In the west, we give our brains the lion share of attention (and credit). The entire space beneath our heads gets short shrift.

But your body is screaming at you — giving you important information. And this information can give you immediate insights about your personal and professional ecosystems and help you react more skillfully.

I’ll share with you a personal example:

When I get the tad bit embarrassed, I have a tell. My hips pivot up  and my booty tucks under. It’s a minor adjustment. No one can see it happen. I hardly was aware of it myself. I’ve probably been doing it since childhood.

Over time — by working with my own somatic information – I’ve gotten to know this tell.

And when I feel it happen, I can use that information to inform my reaction to the embarrassment trigger.

  1. The embarrassment trigger happens (e.g. my father tells a story about some bone-headed thing I did as a teenager; a VIP tells me an idea I have is too out-there to even merit discussion, etc…)
  2. The booty tucks.
  3. I notice the tuck. 
  4. The tuck interrupts me. I don’t act immediately on the trigger.
  5. That brief space allows me to explore the trigger. I can ask myself: Why am I feeling embarrassed? What’s the deeper story inside?
  6. I can decide how I want to react. Do I respond? If so, how can I respond from an untriggered place?

Our bodies are constantly feeding us information that could be extraordinarily helpful — if we notice.

What is your body trying to tell you,

Leadership