Our bodies are a portal, our temple and the sacred messengers which lead us into a higher truth and understanding about ourselves. They are the gateway to all that exists beyond our limitations and current reality in which we view ourselves. There are many ways to receive the wisdom of your body, which can be weaved into your daily practices and this article will provide guidance towards this sacred path.

The Body is a Portal

Around ten years ago, I began to question the way I was living and what I believed was true about the world. I found myself constantly searching for answers “out there”, desperately clinging to the hope that someone or something would tell me what to do and how to do it. I was seeking clarity around how to live my life and believed that perhaps another could lead me in the right direction.

I had an innate sense of knowing that there was more to life than what I was perceiving and what others were telling me, so I became curious, seeking alternative answers to these questions. This journey led me towards mapping the internal terrain of my body. Turning within, rather than without.

My first question was, where do I start? My intuition immediately guided me towards the heart. I didn’t realise at the time that the heart was in fact the portal to the soul. An article by Tracy Traeder explains, “When you see the world, see it with the eyes of your heart. The heart is a portal.” The heart is a portal to our soul, our higher self, to our intuition, and ultimately to the Divine.

The body holds an innate intelligence far beyond the mind, it is a brilliant structure which holds information and memories at a cellular level and we have the ability to tap into, receive wisdom and even reprogram our bodies mental, emotional and physical structures.

And the starting point, the portal is to learn the language of the heart, receive its wisdom and implement this sacred guidance into our daily lives. The heart speaks a language, we must gently learn to listen.

Image by: Chris Jarvis

Why Should I Listen to my Body?

The answer to this question is simple, because it is your truth.

You can turn outwardly to the world and be consumed by all of the noise and chaos, or you can pause and gently turn within to find your own truth. It is not the easy path by any means, but it is the true path and the more you turn within, the more truth you will begin to hear.

Sure, it can seem a little scary at first and even overwhelming. But I can promise you, this is the pathway to fulfilling your highest joy and staying true to yourself.

So, I invite you to wander within and give it a chance, you never know what you might find!

5 Simple ways to connect to the Wisdom of Your Body

1. Create a Sacred Space to Relax

The first step is to create a gentle and relaxing space to lie down and connect with yourself. Take some time out from your day, ideally a minimum of fifteen minutes. You may wish to light a candle and put on some relaxing music. I recommend lying down because it allows your body space to really relax and unravel.

This is a sacred time to tune in and listen, to quiet your mind and move from the space of listening with your head, to sacred heart listening. This is a deep kind of listening, the kind that whispers through your cells, the soft murmur, a gentle hum. It is time to listen to the quiet voice and find out what wisdom it wishes to share with you.

2. Place Your Hands on Your Heart

A powerful way to connect with ourselves is by placing your hands on your heart. This process is deeply comforting and soothing for the nervous system, it develops a sense of safety and connection to yourself. An Article by Dr. Kristin Neff highlights, research indicates that physical touch releases oxytocin, provides a sense of security, soothes distressing emotions, and calms cardiovascular stress.

The sense of touch on your heart connects you with your sacred portal and the activation process begins from this point. Then you just breathe and tune in.

3. Breathe and Meditate

Now that you are relaxed and connected to your heart space. I invite you to take a few long deep breaths, with every inhalation you draw your energy towards your body, releasing any grasping or external holding and on the exhalation let go of any tension or resistance you can feel in your body. With each breath you bring your attention and awareness a little deeper within, connecting to your heart space. Drawing your awareness inwards and letting go of the thoughts in your mind.

As you breathe you can visualise a bright light building in your heart space, spiraling and growing, filled with love, joy and expansion. Allow this light to grow bigger and bigger and surround your heart space and the whole of your body. As you settle your nervous system with the breath you will be able to tune in and hear the quiet voice of your heart whisper.

4. Journey Within

The next practice is to journey into your heart space a little deeper, to tune in and feel your heart beating within your chest. The heart holds a divine intelligence, beyond the rational mind. The heart holds wisdom and imprints which will guide you into a deep truth of understanding of yourself and the world. There is immense power held within our hearts which connect us to all that is, beyond the realms of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.

I invite you to feel your heart, just notice it. Notice its rhythm, notice it beating within your chest. I invite you to ponder with gentle curiosity a few questions:

“What wisdom do you have to share with me?”

“What are some ways I can connect more deeply with myself, others and the world?”

“What is it that brings me joy and lights me up? Guide me to my hearts purpose and higher truth.”

Just allow yourself to be still and listen. Just pay attention to what arises. You might notice body sensations; you may receive an intuitive message or image. It may not seem sensical, that’s okay just trust what comes. This is a message from your body guiding you towards your internal wisdom. You may wish to write down or journal what comes through to you to refer to at a later time.

Take these little messages as clues and signs, that your heart mind is guiding you towards. Remember it’s a journey so the messages and wisdom will unravel in time.

5. Move your body, shift energy

The last practice is to move! When we move, we give ourselves and energy shake up! We shift stagnant energy; movement allows the body to process any blockages in a physical way. There are many ways you can use movement in your body wisdom practice. You can do yoga, or dance but in this practice, I invite you to move in an intuitive way.

I invite you to stand on your two feel, plant them firmly on the ground, close your eyes and place one hand on your heart and the other below your navel. Gently tune in and begin to move and sway, find a natural rhythm in your body, notice how your energy feels. And then begin to extend outwardly. Perhaps you want to shake or spin. You may want to move fast or slow. You may feel to do fast, shaking movements or soft and slow, all is welcome.

As you move, just tune in and see if you receive any visions or messages, feel the sensations that arise and allow any emotions to be expressed. Movement is a powerful way to release and connect. It allows an expansive space for you to explore the vast areas of your body.

Notice what feels different after your movement practice, do you feel freer within yourself? Do you feel uplifted and revitalized?

After your movement practice, give yourself a big body hug. You have had the courage to connect with the deeper wisdom of your body, allowing yourself to express and clear some layers of your blocks and limitations.

Your body is a great keeper of wisdom. You can use these embodiment practices to connect deeper with yourself, heal, rest, regulate and rejuvenate.

I would love to hear about any other practices that connect you deeper with your body. Feel free to share in the comments below.