One afternoon out hiking, I took pleasure at the sight of my favorite wildflowers and the sounds of the birds trilling overhead as they darted in and out of the trees and tall grasses. I breathed deeply and appreciated the sweet, earthy smell of the meadow. I relaxed and connected with nature.
Then, unexpectedly, I tripped over a tree root and stumbled, coming very close to falling on my face. This was so at odds with what I had been experiencing, I knew it was a message.
I tracked back to what was on my mind at the moment I lost my balance and found that my attention had shifted from enjoying the beauty of the day to a negative thought. It was such a direct correlation, I couldn’t ignore the message: negative thoughts can manifest in unwelcome ways.
Our bodies frequently give us immediate feedback around our thoughts as well – often in the form of pain. We might get a twinge in our elbow when we think about a job we dislike or a sudden headache when we ask someone else to make a decision that is really ours to make. Our body is sending us a message that it doesn’t like the vibration of that thought – it isn’t comfortable with how the energy feels or the effect it has on cells and tissues.
When our body mirrors a negative thought, we can use the information to guide us in a more positive direction and learn what our body wants to teach us.
The first step is to be aware of our body and the messages it sends. We may notice that our left shoulder has been hurting a lot recently. The next time we feel that sensation, we immediately bring our attention to our thoughts. What was on our mind at that moment? Often, we’ll receive insight into what the pain was about. Or we may need to gather clues from several instances, then track the common factor. We might realize that in all cases, we were having a self-limiting thought, worrying about finances, or holding an unkind thought about someone.
When we become aware of what our body is mirroring for us, we thank our body for the feedback and commit to directing our mind away from the negative thoughts. When we find our mind alighting on a thought that causes pain, we let it go and replace it with another, more positive thought. Over time, meditation and other mind-training practices help us calm the wild monkey mind.
Our body will continue to bring our awareness to the moment our attention slips by sending the twinge of pain. We bless the negative thought, release it and redirect our mind. And then we forgive ourselves for being human. Our bodies will thank us and take joy in the lighter energy.