once again. Even as I type I can feel how lovely it is to feel the delicateness as I touch the keyboard. Committing to staying with myself in all i do is very much a work in progress but so very worthwhile doing.
The orchestral metaphor for the body is wonderful… I mean, would you really go and see an orchestra where the trumpets were just simply doing their own thing, where the percussionist had far too much caffeine and was playing totally out of time? Of course not.
Chris this really brings home how the quality of our vibration affects the whole. If we could hear energy we may get a rude shock… though we are naturally feeling and often reacting to the disharmony.
No one would be left in the seats if this happened.
Every part matters, every movement matters, every moment matters.
Imagine if we all actually lived this awareness, the world we live in would be so much more harmonious. Each one of us being responsible for our part.
Absolutely everything matters.
It is so simple really, as long as we are present with what ever task we are doing the quality of the task will be superb and we will feel energized and at one with our body. Win, win situation all around.
And that quality spreads and generates throughout the whole body. Amazing.
It seems to make perfect sense that if we only have regard for certain parts of our body in what we do then we also only bring part of us, in terms of quality, to that which we do. In being aware of and bringing attention to our whole body in what we do we bring all of us, our full quality, to what we do.
Driving our bodies to simply function without regard so readily leads to depletion and exhaustion. And yet when we support and honour our bodies they respond and flourish to daily work and purpose.
Yesterday I went to eat my dinner, but something about it didnt smell right so I didnt eat it. I have a very acute sense of smell and can detect something bad a mile off, and when I pick this up particularly with food, its almost as if my stomach is already rejecting it. In the past I have had a tenedency to try and convince myself on occaission that it will be ok, Im healthy and my body can cope with something that may not be quite as fresh as it could be. But why override such a clear message that is coming from my stomach, that has not even eaten the food, in order to placate my mind? Honouring my body in this way, by appreicating how every part is so interconnected, does feel very lovely.
It’s so easy to motor through a day on autopilot that we don’t realise how we’re carrying ourselves. It can be exhausting. Sometimes I find that asking ‘how do my feet feel’ can be all it takes to check in.
I love these simple little reminders and ways to reconnect and instantly the whole body is aligned and with me. I am often looking for or thinking where is the punishment surely I can’t be so way off and then connect back instantly – yet we can. It shows how much the body is working for and with us to support us being all the love that we are and that it does not hold onto any past hurts or choices.
Yes I agree, Nick, the building of my relationship with my body is based on really simple things like feeling the quality of my fingertips as I type.
Our feet and our hands are great markers for us to use in our day. I love seeing and feeling the delicateness in my hands as I drive and connecting to how they feel, the quality they turn the steering wheel in and so on. Also with my feet I love feeling the pressure disperse as I walk, how my feet feel in my shoes and the quality of my walk.
Brilliant Johanna what a beautiful sharing on the love and importance of taking care of every part of our body and feeling it all the whole and who we are. The awareness of our body and our movements makes so much difference as does the changes this highlights for us to honour and move differently if required.
Thank you Tricia. Amparo and I enjoyed working with our unique flavours to bring this blog to be what it is presenting. We could say we were two bodies working in harmony.
Whole body awareness leaves me feeling settled in my body, aware of what is going on and what is needed, calm and confident, whereas if I am in my head during a task and unaware of my body then this feels empty, unenjoyable and leaves me feeling tired and flat.
It is amazing the quality we can bring to a task when we are aware of our whole body and make sure everything is the best possible position and to look at the technique we are using whilst being present as well.
A gorgeous example of how a trained mind is not per se a true mind. And so where do we base our choices on, and where do they come from?
It would seem just a given that we would have our whole body with us when we do something, but when the focus is on only ticking a box as quickly as possible so you can move onto the next thing, sadly the whole body gets left behind and the mind takes over. That’s when nervous energy kicks in and adds that tension to the body that didn’t need to be there. Better to stay with the body and listen to its promptings.
Every detail counts in every moment – a moment of escape or check-out leave leaves us ill-equipped and at the mercy of whatever comes our way rather than fully present to respond and to serve.
Its interesting to see how each organ in our body has a specific role yet works tother with other organs in a harmonious way to make the body as a whole function well, And then there are our thoughts, ideals and beliefs that come into the arena (body) and that make us take choices that then consequently have the ability to overrule or dominate the natural working order and harmony of each organ.. Just goes to show us how important it is to connect to and know your body and listen to it rather than simply follow through with thoughts, habits or patterns.
Love this expression Jo. Thank you. It would make a great blog. As I read it I imagined animated body organs speaking to each other as they worked harmoniously.
A great reflection of life – for each and every movement in presence or without it, creates the life we will go on to leave.
And the life we will eventually return to next time round.
Focusing on the whole body is a great exercise in conscious presence
When “keeping our mind also with the task at hand while cutting the vegetables,” and then keeping the mind with the same importance with the cooking so; “What’s next? I’m ready for that!” Could it be then to bring our focus with the same importance on the energy we eat our food in?
I agree that the body thanks us when we allow it to work in harmony with the task at hand as opposed to trying to get it to be a swiss army knife. Even reading this article, I found challenging to simply just read it, as my mind kept drifting off to all the other things I had to do…I then felt my forehead frowning, which was interesting, because it certainly wasn’t due to what I was reading.
Just having the awareness allows us to make adjustments and have another choice. Amazing.
When I’m feeling tired in what I’m doing I know that by paying more attention and feeling my whole body in what I’m doing reconnects me with how to move in a way that supports me rather than tires me out.
It’s that simple. Honouring the tiredness, moving to support the body and saying no to going into any drive to meet tasks or expectations at the expense of our body and being.
Thank you Johanna, with this mind dominated approach to living, it is easy to see how and why anxiousness has become such a huge part of our everyday lives as in this way we are always asking the body to be in several different activities at once, whereas with the whole body approach to life, the body simply has to do what is needed at that time, with purpose.
