Intentional leadership,
To me,
Means to lead yourself and others in a calm and thoughtful manner,
Free of excess emotions or stress.
As a leader in a fast-paced work environment,
You are paid to make fast decisions,
To handle challenging situations swiftly and effectively,
All while remaining calm under sometimes enormous pressure.
This also applies to parenthood,
Where you're required to make decisions all day long,
Handle challenging situations constantly,
And have sometimes incredible pressures on you.
The only difference is that we don't get paid to do that,
And the stakes are even higher.
If you're anything like me,
Leaders often live mostly in their head,
And while that is useful at times,
Maybe even necessary,
It can lead to some serious disconnection from your own body.
Have you ever been so busy at work you forgot to eat or stay hydrated,
Just to realize that you have a headache because all you have are two cups of coffee?
And yes,
Sometimes we have those days where we need to sacrifice some sleep or other important aspects like eating,
But if you do that frequently,
Consistently,
Or even habitually,
It can create serious health issues that can exhibit physically or mentally,
And often both.
For me,
For example,
Working long hours felt just necessary when I took on a new job in a new company.
There was just so much to do in so little time.
Yet apart from feeling the guilt that I felt just by not spending more time with my children,
I started to see some physical changes.
I stopped moving.
I mean,
There were days where I clocked all of 200 steps,
Twice going to the bathroom and a few steps to the kitchen to get more coffee or a sugary snack,
Just for some quick energy.
And we're not designed for that at all.
Sitting is the new smoking,
As they say.
So naturally,
I gained weight,
I lost muscle mass,
I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and insulin resistance due to stress.
And mentally,
Too,
My sleep became more elusive,
Fragmented,
A lot less restorative.
I became irritable and quick to anger.
Now,
I know that's just my story,
But I also know I'm not alone.
At least here in North America,
We live in a world that glorifies being busy and taking breaks seems self-indulgent and really,
Who has time for that,
Right?
So this is where I had a conversation with my very wise sister,
Who also is a doctor,
And she said to me,
If you don't take time for wellness,
You will have to make time for illness.
And that became very evident to me with these test results.
And the core issue was that I lived exclusively in my head.
I was disconnected from my body to a point where I couldn't read signals like hunger,
Thirst,
Or fatigue.
My body was ignored for so long,
It felt like it was giving up trying to talk to me.
If this resonates with you at all,
You're in the right place,
Because today we're going to do a body scan that helps you reconnect your body and your mind and strengthen that relationship between the two.
And if you wonder what all of that has to do with intentional leadership,
Well,
The answer is everything.
Because intentional leadership starts with you,
Or as the saying goes,
You can't pour from an empty cup.
And no,
In case you need to hear this from someone today,
Putting yourself first isn't selfish,
It is necessary.
The meditation I'm going to guide you through is really wonderful to come back to your own body and strengthen that mind-body connection so that you can continue to show up and lead with intention.
So if you're not already,
Please make yourself comfortable.
You can sit down or lay down for this.
I invite you to gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
You can relax your arms by your side and take a few deep breaths.
Now,
Let's start at the top of your head.
How does your forehead feel?
Is it hot or nice and cool?
Now wander down and relax your eyebrows and the space between your eyebrows.
Relax your eyes.
There's no more tension behind your eyes.
Just let your eyes rest in the eye socket.
Move down mentally to your cheeks.
Relax your cheeks and jaw.
And let your tongue relax in your mouth.
What about your shoulders?
Let them relax away from the ears and down towards the back a little bit.
Now move to your arms and hands.
Let them relax and simply hang or rest on the surface below you.
Now mentally move down to your hips.
Feel how the chair or surface below you supports you.
There's really no need for you to hold yourself up.
The surface underneath you has got you.
Now down to your legs and feet.
Feel your feet firmly planted on the ground or your heels if you're laying down.
Notice how the ground below you supports your legs and feet.
Now notice your breath and how it moves your chest and your belly with each inhale and exhale.
There's no need to change or control your breath in any way.
Just notice how the air flows in and out.
How incredible it is that this system works completely without needing you to pay attention to it.
Your body just knows what to do.
Now put your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your belly.
Notice your belly expanding and contracting with each breath.
Notice your.
.
.
Notice your heartbeat under your left hand.
And again,
How marvelous that this system too works without any effort or even awareness from you.
You might feel a sense of gratitude for your body and the hard work it does for you,
Day in and day out.
You might even want to say thank you out loud or mentally.
Now let's take another deep breath in and out.
You can bring your focus back to the room and open your eyes.
Now I hope you felt the connection to your body and with time and practice you can strengthen your mind-body connection and learn to hear and understand its signals again.
When that happens,
Please act on it.
If your body sends you a hunger signal,
Please eat,
Ideally something nutritious and delicious.
If you feel tired,
Allow yourself to rest.
It doesn't have to be a half day off to sleep,
Even just a few minutes of mindfulness meditation can reset your mind and body or perhaps you need a quick stretch or a few steps outside.
Thank you for joining me today and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
