Learning to Listen to Your Body

Before yoga, I didn't know anything about regulating my nervous system.

To be honest, I didn't know much about my nervous system at all.

I was pretty disconnected from my body + my mind. I knew when I was tired, stressed or overwhelmed, but I didn't really understand what those feelings were telling me. I just carried on.

Then, after work, I started practising yoga. At first, it was simply something I enjoyed doing. But over time, as my asana practice developed + I began to explore meditation, I started noticing something.

Oh... this feels nice.

Not just physically. There was a noticeable difference between how I felt before my practice + how I felt afterwards.

I began to recognise the contrast.

The tension. The racing thoughts. The feeling of being "on". The exhaustion. The overwhelm.

I can name some of those feelings much more clearly now: burnout, anxiety, stress, overstimulation.

But more importantly, I know what it is to feel them.

I might notice that I'm holding my breath. My shoulders have crept towards my ears. My jaw is tight. My thoughts are racing. I'm restless, irritable or finding it difficult to slow down.

And I also recognise the other side.

A slower breath. Softer muscles. A sense of spaciousness. Feeling present rather than pulled in a hundred different directions.

Learning to notice the signs

Years of yoga + mindfulness have taught me that these aren't simply thoughts or emotions happening somewhere in my head. They can show up physically too.

Our nervous system is constantly responding to what's happening around us, and learning to recognise those physical signals has changed how I respond to them.

There was a time in my life when I needed to make some big changes. I was carrying more than I realised, + those changes needed to happen.

But these days, I often don't need to wait until I'm completely overwhelmed before I do something about it.

I can notice the signs earlier.

Sometimes that might mean stepping away from my laptop. Going for a walk. Practising yoga. Taking a few slower breaths. Having a quiet evening. Saying no. Getting an early night.

Sometimes it means doing the exact opposite of what I had planned.

And that's something I've come to value more + more:

Self-care isn't always about sticking to the routine. Sometimes it's about being flexible enough to respond to what you actually need.

Are we following the rules, or listening to ourselves?

We live in a world full of measurements telling us what "healthy" looks like.

10,000 steps.

Eight hours of sleep.

A certain number of workouts.

Meditation streaks.

Morning routines.

None of these things are inherently bad. In fact, many can be incredibly helpful.

But somewhere along the way, we can start following the number rather than noticing ourselves.

We can become so focused on what we should be doing that we forget to ask a much simpler question:

How do I actually feel?

Because your body is giving you information all the time.

Maybe you're tired because you've physically done a lot.

Or perhaps you've spent the whole day worrying, making decisions, supporting someone else or simply feeling "on".

Emotional energy is energy too.

What do you need today?

Maybe you need movement.

Maybe you need rest.

Maybe you need connection.

Maybe you need some space.

There isn't one answer that works every day.

And perhaps that's the point.

The more we learn to notice how we feel, the more choice we have in how we respond.

We don't need to control every feeling or aim to be calm all the time. Stress, excitement, frustration, energy + rest are all part of being human.

Instead, we can become a little more curious.

What am I feeling?

What is my body telling me?

What do I need right now?

Feel

This is what we are exploring inside the Inspired Club with our theme, Feel.

Not another list of things you should be doing.

Instead, an invitation to become more aware of your body, your energy + your nervous system, and to explore what it means to let how you feel influence how you show up.

Because sometimes the most supportive thing you can do isn't to push yourself to complete the plan.

Sometimes it's to pause, notice + give yourself permission to choose differently.

Feel. Listen. Respond.

And perhaps, over time, come to trust yourself a little more.