Very true Shami. And when we allow ourselves to get into the anxiousness, even a low grade version which I can catch myself at times entering into – then we are not letting ourselves to truly feel, to express as needed hence we leave ourselves in a position to not listen to the communication of how we need to support ourselves deal with what is before us – as we are not present. It’s also good to note that we are so sensitive to what we feel in the world that it can feel too much at times so it appears difficult and like something we don’t want to be aware of. Yet we are always equipped to deal with everything before us when we choose to remain with ourselves.
This really highlights how tired we can become when we do daily tasks in that first way you describe, focussing only to the active part doing the task and forgetting the rest of the body – a way of doing something that is so common – and therefore we have a population walking round more tired, run down, exhausted and burnt out than we should have.
What if the remedy to the exhaustion epidemic we have at the moment was as simple as what is presented in this blog – could it be that simple?
A beautiful reminder Joanna08smith, that it can be that simple.
Our responsibility is in ensuring that we take immense care of our bodies so that they always feel fit for purpose and then every task is a joy, a true labour of Love.
Just letting ourselves feel and be aware of our body, and be completely comfortable with being in our body is a game changer. For it is from here that we can then honour, support and adjust as needed to hold our amazing inner quality.
Huge game changer learning to be content within our own body. It’s a contentment that doesn’t need anything from the outside (job, car, money, partner, house down to someone saying please/thank you) it’s a feeling of steadiness that enjoys life whatever is thrown our way.
Not only is every part of our body interconnected but we too as individuals are not individual at all (whatever we like to think) but part of a far greater whole!
The feeling of ‘what’s next’ is a great key to how I have been up till that moment. If this feeling isn’t present then bringing conscious presence to my posture and my movements can support a flow that has spaciousness for more.
It’s very interesting to consider just how we can sometimes only focus on certain parts of the body which are in use in certain activities and can forget the rest of our body – in this way even when we consider ourselves to be present in what we are doing we are only present with part of it.
Well said Michael for when we separate our body into parts we lose the unity that provides the very foundations of harmony and grace from which we stand.
When our mind is thinking one thing and body another we are living in two times at once – how exhausting is that?
Taking the time to clock how what are truly feeling and the way our body is responding to how we are using it and so re-adjusting our movements, is true medicine.
Sitting at the computer as many people do all day and every day is a time when we can so easily lose ourselves. We can become caught in work and not notice how uncomfortable our body feels. It is so important to remain aware that the quality of what we are doing is reflected by the quality of how we are at any given time.
From personal experience as well as from working with people I know how little our awareness of and with the body usually is, for some to the point that they don´t even know how to start doing it or being able to hold focus for more than some seconds. It simply shows how much we have lost touch with feeling the body, with our sensitivity and sense of care for ourselves. But actually it is not hard or complicated, it is just a matter of doing it; then we can come back quite quickly to our natural connection with our body.
Agreed Alex, it does become simpler and simpler to feel when our movements do not support our ‘natural connection’ and then start to move in a way that returns us to be connected again. Movements are everything we do, including speaking, so there are many aspects that can simply bring a connection to our divine self.
I like what you share here about it taking less effort being present and that you are ready for the next thing.
Johanna this is an awesome blog, the simplicity in it is very powerful. its simplicity we often ignore.
There is so much richness and understanding available to us when we return to simplicity – our true rhythm and flow.
Perhaps we ignore it consciously because with this simplicity comes space and within that space is the call for us to be more and live a greater responsibility? Thus we actually like keeping it complicated because the over-whelm is more comfortable place to be.
Yes it is somewhat like being on a merry go round where there is no space to feel true purpose as we are so wrapped up in the ride.
A good analogy. Except that with a merry-go-round, it’s actually jolly hard (and dangerous!) to step off once the ride has started. Yet, in our lives, we are totally free to step off at any single moment that we choose and, far from it being dangerous, it is actually exactly what our body needs!
Hah! As I was reading this article I was focused on the screen – when I considered what was shared I stopped. I realised I was sitting at my computer and reading without being conscious of my body.
I made a point of feeling my legs, my hips, my back, my arms, and then when I continued reading I felt the impulse of wanting to joyfully move my feet and my shoulders, and I surrendered to that feeling. What a delight and so simple. Life can be so much more joyful when we choose to stay connected to our bodies.
Golnaz I love your comment as it reminds me of what I often forget to do at work when writing on the computer. And as I work if I am connected with my body I am also more connected with the wisdom it comes from.
Every part of our body does matters. Just ask the little finger when it is cut how the rest of the rest of the body feels from the sharpness of the sting. One part, (even the tiniest part) can affect how the whole body can feel and how it functions.
It is amazing how just shifting my posture slightly can bring me back to me and I then feel so different about my body and how I feel about myself. The problems and issues that were there disappear and there is much more clarity in my thoughts. As I sit at my desk now I am much more aware of my body and as soon as something doesn’t feel right or I catch myself slouching I change my posture and it feels like I am re-aligning with not just me but everything around me.
I agree Alison just a simple shift of posture can bring me back to me and it can also change the quality we drive in. Today in the car I focused on opening my upper body, relaxing my hands on the steering wheel, adjusted how I was sitting and brought more awareness to my body and the quality of my driving changed and I felt so delicate in my body.
Indeed, Johanna. When we start to listen to the body it communicates even the subtlest of compromises, so we can learn to adjust and develop a whole new level of harmony in our posture and movements.
We love working together, yet we’ve allowed so much interference to interfere with this natural way of being, of living our life. The way we are with ourselves, is the way we are with the world. If we choose a deep connection with our body, we are able to work intimately together.
Being with our body is something I am still learning. In that unfoldment in accepting and appreciating my body for the magic it holds, I feel more and more often how being with my body is in fact most natural. Isn’t it amazing that I’ve ran a million miles from my body and nobody told me that within me are all the answers I am actually seeking. Whole-body-intelligence, I feel the power and truth of it. Thank you Serge Benhayon for living your life from whole-body-intelligence.
