Welcome to Ipek and Tara's Threads of Light,
A talk series that illuminates the path to a brighter and more meaningful life.
Join us as we set sail on a journey of self-discovery,
Transformation,
And shared wisdom.
Welcome to today's exploration of somatic awareness.
In this episode of Ipek and Tara's Threads of Light,
We will be talking about how tuning into our bodies can activate our intuition and guide us toward alignment with our true selves.
As we continue to explore the path to gather self-awareness,
We see that intuition is not something out of reach,
But something we can access through deep listening,
Especially to our bodies.
Shakti Gawain once said,
When we allow ourselves to feel the sensations in our body,
We access the truth that is always there.
This great statement beautifully captures the essence of today's topic.
Our bodies are continuously speaking to us,
Offering clues and signs that help us make decisions that align with our true selves.
In today's episode,
Tara and I will explore how these clues show up,
How to recognize them,
And how they can serve as a bridge to our intuitive wisdom.
Now,
I'll invite my dear friend Tara to give us some insights around the meaning and importance of somatic awareness and how it connects us to our intuition.
Thank you,
Ipek.
I love the quote you shared by Shakti.
Her well-known book called Creative Visualization is very useful guidance on how to embrace this tool as one of many somatic techniques.
The mind's eye is a superpower,
And we all have access to this using the somatic practices may facilitate the journey.
So let me refer to a definition of what we mean by somatic.
Somatic is a field within bodywork and movement studies,
Which emphasizes internal physical perception and experience.
The term is used in movement therapy to signify approaches based on the soma,
Or the body,
As perceived from within.
In addition to sensory or gut instincts and breathwork,
Somatic visioning is also a practice that helps you envision,
Sustain,
And enjoy your inspired life by developing a dynamic and responsive connection to your body's wisdom.
And this is all about how are we feeling.
So Shakti Goen's four-step process for creative visualization is to 1.
Set a goal.
2.
Form a mental image of the desired outcome.
3.
Return to the mental image.
And 4.
Add positivity to the image.
So this all makes me think about what is the difference between visioning and visualization.
This could be also known as conscious daydreaming.
Ipek,
I'd love to hear more about this topic from your point of view.
Well,
Thank you Tara for sharing that perspective and Shakti's four-step process,
And for allowing us to reflect on how our bodies communicate with us.
As we explore this further,
It's important to understand that our bodies are always giving us signs.
Whether it's a flutter in our stomach,
A tightness in our chest,
Or a deep feeling of relaxation,
These sensations are a direct line to our inner guidance.
I've experienced this personally.
There have been moments when I've made decisions,
Big and small,
That were not aligned with my true self,
And my body made sure to communicate that to me.
For example,
I remember a time when I was about to commit to a new project.
As I thought about it,
I felt tension building in my chest.
It wasn't anxiety or stress,
It was something deeper,
A signal from my body that something was out of alignment.
The message was clear,
Though.
I was not fully aligned with this decision.
What's interesting about this is that our bodies speak to us in ways that go beyond just physical discomfort.
Our bodies provide us with the tools to pause and reflect.
When I listened to that tension,
I took a step back and realized that the project was not a good fit for me at the time.
It wasn't a bad opportunity,
But it didn't match my values or where I was at in my life.
So I decided to trust that inner signal and I declined the offer.
In retrospect,
I'm so glad I did.
But it's not always about a no.
Sometimes our bodies speak to us with a sense of lightness and openness.
I've also had experiences where I felt a deep sense of peace and expansion in my body when a decision was aligned with my true self.
For example,
When I decided to work on a personal project I had been dreaming about,
I felt a deep,
Grounding sense of calm in my abdomen and inner knowing that this was the right step for me.
My body was literally saying,
Yes,
This is in alignment with who you are.
It's these moments that affirm our intuition and help us move forward with clarity.
Our bodies are truly powerful guides and listening to them opens up pathways to deeper self-trust and intuitive decision making.
And it's fascinating how our bodies can provide us with the insight we need long before our minds catch up.
And the more we practice tuning into these sensations,
The easier it becomes to differentiate between what's truly right for us and what's simply a reaction or external pressure.
So as we reflect on this,
I invite our listeners to consider their own experiences.
When have you felt your body communicate with you in a way that guided you toward that decision?
How can you use somatic awareness as a tool to better connect with your intuition?
Tara,
I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you experience somatic awareness in your life.
What are some ways you have used it to help guide your decisions?
Thank you,
Ipek.
We've talked about body signals and accessing intuition through several different modalities.
One of the many that I'm actively exploring is visioning,
Which is about the broader creation of future aspiration or goals from the inside out.
And the four-step creative visualization process that I shared earlier is another effective and unique approach,
Like various forms of meditation,
Breathwork,
Reiki,
Sound therapy,
Yoga,
Or qigong.
These are among many that evoke a deeper state of self-awareness and understanding.
And different methods appeal to and impact each person differently.
And each of them can be done in a guided session with others or completely alone by yourself.
And so to get started with a somatic technique of choice,
I offer the following affirmation.
I embrace my unique access to inner knowing.
Thank you for listening.
We hope you found this episode insightful.
If so,
Please share it with others.
Until we reunite under the cosmic embrace of our next episode,
May your days be filled with the brilliance of your unique light.
Take each step with purpose and let the threads of light guide you.
