3 Tips for how to Meet Your GURU
So, I have this guru, who is AMAZING. She's taught me soooo much and I really feel like she's got all the answers. If I just listen to her, then my life is easier. She doesn't act as guru to anyone else -- just me! And she's there for me around the clock.
The problem is, she's also one of those types that's BEYOND humble. Like, too humble. She lets others speak over her, and even if they're telling me stuff that she knows is nonsense, she quietly sits by and doesn't speak up. At least, not until my life becomes project mayhem. Only then is she like "ahem....maybe try something else?"
But that's the other thing. She doesn't speak in words. So, I have had to learn to interpret her confuzzling language, and so learning from her feels hella cryptic at times.
Nevertheless, I have learned after 35 years of her presence that she always knows what's best for me.
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If you haven't figured it out yet, when I talk about my guru, I'm talking about my body!
So, yes, YOU have your own personal sometimes-bewildering but wise-beyond-words guru too!
Do you listen to your guru? Or is your guru's advice always squelched by what other people say?
I didn't always know I had this guru.
I spent years ignoring her. I treated my body (my guru) like it was a machine that needed to be fixed if it didn't perform like the other "machines" around me.
I followed diets and ate food based on strict guidelines and ignored signs from my body that all wasn't well.
My exercise was Ross and Rachel levels of off-again-on-again because I'd either be exercising in a way that hurt my body, or I was sedentarily awaiting the pain to stop so I could get back to that exercise.
I practiced yoga based on what many so-called yoga "gurus" said a practice should look like, even though it hurt my knees, my shoulders, and my back.
My body was in pain. But what's worse is that I kept looking EVERYWHERE ELSE, listening to EVERYTHING ELSE for how to solve these issues. And all along my little guru was there, trying to talk to me.
So, how did I learn to listen to my body? The same way I'd encourage anyone else to:
1 - Stop listening to your mind.
Your mind is ruled by the ego, and by the information overload that surrounds us everywhere we go. Your mind is like a bratty teenager that thinks she knows everything about how the world works because she watched a couple of youtube videos.
Our bodies, though, are NATURE. They have been evolving for, like, a gazillion years and with all that time comes a wisdom that our minds can't comprehend. We humans, with our space travel and have-whatever-you-can-dream-of-delivered-to-your-door technology, are actually still baffled by a lot of the workings of the body. Meanwhile the body's like "you'll understand when you're older, kiddo".
So, in order to hear the wise words of your body, just stop listening to the bratty teenager mind.
(In the first video my Creative Sequencing Online Course I share an exercise with you on how to shut down your mind, and let your body speak a little louder.)
2 - Experiment
That wordless language of the human body means sometimes it's hard to decipher what it's asking for.
It speaks to us with pain, energy, fatigue, great moods, crappy moods, brain-fog, alertness, bloating, good sleep, bad sleep, you get the picture.
Paying attention -- with a mind of a scientist in the research lab -- to what foods, movements, or any other experiences repeatedly lead to feeling great is THE number one way to start taking your guru's advice.
Again, I'mma tell you about my Creative Sequencing Course because it's all about moving in new ways so you can understand your body better! The course is around coming up with full-length flows, but you could just dive into the tools section to get some inspiration about how you can move differently and experiment with what's workin' for ya.
3 - Be present
We're usually in a rush to have our questions answered, our problems remedied, and our dreams a reality.
Remember, our minds are swept up in current of the fast-paced technology-driven world around us. Our bodies are on a different current, the slower flowing rhythm of nature.
One trap I regularly fall into is to want my body to do all the things now. To be healed from injury NOW. To detoxify from that indulgent weekend NOW. And because it doesn't happen STRAIGHT AWAY, my mind gets all control-freakish and comes up with ways to expedite these things.
When in reality, if I simply have some patience and pay attention to how I'm feeling NOW, then I'm able to listen better to what exactly is going on with my body.
I hear "let me rest" or "I don't need a thing but some good old H2O" and instead of getting in a frenzy about what to do, I remember that my body is doing its thing and I can chill and get on with my life.
Like anything, this stuff takes practice and it is very much a journey of continuous learning! Our bodies are constantly adapting, and that means that language of theirs is always changing slightly. But it's what makes it so profoundly beautiful!