It can be so easy to compromise the body in order to just get something done, and then suffering after – this always happens if I carry something to heavy, pushing through and carrying my shopping all in one go or not asking for help, I wake up and the next morning always feel like I have pulled something in my arms/legs/back and it takes me a second to remember what it was that I did – and then it hits me, ah yes I made a task yesterday more important than my body and now, I am being reminded. The body is a system that is designed to work together in respect of its limits.
Johanna what you are sharing with us all is so needed because I feel that there isn’t any other voice out there in society that has described our bodies and what happens to them in such minute detail as Serge Benhayon. He explains the science of our bodies, nature,the universe, everything is known to him and he explains it all to everyone in such simple terms and it makes such sense. I disliked education intensely growing up but I could listen to Serge Benhayon all day and everyday as he is a unique educator in as much as he always says we know what he knows; he is connected to the universal mind and we have disconnected from it. But he never lets us forget we know everything too. Which to me is completely in contrast to the current way of education which seems to be sit still and I’ll tell you what the authorities want you know.
Love this Elizabeth, and when our body and all it’s parts are working effortlessly together, the vitality, flow and joy is a marker for how we can be together.. as humanity.
I agree, it takes less energy to be aware, present and support ourselves and you get more done in ease because you are in rhythm that flows and you enjoy all you do .
This awareness is important 24/7 and can be practised in specific scenarios as a way to build consistency, for example, when we are in our car, or opening every door, going through doorways and gates, walking to the toilet. Starting in small ways helps us to develop it more.
“It is a great understanding to have, to know that each organ, every muscle, the quality of our breath, every bodily system, even down to our cells and particles, plays a significant part in the whole – to either leave us feeling vital or depleted.” Indeed it is Johanna, for without one part we do not have the whole.
When our movements are aligned with purpose there is an expansion around our bodies and where previously we used to struggle with time there is now space to serve and inspire others to be more of who they truly are.
Wow what an interesting share, being present with the body all the time, staying as one instead of in parts & ignoring the other parts of the body.
It is amazing how the body will naturally adjust in various parts where we may be holding tension when we are present with it and honouring of it. We don’t have to try which is exhausting.
I love what you share Joanna “When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” this is great what you share, when we honour our body in the movement and task at hand how supportive it is and leaves us with more vitality and not exhausted.
Even all the parts together do not constitute the whole. The whole is something that must be lived without any identification of “parts”.
My posture affects how I feel, the quality of my thoughts, the quality of my actions and the quality of energy I choose. Checking my posture constantly and correcting it to support every part of my body make a huge difference to everything.
Whenever I have a negative thought or when I am not appreciating my body I know that I am not going deep enough with self-acceptance. I have just realised that to respect and treasure my body in the same way that I treasure my soul is to flavour my life with lightness and joy. To hold anything as more valuable than anything else is to invite in contraction and hardness. I have been treating my body as subservient to the energy that is coming through it – a cool revelation to understand that my body deserves and needs to be honoured (my mind staying present with it) as much as I can – not simply because I want to be present and benefit from its wisdom but because my body belongs to the universe and it deserves to be loved and cherished.
Isn’t it gorgeous when you fire up your computer and there in front of you is exactly the article that you needed to read. The quality of the way we move has a profound effect on how we feel about ourselves and our environment/ those around us, it changes the quality of our thoughts and our expression so it makes sense to be with our bodies rather than disconnected and living from our heads.
When I let my mind dominate, I’m left drained and exhausted as my mind flits from one anxiety or concern to the next, there is no steadiness or stillness that is there when I am present with my body.
Function vs flow
flow wins hands down
Spot on
The example you give of chopping vegetables is interesting in that I feel it is through re-correcting our bodies in these simple tasks that we can start to build a momentum of full-body-awareness; so that whatever life throws at us, that becomes our natural choice.
It is so true that if we undertake any activity with an awareness of how to support the whole body that we maintain our vitality and do not end up drained – such a simple answer to the current plague of exhaustion.
Johanna, since reading this article yesterday I have been much more aware of how my whole body is during a task, I noticed while leaning over to settle my son at night that if I checked how my whole body was then there were many adjustments that were needed and so I have been honouring these, I love this whole body intelligence and checking with tasks how the body wants to move and align itself.
Very cool. There is so much detail in how much we can be present and with ourselves. I find it a lot of fun to feel the loveliness of my movements and quality. The more I do this in areas then the easier it is for me to consciously register when I am not with that settled, whole and surrendered feeling.
It is possible to choose to be present with everything that we do. The reality of this is not so easy, but committing to it shows us the areas where we find it hard to be present.
And another reality is that it takes quite a bit of effort to not be with our bodies too. It just so happens sadly so, that we are more familiar with not being present so it takes a little while to reacquaint ourselves to what is simple and natural and to let go of the over drive and complexity.
When we get a new car, it comes with the basics of everything we require to get us where we are going. There are a lot of things we will never use or just take for granted they are there. We can add bits that can increase our experience and comfort. When we support our vehicle of expression, the open road always awaits us!
It is a very wise thing, in what ever we do to consider the entire body, as sitting here at my desk reading this blog and writing this comment I realised how unsupportive the slouched position I was in was to my whole body and how just a minor adjustment would be so beneficial.
My feeling today on reading this blog is that humanity is much like the human body and if one country or group or even a single person is not loving then it affects us all.
Great point, Andrew – one body, one humanity.
Because we have been encouraged to look outside of ourselves we tend not to trust our bodies and what we feel to be true. We have all these pictures of what we think we need to feel and be but are totally not from our beingness within. Returning to this quality and connecting with our body in this way holds an abundance of wisdom and truth.
I’ve done a fair amount of catering in my life and recognise these two different ways that get highlighted when you multiply them into a 12 hour shift… the first always ends with a bang, a crash, or invariably an ouch (sliced finger or burnt hand). The second gets me to pay attention to the balls of my feet, to keep the knife sharp, to stay with what I’m doing – and of course that quality then ends up in the food itself.
Well said Simon, very true.
