What is body intelligence?
As I've been sharing the curriculum for the Boston Artists Forum, people understand the basic ideas of financial literacy and marketing, but when I say "Body intelligence skills” there's a pause. They want to know: “What IS body intelligence anyway?!” Conscious artists and leaders utilize body intelligence to make decisions from a calm, regulated place, instead of reacting from fear or pressure to perform. Noticing our body sensations provides conscious artists and leaders with a grounded home base. When we're grounded, we honor our essential selves over what "should be" or what others may expect us to be.
The act of noticing how your body responds is the beginning of body intelligence
As an experiment in Body Intelligence, try the following exercise:
Take a baseline reading of your comfort right now. Where are your shoulders in relation to your ears? Is your stomach tight or loose? Can you feel your feet on the floor or your butt on your seat?
For the next few minutes, sit quietly where you won't be interrupted or distracted.
Take a breath that fills your belly first, then rises up into your diaphragm, then finally into your lungs.
Exhale fully, then push that last few sips of air from the bottom of your lungs. Let your belly retract toward your spine.
Do this three more times. Expanding each part of the breath: belly, diaphragm, lungs.
Notice: have your shoulders dropped? Are your lips and your jaw more relaxed? Do you feel rooted in your seat?
Now take an object - a pen or a rock or something firm - and grasp it in your hand.
As you squeeze the object tightly in one hand, compare what you’re feeling in the other hand. Keep squeezing and noticing.
Breathe. Make one last tight squeeze on the object. Notice what your other, open hand feels like.
Drop the object and notice what happens with that now open hand. What do you feel?
Which of these words match your experience and sensations?
Tight Heavy Dense
Warm Cramped Hollow
Light Wobbly Hot
Painful Relieved Pressing
Throbbing Weak Fuzzy
Buzzing Awake Racing
Sit quietly for a few more minutes and notice the difference in each hand as the sensations evolve. Is the hand warm? Tired? Do you feel like moving your fingers and wrist as these sensations course through? It's not important what sensations you identify - it's the comparison that matters. The act of noticing how your body is experiencing sensations is the beginning of body intelligence. From this kernel of information, you can develop an intuitive sense and body-centered (instead of emotion-centered) decision-making apparatus.
Similarly, what happens when you do a "gut check" on something? That bodily, human "knowing" is the skill we can refine with a consistent practice.
BQ
The Hendricks Institute offers a "Body Intelligence Assessment" which is a list of statements by which to gauge where in your life you'd like to explore growth. Play with this sampling of statements. Do any of these stand out as a prompt to explore your body intelligence? Rate these on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not at all” and 10 being “abolutely yes”.
I regularly notice physical sensations and signals in my body
I regularly give attention to my breathing.
As I move through the day, I let my body wisdom inform daily choices when it comes to self-care. This includes making healthy decisions regarding food, water, rest, quiet space, activity, and interactions with others.
When I notice tension or discomfort in my body, I am able to bring curious attention to those areas and sense what my body is communicating or what my body wants next.
I enjoy a leisurely sense of time while moving, as well as being able to organize quick and sudden movements by choice.
Please get in touch and share your statement with me if you'd like to explore this and other body intelligence skills! To schedule an information session about the Boston Artists Forum, please schedule a time here.
