This is a message from me. You know Shoshanna at Simple Spirit. However, it is also a message from your body if you are one of my fellow ‘Over Thinkers’ (is that you too), It is a very important invitation for you. If you are not sure whether you overthink things or not, just ask yourself the following question. Do you ever find yourself thinking about someone or something other than what you are doing in the current moment all the time? Then do you ever talk to yourself about how you should be more present while still thinking about those other things and trying hard to pay attention to what is in front of you? Yep, likely then you are an over thinker too.

So what do you do to remedy it? Well, get more present. Sounds too simple to be true.

Maybe. You might wonder how in TF do I be present without stepping off of things like going on a silent retreat, quitting my crazy job or going to live in the middle of the forest in a hut with no electricity or just keeping my phone turned off all the time?

Simply. Your access to your true wisdom is not up there in your head. The solutions to a racing mind. Not there in your mind. It is in your body. SO… how do you get to being present? You learn how to process more of life in your body. Your body is the most important tool in being present in all of life.

Maybe you already tried that with meditation. Now you might be thinking that you should be focusing on thinking less or trying to do less or trying to only focus on one thing at a time. Because that meditation thing was too hard. Your mind raced the whole time or you couldn’t sit still or you just fell asleep. All of those things are real, but the more you try to “not think too much” the more guess what… You are thinking more.

Truly your access to presence is through being in your body. I know that can sound a bit daunting if you spend a LOT of time in your head. I DO. It is a daily practice to move back into my body. When I take the time to get connected to my body, I have found that being able to accurately recognize what is my intuition vs a physical sensation vs an emotional reaction vs thoughts becomes easier.

How do I suggest getting into your body? 

Try simply taking an Observation walk.

To do this ‘try’, take a moment before you begin your walk to connect to your breath.

Close your eyes and take a breath.

Follow your inhalation 

–in through the nose–down your throat–filling your lungs 

-Hold for a moment-

Follow your exhalation 

–stomach pressing the air out–up through your throat–out your mouth

Do this for 5-10 breaths. The idea is to slow your brain down so you can connect to your body more easily.

When you begin your walk, instead of letting your brain go wild consciously ask questions and then don’t think observe your body:

Are my leg muscles tight or loose? 

Am I walking heel to toe or toe to heel or just picking up my foot?

How does the width of my stride feel in my hips? Ankles? Knees? 

Does this pace of walking feel good to my neck and shoulders? 

How am I holding them?

What part of my body likes this?

See if you can actually notice what each limb and muscle are doing. Notice how your feet feel at every step as they connect to the ground.

Try walking, swinging your arms or keeping them still at your side. How does the difference feel to your body?

Try walking in different environments. See how your body feels about being on a quiet nature path or on a sidewalk next to a street?

Try taking off your shoes and walking in the grass or sand barefoot. How is your body like that?

Hear this as an invitation to experiment with how your body enjoys being connected with and what kind of environment your being and body enjoys. It is recess for your brain. Let it run around the playground so you have the space to get connected to your body.