‘Hello mouth, hello legs. Hello arms and hello feet’. A friend of mine has a song that goes like this.. she likes to sing it in the morning as if to reconnect to each body part. How crazy is it that we even need to do this? But this is the reality I find myself in, suddenly realising that I have been carting round my body parts like old rags and bones. Just because we can move in different bits doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for us. Thank you Johnanna for this gorgeous blog and reminder to live and move with all of us.
It makes me wonder… what if one part of our body is not right, what effect does that have on my whole body? For example, what if I overeat and my stomach is still uncomfortable the next morning? How does that effect my other organs? Or the way I move? Or even my thoughts?
Great questions. Imagine if we were taught to question like this in our health lessons at school.
True – if we added this extra dimension to biology it would make school much more interesting – not to mention that’s it’s important for us to be fully informed on what really happens before we make decisions on how we choose to use (or abuse) our body.
I love this, Johanna …. ‘And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”’ …. this is living from the front foot, being proactive in life, being responsive to what is there to be done, rather than being on the back foot and just coping with life. Each scenario feels completely different, one is filled with exhaustion, lethargy and overwhelm, the other is light, joyful and divine.
I like the analogy of an orchestra and one out of tune note. On an even more subtle level, there is a big difference where the musicians play as individuals rather than with awareness of the whole. They may play their notes well and precisely but the whole outcome lacks cohesion and unity. It is remarkable when we learn to sing or play in the fullness of who we are, and in the awareness that we are part of that greater body that is the orchestra, the choir…and humanity…the resultant sound and feeling so much more harmonious.
There is a magnificent communication system within our body, designed to make sure no part of the body is left disharmonious as this leaves the whole body less. Wouldn’t it be awesome if our relationships had this level of integrity and communication, where no one is disregarded, treated as less or left out and we realised that disharmony in one part of the world very much affects the whole.
It would be very awesome. To see everything from the quality of love we hold within and that it is that we share with others equally. So there would be no room at all for the games of ‘I really love this person’ and ‘I don’t like that person too much’ etc. It would be impossible to calibrate the way we express around others.
I have been practicing a STOP ALIGN MOVE way of being in the world and this is making a huge difference to how I am with myself in everything that I am doing. So I stop, feel the fullness of myself and then move into the activity of what I need to do. This supports the whole body and being and brings a sense of true purpose and focus.
And everyone gets to be with that fullness and the blessing of all you do in that. Gorgeous.
Nothing is separate from anything… what you’ve shared here Johanna is just a small part of the microcosm that is within a much bigger ‘whole’. Everything we do affects everyone, meaning each movement contributes something to the everything we all live in. Just as we cannot isolate any body part and ignore another, the same applies on every other level of life too.
Very true Jenny. If we start with the simple it then expands and automatically is in line with the greater whole also.
Exactly, we have only to look after ourselves and our own backyard so to speak, and the greater takes care of itself. Super simple!
Thank you for your sharing Johanna. When we are with our body you say “Activities do not become draining but offer the body a vitalised feeling” Beautiful blog .
I love this line. It was one that Amparo brought through. Simple, to the point and very true.
Every part matters, as does every one of us matter. And in the same way that we ignore certain parts of our body, so do we ignore certain parts of our population. One day we will return to the understanding that our notion of separation in anything is pure illusion and that in truth there is actually only God, the One and only thread that binds the Universe.
Gorgeously expressed Alexis. Thank you.
When the head is busy doing one thing, and our body undertaking another action, it is like we are living two days worth, all crammed into the one. And yet, this is a very typical way of living as a human being and, as you say Johanna, no wonder exhaustion is so prevalent.
Every part of our body does indeed matter – there is a whole body intelligence that maintains constant balance and harmony 24/7. And yet the way we can view our bodies is like compartments – we can judge one part as being ok, another not, etc, and then treat our bodies in the same way – paying attention to some areas and disregarding others… and yet the whole is not possible without the sum of all the parts.
Its ironic that we spend so much time and energy distracting ourselves in life, and yet…”… it takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves.” There is a vitality when we choose to be aware and present, life flows and there is a harmony that is deeply inspiring.
When we experience this “… it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves” what makes us go the other way and live a distracted life? Could it be that when we are aware we are being asked to be responsible, and in that we then see clearly all our irresponsibility – and we just don’t want to go there?!
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.” So when this level of Love is introduced our movements bring a way of cutting that will deliver harmony to the dinner table. “It is a great understanding to have, to know that each organ, every muscle, the quality of our breath, every bodily system, even down to our cells and particles, plays a significant part in the whole”, so that our “focus being directed” to feel the activity of the part of the hand holding the knife while chopping the vegetables” can be harmonious and thus delivering harmony to the food! So is it any wonder food tastes amazing when prepared with love!
When I allow my mind to wander off and think about all the things I need to do I feel my body go into overwhelm straightaway… showing me that I haven’t even considered if my body is up to doing my list of tasks. The difference in being present with what I am doing is polar opposite, my body feels steady, capable and full of energy for what is needed.
If we use less energy when we’re paying attention to how we feel in each moment then that would seem to be a great motivator to stay present with ourselves all of the time. Often it’s not that we don’t want to, but if we’ve spent a long time not being present and living from our heads, disconnected to the body, to live the other way around – body first, and then mind – takes a bit of practice, and loving commitment. It also takes time to build trust with what we can feel and to act from there instead of what our minds dictate that we should do, so that slowly, trusting what we can feel becomes second nature – our go-to way of doing things, instead of our last resort.
Thanks Johanna for spelling it out so clearly.. that when we are aware of how our whole body feels we actually exert less energy because every part is treated as an essential and equal part of the whole. It’s when we check out and do things on auto pilot that we drain ourselves because in that moment we’re doing several things at once without really paying attention to any of them- a bit like running several computer programmes at once and not being able to focus on any of them properly.
