10 Ways To Practice Listening To Your Body

Aug 18

You’ve probably heard the phrase “listen to your body” before when it comes to wellness. In theory, that’s all well and good, but how does one actually DO that? It’s especially difficult if you’re anything like me and you’ve spent a lot of your life trying to mute your body’s signals by trying not to eat when you’re hungry, drinking coffee when you’re tired instead of improving your sleep hygiene, and never letting anyone see you metaphorically sweat (and the ol’ “I’m fine!!” reply to the question “how are you doing?” even when you’re not).

We’re all born with a direct line of communication to ourselves— we’re hungry, we cry til we’re fed, we hurt ourselves, we cry until we’re comforted, and so on. Adult life isn’t so simple, though, and while we can’t always stop, drop, and meditate when we’re in the middle of the workday, there are a few things we can do to practice checking in with our bodies and become more fluent in our own body language.

Simple & Easy Ways To Get Better At Listening To Your Body

Simply Slow Down:
This a huge reason why I love HPS Phelan Good Mat Pilates classes so much- because we really take the time to pay attention to form and body awareness. When you’re rushing through movement it can be hard to really experience it. Just the act of taking your time can improve your bodily intuitiion because you’re actually paying attention.
Body Scan:
This is my personal favorite that I use the most often— pause and take 30 seconds to take an inventory of your body, from top to bottom (or bottom to top-do you!). Do you feel the fabric of your clothes against your body? The weight of your seat in your chair? Are you holding your breath? Are you gripping and holding tension anywhere? Don’t try to change anything- just notice it. You may find that simply practicing that awareness is enough to break postural habits and change how you feel.
5 Senses Grounding Drill:
This is one of the most popular ones I hear about— involve all your senses by looking for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste and you’ll instantly feel back “in” your body.
Earthing Drill:
Either standing or seated with your feet flat on the ground, bring your attention to the bottoms of your feet (even better if you can be barefoot and on actual grass or dirt— but any floor will work too!). This always ups my body awareness and helps me with my wondering (anxiety and ADHD) mind.
Deep Breathing Before Meals:
If you’ve ever ferociously ate a meal or snack even when you weren’t hungry, chances are you were pretty disconnected from your body, and maybe didn’t even TASTE what you were eating (every finish an episode on Netflix and wonder where your entire bowl of PopCorners went?? Yeah, sure, me neither 😇). There’s no such thing as a “bad” food, but if you can’t taste your food, how will you know when you’re satiated? I find it’s helpful to take 3 deep breaths before I start eating (and pay attention to my senses—sight, texture, smell, and taste are EVERYTHING joyful about food!) to activate my “rest & digest” nervous system and get me out of the “fight or flight” fluttery state that can block us from really feeling into our bodies.
Invest in a tracking tool:
TBH, I have a love-hate relationship with fitness trackers. On one hand, they can completely disconnect you by putting the onus on a piece of tech instead of paying attention to your body— and can sometimes encourage overriding bodily cues if it’s arbitrarily suggesting you close your rings without any context about what’s happening in your day, plus it's just another “thing” we feel pressured to buy to participate in wellness. On the other, they can be really helpful to give you context and help validate your gut instincts when you’re just getting started this practice of listening to your body. I definitely do NOT recommend a fitness tracker if you’re recovering from disordered eating habits and I frequently take breaks from my own Apple Watch to make sure I’m not relying too heavily on it.
Quick Stretch:
Nothing fancy- just stand, stretch and pay attention to how it makes you feel. Better? Still tight? Need to do it again? Different stretch? Hold it longer? It’s like how immersion is the best way to learn a foreign language because you’re forced to hear it everywhere— you won’t be able to listen to your body if you don’t practice assessing!
Self Interview:
Ask yourself (out loud or in your head) what do I need in this moment? Often times we’re just moving so quickly throughout our day that we never stop to even consider this question.
Automate It
Of course, like trackers, relying on tech is not my favorite solution, but sometimes you just gotta delegate! Set an alarm on your phone to periodically check in with yourself (When I work from home I set reminders for midday movement breaks to make sure I keep my energy flowing and my body feeling it’s best).
Find Flow State
Just move! This can be a formal fitness class, or it can be putting on your favorite song and having a good ol’ fashioned Yang and Meredith dance party in your living room. Movement of any kind is not only incredibly cathartic, but it helps us pay attention to what’s happening internally. I even created an entire Flow State collection on my pilates platform using longer, more coordination heavy sequences to encourage this mindfulness!

Conclusion

I know how intimidating it can be to take on the idea of listening to your body when it feels like you have no idea what it’s saying- but it DOES get easier with practice. Movement supports your longevity, better sleep, improved energy and so many more things, but done with intention, it also helps you get to know yourself better- which is really the whole point behind my digital pilates studio, Helen Phelan Studio. I hope these tips are a good jumping off point for you, and there’s a free 10 day trial to HPS if you want to take it further!