Learn to trust your body
This blog is written by James Reeves and includes an audio guided practice to help you to reconnect with your body.
There are a range of different ways to work with the body: we can strengthen it, tone it, move it, stretch it, extend, flex, bend and mould it, but how often do you approach your body with enough curiosity and interest to simply be with it, as it is?
Yes, I know, you may have heard this before, and you may have some experience of how this goes, and if so great! If you’re reading this and wondering ‘eeerrrr, why on earth would I want to do that?’ - well, here’s why.
Our bodies are amaaaaaaaazing. They contain millions of years of evolution, 1 septillion things are happening each second (that’s roughly 24 times all the known stars in the universe) and there is a tremendous amount of feedback that comes to us from sensation, all the time. From feelings and emotions which show us when we’re ‘on’ or ‘off’ to sensations that are asking us to move, or stop, to rest and to play, our body is always telling us what our next move is.
The big challenge we face is that we might want certain sensations (pleasure or relaxation) and resist others (tension, pain, restlessness) but they are all trying to tell you something, and there is wisdom in them all.
One of the key things that the practice of Yoga Nidra can teach us is to listen to our sensations. Some styles of this practice (it’s everywhere these days, and not many folks know it in depth) will ask you to relax and you can go ahead and do that (why not!) but what I’m interested in showing you is how to heal through surrender: how to listen deeply and be with it all - the good, the bad, the restlessness, the tiredness, the delight (yes, some of us suppress our happiness, too!)
I know if you have chronic pain, this might be a hard pill to swallow. Yet, over the years, I’ve seen this work for all sorts of pain, both physical or emotional.
So, if you’d like to try something that will really help you – today, right here and right now - to reconnect with this wonderful, sacred, timeless body-wisdom that’s actually your friend, then you can click on the audio fragment below and listen to a practice with me. I’ll guide you in to falling in love with where you are, who you are and what’s here right now, calling for your attention.
This isn’t another workout, work-through, fix, repair or adjustment-based practice, but your body will do a tremendous amount of repairing and recovery when you do stop and do nothing, so this is absolutely not a waste of time!
In fact, it might be the best thing you do today. That’s the feedback I get all the time. Once person recently said to me “This is the best thing that I didn’t think I needed”. Ha!!
Deep Rest. It’s the best. Enjoy.
Rest well lovely humans,
James
Deep Rest Yoga Nidra Teacher Training
James Reeves will be back in September for his Deep Rest Yoga Nidra Teacher Training. This comprehensive course is for anyone who wishes to access deeper relaxation, a higher understanding of the human experience and ultimately begin teaching Yoga Nidra to others.