When I first started tuning into my body, I was amazed at what I found out. I never realised how little I actually stood on both feet when doing an activity of say washing the dishes, preparing for dinner, waiting in line, or hanging out the clothes…. I noticed that I often stood favouring one leg. I thought about this and what effect that would have my on hip, and that it must not be favourable. That has slowly changed as I retrained myself to stand on both legs, equally. It is good to tune in.
And then as we finesse and fine tune we get to feel deeper and deeper and with more and more detail. The body never stops chatting to us and supporting us with tips and hints. I reckon I’m still just getting the tip of the iceberg of the communication that it can offer. Much, much more to hear and learn!
We only have to hurt one part of our body to fully appreciate just how interconnected all our body parts are. A compromised posture coupled with a busy mind put our bodies under enormous tension as it struggles to deliver quality movement in the moment and deal with all the future/past activities that our heads are rolling out. The greener and more renewal option is most definitely keeping body, mind and soul all focussed on one activity, the ultimate energy efficient option to take.
I have used many band aids in my life through the first way when chopping vegetables! And not surprisingly when I choose the second option, no bandaids required!
‘If we choose to not be present in our body, to not feel unity and be aware of the interconnectedness, then we can cause harm to ourselves.’ this shows simply that we can avoid our body because of the enormity of what it connects us to.
I love this Johanna – there is always more for a fiery body to appreciate and willingly embrace the next steps back to true evolution.
“And when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”
The difference it makes to overall well-being when conscious presence is offered to entire body posture while doing a task is incredible. We are not the task we think we need to concentrate on, we are an entire being that is simply doing a task and with this awareness comes our whole body intelligence rather than the thoughts in our minds dominating.
Being aware of our whole body and the quality in which we are moving it in whatever it is that we are doing or how we are sitting, standing or even laying down is key if we want to truly express harmoniously.
Great point Fiona I have found that if I want to express myself in full and say everything I want to say in the way I want to say it, then it is my movements leading up to the moment when I express that make the difference between a garbled, restrained expression and a full representation of me and what I want to say to the world in whatever situation.
When we separate the whole, we don’t get to experience the grandness that comes with living spherically.
The parts make the whole together with the whole give the parts their place and purpose, so how could we ever forgo a part and not consider it as equally important as every other part or the whole.
Great point Alex “the whole give the parts their place and purpose”, and “the parts make the whole”. It is so simple yet we don’t stop to connect to this simplicity. Connecting to this knowing and bringing it to our every movement will really support the whole body.
It is so wonderful that you have spelled out here, Johanna, the fact that being consciously present in the body actually makes you feel more vital and energised. Things become effortless because we are in a flow that feels amazing.
Interesting to consider this relationship with our body when we bring time into the equation. Often when we feel behind time or that time is not on our side in that moment then so too do we feel less connected and aware of our whole body. When we feel space in that moment and that there is time then we feel more present as we are not in the future or the past but in the moment with our body.
This is a great example and greatly described what it means to always consider the whole body and not only parts of it.
I agree with supporting every part of your own body. There is many many people in services or in the position of caring and supporting others but it’s not in full awareness of their own body. As Johanna says when the whole body is supported and ‘on’ you have one of the most amazing instruments to deal with life. When it is ‘parts’ you can only deal with ‘a’ ‘part’ of life not all of it.
Thank you. Another great reminder to deeply nurture our body.
As I read this I became more aware of all my body and have been feeling adjustments and settlements going on all over. Awesome reminder to bring the whole of me with me even if I’m not moving very much (especially so in my case as this is when I can tend to forget I have a body if I’m on the computer!).
It is so simple really yet much of Humanity never question the fact that they are not present with their body as it is participating in movements and choices that affect their life. No wonder most people are suffering from exhaustion.
I have to agree with you as I have found also that having awareness and feeling in connection with our whole body whilst we are doing an activity, is actually energising, rather than energy draining.
Appreciating this brings a bonus amount of energy as you can feel the joy and ease of everything we do.
There is a far more natural flow in any task when we remain present and aware of our whole body when doing it…when I become distracted during a task and my mind wanders off I can feel a scattiness and a ”discombobulation”!
Oh I do love that word ‘discombobulated’ – it’s just how it feels, a kind of out of sorts.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that something as simple as the quality of our breath can bring such changes to the whole body. Staying aware and connected to my breath has been very key in being aware of my whole body. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a game changer in this respect.
Having practiced the second scenario more and more in life I do feel ready and willing to go to the next step. And the simplicity is amazing. It still baffles me when I choose to go off into my mind and make life heavier than it needs to be.
I love the examples you’ve shared – thy remind me of times when I’ve cut my finger as a tell-tale that I’m wandering elsewhere in my head while performing a perfunctory task with me utterly vacant, and how vastly different it is when I bring my whole body to what I’m doing. The chopped vegetables feel alive, the meal becomes alive with the fullness and quality brought to it by me choosing presence.
The learning in life for me is to be present and aware of each part so I am with all of me. This is still in progress and by no means perfected, however the dedication and attention I’ve let myself have with this has offered me many many benefits and beauty, compared to before when I was completely just dragging my body around from my mind.
‘The interesting thing is, it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves.’ Yes – I do feel more vital and joyful when I am present and far more drained when I do not. The question then is why do I choose to check out and not feel when I already know this?
This is gorgeous Johanna, to honour every part of the body as equally important. All the parts make up the whole and being aware of the whole body when doing simple everyday tasks like cleaning my teeth or washing in the shower, brings us much more presence to the body in our day. I love what you say “When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.”
So true it is not an effort at all and it does not take any extra time, in fact if you focus on being present with every thing you do you get things done a lot quicker, because you are in a natural flow. Another bonus is you don’t forget where things are and have to waste time looking for them nor do you ever cut yourself as you are so aware of what you are doing. Benefits sure out way the deficits of conscious presence, actually I don’t know of any deficits.
I agree Mary-Louise – being more aware of my body through conscious presence had brought amazing, new normal and natural benefits to every aspect of my life.
And how we are with the chopping of the vegetable then in turn affects the energy of the meal we are preparing and what we are putting back into our or others who are eating the food bodies. Something I am still and forever learning. For me your blog felt deeply healing and so clear and easy to read.
