Using Body Cues To Learn Discernment

Did you know your body speaks to you? It does!!! It doesn't speak to you in an all-knowing voice. How then does it "speak"? Your body speaks to you through emotions!!! Emotions are your body’s way of trying to make you aware of new information. The stronger the emotion, the more your body is signaling there is something you need to pay attention to.

First of all, you need to understand our bodies are different. How my body indicates fear or excitement may be different from the way your body signals those things for you. For example, my body senses fear in my stomach area. Yours might indicate fear in your big toe. How do you know what to look for? Look back at those experiences in your life when fear was present. Where in your body did you feel those emotions? The answer to that question will give you some idea of what you personally need to pay attention to.

I'll give you a very personal example of what I am talking about. Years ago when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I was involved in a cult. The leader of this particular group, Jeffrey Lundgren, talked endlessly about all the violence that occurred in the Bible and the Book of Mormon and was training the men involved in the cult how to use firearms, among other things. After my husband and I made plans to leave, Jeff and I had a conversation I will never forget. Jeff told me about his plans to take over the Kirtland Temple by force, having to kill the people who lived around the temple in order to take control. (Yes, it seems deranged, but at the time I was too far brainwashed to see it.) 

The thing is, even during that conversation (where my mind had totally lost all sense) my body--my discernment--was still talking to me. When Jeff talked about killing people, my stomach felt all clenched up and tight, and I thought to myself, "Thank God I am not going to be around to see that!!!" My body was talking, my heart was listening, but at that point my mind was far from rational. This is what taught me (eventually, after Jeff really did kill people) that it is far better to listen to your heart than your mind.

Take the time to understand your body's cues. Reflect individually on various emotions. What happened to your body when you felt sadness? What happened to your body when you felt anger? What happened to your body when you felt scared? The answers to these questions and more will give you the information you need to understand what your body is telling you in those critical moments of life.

Your body is an instrument of awareness in a very complicated world. Allow yourself to access the wisdom and heart connection it contains to help you navigate the obstacles of life. It may just be key in helping you learn discernment.

~CSE