Our Bodies Are Always Talking to Us

In our last Mindful Journal, we explored what it means to care for ourselves from the inside out. We began with a simple invitation: to notice.

To notice how our body feels.
To notice what we are feeling.
To notice what we need.

But noticing is only the beginning.

Because our bodies are always talking to us.

Sometimes they speak through a tightness in our shoulders, a flutter in our stomach, a racing heart, a tiredness we can't quite explain, or a deep breath that comes when we finally feel safe enough to let go. Sometimes the message is quiet. Sometimes it is impossible to ignore.

And yet, in the busyness of everyday life, we can become so accustomed to moving through our days that we stop listening.

We push through tiredness.
We hold our breath without realizing it.
We ignore tension.
We override our emotions.
We tell ourselves we're fine when something inside us is asking to be heard.

What if caring for ourselves isn't only about knowing what to do, but learning how to listen?

This is one of the places I find the practice of yoga so meaningful.

Coming Back to Ourselves

Yoga invites us to come back to ourselves—to become more aware of our body, breath, thoughts, emotions, and what is happening within us.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, often translated as “to yoke” or “to join.” Yoga invites us to explore connection—not only with the world around us, but with our own body, breath, thoughts, and emotions. It gives us a way to slow down, pay attention, and become more aware of what is happening within us.

For me, yoga is not simply about what the body can do. It is a practice of becoming more aware of ourselves—of learning to notice, listen, and come back to what we need.

A practice of becoming curious about what is happening within us.

A practice of learning to listen.

And perhaps, in that listening, we begin to rediscover something we have always carried within us: a quiet inner knowing.

The Wisdom of the Whole Being

One of the things I love about yoga philosophy is that it offers another way of understanding this whole-person awareness such as through the five Koshas, often described as layers of our experience. Rather than thinking of them as separate parts, we can use them as a way to become curious about what is happening within us.

Body— Annamaya Kosha
“I feel hot.”
What physical sensations am I noticing?

Breath & Energy— Pranamaya Kosha
“I notice my breath.”
What is happening in my breath and energy?

Mind & Emotion— Manomaya Kosha
“I feel upset.”
What thoughts or emotions are present?

Discernment— Vijnanamaya Kosha
“I understand why I reacted that way.”
What am I beginning to understand?

Bliss— Anandamaya Kosha
“I feel a sense of peace.”
Where do I experience moments of peace, connection, or contentment?

Perhaps this is part of what it means to listen inwardly: not simply noticing what we experience, but becoming curious about what those experiences might be telling us.

We begin to see that the body, breath, mind, emotions, and deeper awareness are not isolated from one another.

They are in conversation.

When the Body and Emotions Speak

Yoga is not the only tradition to explore the relationship between our inner and physical worlds. Traditional Chinese medicine also offers a framework for understanding the ways emotions and the body can influence one another.

In The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy, Cyndi Dale explores traditional Chinese associations between emotions, organs, and patterns of emotional balance.

We don't have to adopt one particular framework to become curious about the relationship between what we feel and what we experience in our bodies.

Have you ever noticed how worry changes your breathing?

How anger can create tension?

How sadness can make you feel heavy?

How joy, connection, movement, breath, or being heard can change the way an experience feels in your body?

Our emotions are experiences, too—and learning to notice them can be another way of learning to listen.

Listening Instead of Immediately Fixing

When we notice something uncomfortable in our body or emotions, our first instinct can be to make it go away.

We want to fix the tight shoulders.

Calm the racing heart.

Stop the difficult thought.

Get rid of the sadness.

But what if awareness doesn't always have to begin with fixing?

What if we could begin with curiosity?

What am I noticing?

Where do I feel it?

What might this experience be telling me?

What do I need?

Sometimes the answer may be rest.

Sometimes movement.

Sometimes a conversation.

Sometimes a boundary.

Sometimes a good cry.

Sometimes nothing needs to happen at all.

Sometimes we simply need to notice that something is there.

Listening is not the same as reacting.

Listening gives us a moment of space between what we experience and what we choose to do next.

Growing mindful hearts, resilient minds, and balanced bodies