It’s a great point Vicky. How often do we consider that the way we are preparing food for ourselves or others will impact our bodies or theirs. Do we take this level of responsibility every time we are cooking for our family or friends or do we cook with resentment, out if duty or in a rush to fill our stomachs?
That’s a great example of chopping vegetables and it is something that I have been playing with for a long time now. It is something that is never going to be not needed because you have done it once it is a continual and committted process just like body is when we allow to work as a whole.
Nail the simpler stuff and then the foundations are there for when life gets more intense.
I remember injuring a finger joint once to the point where it would not move. It had literally locked into a position and it was not going anywhere. What I could not understand was how all the medics that I saw were only interested in the affected joint, and didnt even consider that it could have been the result of how I had been using another part, or even the rest of my body. My frustration didn’t even touch the sides! We only have to look at something mechanical to see how it takes one part to move something possibly 6 feet away from it, but that is still connected by a series of other parts and movements in between.
Johanna what a great reminder that every part really does matter. I love the example of chopping veggies and how we have two ways to approach everything in life, in presence or without. Like you when I am in presence I feel revitalised and life flows, when I am in the future or thinking about the past then I feel shattered at the end of the day.
I have found that when I practice being consciously aware of my body and how it moves and how I hold it during the day my energy levels are much improved and the degree of exhaustion or aches and pains at the end of the day is much reduced.
“When we are aware, present and with ourselves in full, knowing every part matters, then we can clearly feel how we best need to support each part of our body. Activities do not become draining but offer the body a vitalised feeling.” Makes so much sense. We should all be taught this from day one!
EVERYTHING matters, every part of our body, everything we do, say, think – all our movements – everything matters so much more than we allow ourselves to be aware.
The first way can also result in us cutting our hand instead of the vegetables.
‘it actually takes less energy to be aware, present and to support ourselves.’ I have found this markedly so, it is energising and the body is ready to serve moment to moment.
I love feeling my whole body – I definitely don’t do it enough so this is definitely something to develop. It’s crazy how much our thoughts and our mind can dominate our lives, and we miss out on the simplicity of just enjoying our movements and how every part of our body is feeling.
I agree. And it’s a great marker. If we aren’t enjoying something then it’s more than likely that we aren’t with our whole body.
Very true – how often do we hear someone say they don’t enjoy their job? What if it’s not that they don’t enjoy their job but just that they’re not enjoying their body? Still there are definitely things I don’t enjoy – like ice skating and bowling – but that tends to be because my body gets hurt.
As you say – more often than not I feel it is nothing to do with the job (or whatever it is that isn’t being enjoyed) but more to do with whether we are in/en-joy ourselves.
Treating all parts of our body equally and being aware of all our body as one and with our mind in everything we do to the best of our ability it is the greatest medicine we can give ourselves.
Have the mind and the body working as one and in total presence and we then have a much greater awareness of our body and its intimate and delicate moves. Chopping food is a great example because it can be so easy to go into auto-pilot and let our mind run ahead to what needs to be done next.
Supporting each part of my body can also mean a not holding back through expression. It can mean saying ‘No’. I am present with my body and every time I speak up when I feel to I expand and feel vitalised. Whatever our movement when it is made in connection to our body everyone and everything is being offered evolution.
When we live in fragments chaos is not far behind. Being aware of the body from the inside out we get to move in a flow and a rhythm and our mind is with us.
“When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose” I love this Johanna. We can support ourselves to live life fully. It is up to us.
This is brilliant Johanna, just reading this makes me more aware, and I know exactly what you mean, how much more effortless it feels to do things with the whole body aligned to the task. I often compartmentalise so bring the focus to only the one area of the body, and yet being aware of the whole body transforms the activity. Tasks are actually easier, so the only challenge is to recognise and commit to living with this quality, not always easy at first but totally worth it for the flow it gives us in daily life.
I find when I am with myself there is a spring in my step as everything feels effortless. When I go into the doing of getting something done then it actually feels much harder more effort is required. I really got to feel the difference between the two while swimming the other day.
Joanna, thank you for sharing this; ‘When every part of the body is honoured, the body feels fully supported and able to do its purpose.’ This is really supportive – to have this whole body awareness – checking in with how all of the body is feeling seems like a great way to stay present; checking and making adjustments as necessary.
Multi-tasking is often claimed as an achievement when in fact it can be interfering with our body’s natural ability to support and stay present with the activity being undertaken.
“When we are aware, present and with ourselves in full, knowing every part matters, then we can clearly feel how we best need to support each part of our body. Activities do not become draining but offer the body a vitalised feeling”. Superb conclusion Johanna.
Great practical blog, being present with all that we do makes so much sense, I do a physical job and I am always more tired at the end of the day the more I haven’t been with myself.
When we are connected to our selves, time does funny things? We get more done, no matter how long it takes with as you have said with, little effort. Could this all be to the harmony in our body, that everything just flows?
This blog simply makes a lot of sense, and I can tell how much more energy I have when I am focusing my mind on the task at hand vs. that daydreaming style that always seems exhausting, as if I am in two places at once! I have also noticed that virtually every time I bump into something or hurt myself during physical work, it is a result of not staying present with my body and jumping ahead of myself or thinking about something in the future, which inevitably leads to me moving my body at a faster pace than it wants or in a uncoordinated way that leads to the incident, however minor it may be (no such thing as accidents as everything happens as a result of some energy causing it).We can really learn from these occurrences though, and begin to move in a way that is re-invigorating to the body.
We have an absolutely amazing body comprised of many parts, from the biggest bones to the most intricate of nerves, but as you say “every part matters”. And we are certainly shown with great clarity how each part does matter when one of our parts is not working as it is meant to. Even a tiny paper cut on one finger can affect us as we begin protecting the painful cut and moving our hand in a more supportive way, which then affects how we are holding our arm, to the position of our shoulder and on. As every part is interlinked it makes the quality of every movement we make so very important; so are we supporting our body with that movement, or not?
