Think of a time when you felt truly grounded, aware, and connected to the present moment.
What did that experience look like?
What did it sound like?
What did it feel like?
Maybe you can remember a particular sensation you experienced in that moment – a touch, a flavor, a scent. Maybe you felt more fully and intentionally connected to your breath, drawing each inhalation with measured gratitude and expelling each exhalation with gratifying relief. Or perhaps in this moment you were moving your body, building up heat with physical exertion, feeling your lungs expand and contract as blood coursed through your veins, leaving you with the unmistakable satisfaction that comes after a good, solid sweat.
Whatever it looks like, physical activity – literally any movement of the body – is our first line of defense in the battle against burnout and the practice of mindfulness. Whether it’s taking a quick walk, running your hands under cold water, or putting a hand on your chest to recenter yourself, getting physically grounded is our single most effective strategy for completing a stress cycle.
In other words, movement is particularly effective at helping us get back in our bodies.
Now you might think to yourself, “Back in my body? What the heck does that mean? Aren’t I already in my body, like, all the time? Where would I be besides my body? And if I’ve never left, how would I get back to it?”
Great questions. But no, I’m not talking about some sort of rare, spiritual out-of-body occurrence someone may experience in moments of heightened adrenaline or emotion. Rather, I’m referring to an amplified state of connectedness between your tangible and cerebral beings – between your body and your consciousness.
Think about it: Our bodies communicate with us all the time. They tell us when we are hungry, thirsty, sleepy, restless, and virtually any other need or emotion we might experience. Notably it’s when we are not fully in tune with this communication and fail to register these signals when things typically go wrong. Sometimes our bodies shout, and sometimes our bodies whisper, but it is our responsibility to keep listening and get curious about what we are experiencing so we can best care for ourselves and respond accordingly.
So, what keeps us from being fully present in our bodies? Well, lots of things. A sense of busyness, distraction, stress, anxiety – these external pressures take our attention and detract from our connectedness with the very system that supports and gives us life. When left unchecked, these emotions quickly escalate, and things inevitably fall apart.
Singer and songwriter extraordinaire Maggie Rogers captures this beautifully in her song – appropriately titled – “Back in My Body.” She sings,
“I was stopped in London when I felt it coming down
Crashing all around me with a great triumphant sound
Like the dam was breaking and my mind came rushing in
I was stopped in London, oh, I was awakening.”
Rogers identifies a beautiful synergy between body and mind here: She is literally stationary and “stopped in London” when she suddenly experiences a “crashing” of consciousness that thunders around her with a “great triumphant sound.” There’s a palpable sense of clarity here: A stirring. An “awakening.”
She continues to the chorus and into the next verse,
“This time, I know I’m fighting
This time, I know I’m back in my body
This time, I know I’m fighting
This time, I know I’m back in my body.And all along the highway, there’s a tiny whispering sound
Saying I could find you in the dark of any town
But all that I am hearing in the poem of my mind
Are silent twisted words finding their way in every line.”
Again, Rogers captures a clear sense of clarity, awareness, and subsequent release here. By becoming more in tune and connected with the messages her body is sending her – that “crashing” all around her – she becomes acutely aware of something that previously eluded her: The “poem of [her] mind,” or her inner, authentic voice.
Our bodies are powerful, mysterious, and wickedly intelligent. They tell us exactly what we need and when we need it and communicating lovingly, endlessly, and exceedingly clearly if we are in tune with ourselves enough to hear it.
I was on a walk earlier this week when I experienced a moment like this. The sun shone brilliantly, warming my skin with its incandescent glow, the cool breeze tickled the nape of my neck, and the sweet scent of blooming Dogwoods delighted my senses, filling my nostrils with spring’s welcome embrace. In an instant, the world grew quiet, and time slowed down. I found myself particularly alert, connected, and grounded in a way that brought a sense of clarity and calm. Nothing particularly special or revelatory happened in this moment. It was just extremely pleasant and… nice.
Why?
Because I was fully present and in my body.
Peloton yoga instructor Kristin McGee has a favorite line she uses to end every class. She says, “Everything you could possibly ever want, have, or need, is right here inside of you.”
The first several times I heard her say this, I have to admit I thought it was a little hokey. But one day, after a particularly difficult yoga class that stretched both my mind and my body in new and powerful ways, I realized there’s something actually quite beautiful about this. It comes down to the simple practice of being in our bodies: We are our own greatest assets, and if we can learn to accept and leverage this, then virtually anything is possible.
It may be difficult and even be scary at times, but if we choose to consistently tune in and truly listen, we may realize that our bodies actually have quite a lot of helpful things to say.
Let’s get back to that. Let’s listen.
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