An ache here, some pain there, a little bit of redness and inflammation there… According to Louise Hay, we should stop to check-in with our bodies and ask ourselves: ‘What is my body trying to tell me?’
Using medicine and other treatments to ease our pain is a wise choice. Never have we had so many incredible options that help us alleviate pain and overcome difficult conditions. However, we shouldn’t overlook our own intuition and the fact that our bodies are incredibly intelligent and are communicating with us at all times. We are energetic beings, and our emotions, feelings, even thoughts, and beliefs affect our physical wellbeing.
Often, if we don’t take the time to understand what our bodies are trying to tell us, our symptoms will intensify, or ailments will begin to appear in different parts of our bodies.
Energy, emotions, and feelings that haven’t been released out of our system will become stagnant and cause us disharmony.
Let’s look at a few ways that you can re-connect with your body and de-code what it might be trying to tell you.
1. Louise Hay and Mind/Body connection
One of the most incredible books on the Mind/Body connection ever written is by Louise Hay. Her book ‘You Can Heal Your Life‘ looks at how our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings affect our physical wellbeing. Louise was diagnosed with ‘incurable’ cervical cancer, and this set her on a journey of self-healing. Louise realized that she had a lot of resentment and anger that she was holding onto because of past sexual abuse. When she made this connection, a realization occurred: her cervical cancer was a physical representation of what was happening with her emotionally. Anger and resentment that was suppressed and not released had manifested as cervical cancer. By working on releasing these old, ingrained feelings, and changing her beliefs and thoughts – she completely healed herself.
In her book, she covers a lot of different physical ailments, pains, and conditions and explains what might have contributed to the creation of such ailments. I’ve been using this book as a reference for the last eight years, and I’m amazed by how accurate it is! For example, a few years back, I had an eye stye that was very bad and painful. Not only did I have it once, but I had it three times in a row! I decided to look at the book and see what it says.
Eye stye: Looking at life through angry eyes
Oh, how spot-on that was! At that time, I was dealing with a lot of anger and saw certain things – and people – through the eyes of anger. My body was so intelligent that it decided to show me my deep-rooted emotions to me physically! It literally made my eye angry and inflamed to show me that I was looking at life angrily.
Another ailment that has always been incredibly accurate is lower back pain.
Lower back pain relates to finances and especially fear of money or lack of financial support.
Louise Hay
Every single time I worry about money and my financial stability, I get low-back pain. That is the ONLY time I ever have low-back pain, and I know precisely the reason.
Not only does Louise help you discover possible causes for your physical ailments, but she also gives incredible suggestions on how you can turn things around. From journaling prompts and affirmations to mirror work and other healing exercises. I highly recommend getting her book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ and using it as a guide in deepening your relationship with your body!
2. Meditation and quiet reflection
You are the only person in the world who knows your body and what’s best for you
Other people cannot feel what you feel, and additionally, they can’t tune in into your body the way you can. In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with information, opinions, and advice. It’s only natural that we have forgotten how to use our own intuition because we’ve been so tuned-in into sources outside of us.
Therefore, meditation and quiet reflection can be a great tool to quiet down your mind and let your intuition speak. If you’re a beginner in meditation, you can start by doing guided meditations. My favorite app is ‘Insight Timer,’ and there you can find hundreds of free meditations that will help you re-connect with your intuition. If guided meditations are not your thing, or you simply want some quiet time, set a timer for 10 minutes and focus on your breathing.
If you’d like, you can also ask your body a question and use the quiet meditation time to see what answers arise. You can ask things such as ‘dear body, what are you trying to tell me?‘ or ‘why do I have this pain?‘
Have an open heart, and trust your innate wisdom. You will be amazed at how many insights you will begin to have
3. Yoga!
The word ‘Yoga’ means union: the union between you, your mind, and your body. Additionally, it can also mean a union between you and the divine consciousness.Not only will you begin to tune into your body, the needs it has, and the signals that it’s sending you, but you will also be able to ease some of your pain because Yoga itself is healing! Certain asana’s (yoga postures) in Yoga can be used to relieve specific pain that you might have. From knee and back pain to digestive problems and headaches.
Additionally, Yoga practice is a great way to release stagnant energy and some old-rooted emotions. You will begin moving around old energy and through use physical movement as a way to release it out of your system.
Don’t be surprised if a gentle Yoga sequence brings about anger, frustration, sadness, or other intense emotions that you didn’t expect. Let it out! What better way, then, to connect with your body than practicing Yoga?
The energy is beginning to move, and this is your chance to release it healthily.
Closing thoughts
I believe that the best way to gain great insight into what your body is trying to tell you is to combine all of these suggestions. Use the book ‘You Can Heal Your Life‘ as a reference book whenever you feel something isn’t right, and use it as a tool to interpret your body’s symptoms. Then, use meditation as a way to tune into your intuition and innate wisdom. Double-check if what Louise says rings true to you. Her insights are incredibly accurate, but only you can know if what she says is true for you.
Last but not least, start a Yoga practice. It doesn’t have to be anything too intense or overwhelming. Doing a 30-minute practice once or twice a week will be enough to start understanding your body. Additionally, find postures that will help you ease the pain or discomfort that you might be dealing with.
Don’t forget to use medicine or other treatment options if you need to do so! See what works best for you, and if you need to see a doctor – do so! These suggestions are not a substitute for the kind of help that you might need, but can always be used alongside other healing practices.