Presence with our body does not waste any energy and there is more spaciousness and readiness for what is needed.
How much more could we all bring to our everyday activities when we would do it with more presence with our body. Indeed our society is exhausted as you simply can observe in all the energy boosters people are using during the day, from sugary foods, coffee and the fabricated energy drinks to name a few. Substances that we actually do not need at all as they are artificial to our bodies and make it racy and running in disconnection with that warmth and relaxed state of being we are within.
Thanks Johanna, you’ve offered a blueprint for re-imprinting our everyday movements in order to embrace the fact we are a whole being (and body) in every movement, and not just a mouth talking, or a hand chopping, or legs walking.
Being all that we are in any situation is innately joy-full and hence enjoyable. Even the apparently mundane tasks we undertake can be completed with joy in this fullness. It is my conclusion therefore that joy is a consequence of being all that we are, not the result of any particular situation or action.
It is so simple. How we live in our body and do life completely affects our body and subsequently the tightness, tiredness and/or illnesses we experience. The beauty is that we have the choice to be present and aware of our body, to care for it and support it. A living way that supports us to deal with what life brings to us.
‘…when the body feels supported, it says, “What’s next? I’m ready for that!”
I love this. It seems to speak of the very practical ways in which our bodies are there to serve – not serve in a way that’s abusive (far from it) – but there to support our development, our beingness, our purpose… and therefore that of others.
This article is ground breaking in the awareness of how exhaustion is the world plaque it is.
Our bodies movements will always contribute to the quality of the task we are involved with and as you have shared Johanna food preparation is important as the energy that we do things in is transferred. This is why at times at lets say a restaurant, one night the food is amazing, and a week later it is off, because the chef is having a bad night the energy they are in affects the food. So when we are in an energy, which is loving thus “that therefore not draining ourselves by exerting extra energy than needed.” Then “activities do not become draining but offer the body a vitalised feeling.”
I find it so supportive to be able to apply this to my life as everytime life gets demanding all I need to do is to focus on my movements and in that connection space is created for all that is needed.
Every part matters to the integrity of the whole. If we were to live in obedience with this simple truth, we would not have the inordinate amount of ill health, abuse and sadness that so plagues us when we live wayward to this.
When I am completely aware of my whole body I find it talks to me in finer detail and I can feel an expansion all over my body and how I stand too. Being aware of our bodies and our movements gives us greater opportunities to learn more about how we like to move and how we don’t. The body working as one is a beautiful thing and one that can be explored and refined over our entire lives.
At work I find that I am in the belief that I need to make it about everyone else first and I pretty much hit the ground running. In this I don’t notice what I need and often feel exhausted by the end of the day. However, on the times where I have taken more care for me first- it is a different experience. I don’t take on what is not mine to fix, I am better able to handle situations that are before me and I get more done as I am not so tired or distracted.
I love reading these blogs because they bring so much wisdom into the every day. I chop veggies a lot and now after reading this, I will be much more aware of how I am when I do that. Even sitting in bed today reading this blog, I re-adjusted my posture to suit the whole body. And now tuning in, it told me it wants to go to the loo so off I go! 🙂
A wonderful description Johanna of how we can approach tasks. I’m great at staying connected with my body in the kitchen, but not at my computer. Your blog is reminding me to practice body awareness equally at my desk.
Reading this reminds me of ants. When left alone they go about there daily business with no fuss , all doing their duty to support each other , for the ant colony to be harmonious . The body for me is the same, being connected with all of me , having a duty of responsibility to ever aspect of my body no matter what I am doing, and at all times.
Sadly we have grown up in a fast paced world where multitasking is considered a necessary skill and often championed yet without any recognition or thought given to the connection or quality in which things are done. Our bodies are extraordinary in the way they work but to dishonor this by attempting to make it function in parts is detrimental not only to our health but to what we could otherwise offer if we gave everything our all.
It is a great example, cutting vegetables for I have found myself putting one shoulder higher to get more weight into the cutting process. I end up using muscles unnecessarily and creating more tension and poor posture. Keeping knives sharp is one self loving thing and using the right knife is important too – I have a particular knife I like to use because it’s not too heavy and it feels balanced in my hand, but for some jobs I choose a smaller one. Small details like this can make a huge difference to our body’s health.
I can really feel this when I bring focus to just one part of my body when I walk – it connects all others and so the whole body comes into awareness.
It’s amazing – I didn’t realise I had a sore foot until the end of the day a few weeks ago. It was only when I brought my attention/awareness to my feet that I realised it.
I agree – when the body is given permission to just be, it leads us in a way a mind is not capable of coming up with, and I am constantly surprised by how easy and simple things can be.
Such a great point you raise- our awareness doesn’t take more time or add to the chores. It is as simple as breathing our own breath we just need to bring our conscious presence to the choice we have.
I have also discovered this Johanna, only yesterday I had a moment of appreciation how I am instantly aware if I’m compromising my body to complete a task. This awareness is supper supportive for not feeling exhausted at the end of the day.
Johanna you have presented one of the most revelatory keys to human life in the simplest of ways. If people were to adopt this way of being i.e. to have their mind spread throughout their body whilst they went about their day, then human life would recalibrate over night and we would wake up to a different world.
Great reminder Johanna – re-developing and deepening our awareness of the whole body is absolutely key in every situation in our daily life.
The body is the marker of truth which is something that Serge Benhayon has presented over and over. The body is a living history of everything you have lived and it will show you what and isn’t working for it – but are we listening?
I love reminders like this, because they remind me immediately how I’m doing Option 1 while reading. It takes a lot of practice, at least I know it does for me to remain present and on task. I’m always pulling myself in several directions, still walking when I’m doing something that you can’t actually do while walking for example, or do very well anyway. When I have practiced being present in what I’m doing, I notice that I actually take no less time, and am in effect more efficient, so all the time saving I thought I was doing before then just wasn’t actually real.
