Listening
to the Wisdom of the Body
by Robbin Brent
Scott Stoner wrote about the wisdom of the body in week
one, and last Sunday Malcolm McLaurin wrote about the powerful story of Starr
Carter in The Hate U Give. I would highly recommend the movie too, where we see
Starr learn to trust what she knows deep down in her body to be her deepest truth.
“The body doesn’t lie,” “The body keeps score,” “I just
knew in my gut,” are just some of the well-known phrases we either say or hear
related to how information and knowing are first perceived at the level of the
body. And one of the best ways to listen more closely to what God is telling us
through our bodies is through the breath. On average, we take 20,000 breaths
every day, or 960 breaths every hour. Today we’ll work with the practice of
noticing as a way to tap into God’s desire for our well-being through the
wisdom of the body and our breath.
You can do this simple practice anytime, anywhere. Begin
by paying attention to your breathing. Notice your inbreath and your outbreath.
Don’t alter anything about your breathing, just notice it. After several
breaths, when you feel ready, do a quick body scan and notice any areas of
tension in the body.
See if you can relax your face, your tongue, your
shoulders, your toes. Notice where you are holding tension and then notice what
happens to your breathing as you consciously release the areas of tension. You
can also practice this when facing a challenging decision or situation. God
often will reveal insight and wisdom when we take the time to listen to our
bodies.
Making
It Personal: How does paying attention to your body support listening
to what God desires for you? Did you find a relationship between releasing
tension in the body and in your breath? Remember that you can return to this
practice anytime you want to access the wisdom of the body.
Living
Well Through Lent 2021
Copyright
©2021 Scott Stoner.
All
rights reserved.
Please take a moment to comment as I monitor my post during Lent
to see if I should continue my blog postings. Thank you!
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