We think we are used to moving our body as one – after all when I got out of the bed just now it’s not as though my arm got left behind on the mattress is it? But if you have ever stopped and deliberately focused on feeling and connecting to your whole being, then moved with the awareness of every thing, you’ll know it’s completely a different thing. Instead of moving and forcing the rest of the body to follow, this is like saying yes and activating every cell. Thank you Johanna for this reminder of how the true flow in our bodies can work with the whole.
This blog sounds simple but it actually can make a huge difference. A friend of mine always walked with a push, getting tired quickly. Working without a push actually allowed her to work faster with less effort.
Agreed. So many of us live by doing when it comes to going about our daily tasks. If the ‘live by being’ comes first, it brings a different quality to what we have to do – and is often less tiring.
Wow how beautiful to feel the true alignment of our body and the honouring of it in total support and awareness with all we are, our movements and our daily tasks. This allows true purpose and rhythm with the universe and all around us and the sharing of this is very inspiring and real bringing simplicity and love to our bodies and our self in every way.
Yes, when I support my body there’s a real celebration and it responds with, yes what’s next?!
Moving with our whole bodies really is a win win situation, because the whole universe is basically backing you because of the flow that you are moving in from your choice to say, I’m moving with you, lets do this, yes absolutely Johanna.
The detachment from considering the whole body when doing a particular task can creep in throughout the activity as well. I may start off with great focus and dedication, then by the end of one carrot, yes one simple carrot, if I have a quick check in I feel tension, slouching or that I am all higgledy piggledy in how I am sitting! I am astounded as I ‘thought’ I was really going to get it on that one carrot 🙂 So, top tip, be kind to yourself and accept that this distraction has been around for a while so taking it one moment at a time, perhaps half a carrot at a time and into as many areas of your life as possible so there are no pockets left undiscovered because each pocket affects the other pockets. Have fun with yourself too – if I get serious about getting it, I am tense already. It is the most wondrous moment when you feel what is described in this blog though, it inspires dedication and commitment, that feeling came from us, cost nothing and was medicine. Bring it on 🙂
We tend to run the multi task route when dealing with things within our days. It is apparently nothing for us to try and talk to someone on the phone while driving for example or thinking of the million and one things we need to do next while preparing dinner etc. It’s not that we can’t get things done but as the article is presenting there is a way to support the whole of ourselves doing all these things and there is a way to not. When we don’t use our whole body as a support or to support what we are doing then what we are doing is already less than who we truly are. When you look at the perfection and precision of flow that is within the human body then this design is how the body is also meant to work on the outside. Interrupt that flow and it will impact the body in some way because by design it is not meant to work that way. This breaks us out of a way of living that tends to isolate things and not see things in a whole way and shows that the way to truly support ourselves is to listen to our entire body.
When we are aware and present with what we are doing there is a flow of energy throughout the whole body that supports our physiology and feeds back energy and thus, no fatigue or draining feeling.
I often find that when I am doing a task whilst aware of my whole body, the task is easier to do and I get more done. Just think if we all worked like this at our day jobs, how much more productive would we be, and how much more enjoyable it would be.
And on top of that organisations will be efficient and projects would run so smoothly.
I know this feeling. It feels like a space bubble is around me.
I do relate to what is being shared here. There’s a loveliness, a sweetness within us that feels amazing to be with in doing whatever needs to be done. Our whole body supports in fact the end result that we’re working on. Which might be writing this comment, cleaning the house, having a talk etc. I am realising how often I am very focused on that part of the body that ‘delivers’ the end result. On my hand when cutting or cleaning, on my eyes when I’m typing or looking at a screen etc. Often not taking any notice of the rest of my body. Even though I feel much lighter and lovelier if I do care about the rest. Every part counts. Of course. It makes a lot of sense.
Johanna, Amaparo and Floris, so great to hear what you all wrote and I can so much relate to it. Interestingly when I started reading the first example, I noticed that I ‘questioned’ it as I find that being aware of my hands whilst doing a task helps me to be more attentive. But I re-questioned myself and stayed open to what I was about to read and immediately it came to my awareness some recent situations where I had to do a task using mostly (or that was what I thought) my hands. It is so related to what you are sharing here because I noticed that the focus on my hands only was not ‘working’ and instead I was placing a tension on my hands, arms, chest, the whole body! And here it links to your comment Floris of looking for the end result, in my case thinking that it was only my hands who would deliver it! So I changed my posture and choose to feel my feet on the floor, my ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, spine, shoulders, arms and then my hands. My hands felt lighter and I was able to find a position to work on with my hands not under tension. And yes, I felt lighter and playful and noticed I was not hard with myself by the fact that the ‘end result’ was not perfect. What was incredible was to find a new posture to do this task!
I also remember clearly on a Sacred Esoteric Healing course when Serge Benhayon was demonstrating a technique and emphasised the importance of the whole body posture whilst treating the client. It stayed with me since then and I apply it to my work with patients in dentistry. Reading this blog inspired me to apply this wisdom to other parts of my life – to the whole.
There can be so much fun and loveliness in our everyday activities when we are completely with ourselves. We then get to feel how lovely our actual movements are.
It is a great reminder that always every part of our body is important and that not being aware of our breath for instance can make us feel tensed without any other reason than that.
I notice that when I bring love, attention and presence to one part that the others parts also surrender.
Cool blog Johanna, thank you – shedding the light on the truth that all parts matter – and that if we forget parts , we start losing feeling the absolute flow of all that our wholeness brings. So, are we bringing our wholeness to life? Or are we holding back certain parts or hiding them deliberately away from others or ourselves? Whilst actually the wholeness of who we are is so powerful. So we are invited to look at our lives, see what truly works well, but also to see those areas were we had chosen to split up — so that we can choose to be living from our wholeness again.
Sometimes it is good to concentrate, perhaps deeply concentrate on a part but if we lose the perspective of the whole in the process then anything can happen, not all of it desirable.
Thank you Danna. Amparo and I had a lot of fun writing it together.