The ticket to living with confidence, clarity and ease.
by Christianne Zurowski - ICF Ceritified Life Coach - B.A., B.Ed., C.O.C., C.E.C.
Throughout our entire lives, we’ve been taught to rely on the so-called “experts”, immerse ourselves in the latest bestsellers, and follow the trends of popular podcasts and influencers. But what if I told you that the most potent source of wisdom has been right inside you all along– your own embodied intelligence?
Allow me to share a powerful revelation; the immense power that has been biologically encoded within you. It’s not about becoming a fitness fanatic, a dedicated hiker, a yoga master, or a meditation guru.
This power transcends physical capabilities; it’s about tapping into the profound wisdom of your body.
To access this power, we need to nurture our inherent somatic intelligence. Soma is the Greek word for body so, in simpler terms, somatic intelligence is about understanding your body’s unique language and learning to pay attention to your physical felt-sense.
Did you know that your gut-brain is actually in charge of your mood and well-being (not your brain)? And did you know that your gut sends nine times more signals up to your brain than it receives? Yet, we’ve been conditioned to dismiss these intuitive somatic messages as mere whims.
Our society has encouraged us to live in our heads, constantly analyzing and problem-solving, while neglecting our emotions and physical sensations. This disconnect has led to a state of “decapitation,” leaving us feeling like bobble-heads, disconnected from ourselves, and unable to connect with others.
Who wants to live like that? Certainly not me!
I’m here to unveil the key to a life filled with more confidence, clarity, and ease –understanding the language of your own body. And the best news is that you don’t need a fancy degree or a monastic lifestyle to achieve it.
Here are 3 things you can do to tap in to your innate ‘somatic superpower’ and learn to decode the messages from your body:
1. Expand your sensory vocabulary:
Train yourself to notice the subtle sensations inside your body. For instance, when you say, “I feel anxious”, dig deeper. Do you feel it as a heaviness in your heart or a knot in your gut? Do you get sweaty or cold? Do your shoulders collapse or do you ball your hands into fists? What does your body DO? Most of us are used to treating our body like a ‘brain Taxi’, so this can be hard to do at first. I recommend downloading a vocabulary list to prompt and expand your observations.
2. Strengthen your mindful muscle:
Think of this as doing reps at the gym; just as your biceps need regular exercise, so does this mental muscle. Scheduling in regular mindfulness moments during your day to focus on your body’s sensations will help you make embodied awareness as natural as breathing. I recommend you set a timer 3-5 times a day to practice paying attention to your physical sensations. Whether you are happy, sad or neutral, take notice of what your body is doing.
3. Become a detective:
Take your awareness to the next level by turning it into evidence. Keep a journal where you record your body sensations in different situations. Note the emotions you’re feeling, the circumstances, and the different physical sensations you experience in each scenario. For example, when you feel a knot in your stomach and sweaty palms, what kind of anxiety are you experiencing? Do you fear disappointing someone or are you worried you’ll get something wrong? There are various shades of anxiety and understanding these differences is where the real value lies. The goal is to spot your subtle cues and notice the patterns so that you can understand what your body is trying to tell you.
But what’s the point?
These three foundational skills are the building blocks of developing your somatic intelligence, but the true magic unfolds when you turn these observations into actionable steps.
In essence, self-awareness serves as a starting point, granting you the gift of choice. But it is through your choices that genuine transformation, and THAT’S the sweet spot where real change happens.
Once you know what your body is telling you, you get to make upgrades to WHO you are & HOW you are, so you can live with confidence, clarity and ease.
By learning the language of your body, you will gain confidence in your decisions. You will be able to feel into your somatic knowing, not just logic your way there, which brings further clarity. And when you feel clear, confident, and aligned, life has more ease and flow. All of this allows you to feel whole and authentic.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest, this might sound like a tall order! Even though this may seem daunting, I encourage you to have some fun with it. Don’t judge your feelings and sensations; just notice them. They are the evidence you’re collecting to guide you forward. Learn to laugh at yourself and embrace your full humanist – we all screw up and overreact sometimes – and life won’t feel like such a struggle.
Remember that integrating your body’s (somatic) intelligence with your other reasoning skills is like opening up your peripheral vision to see MORE. It allows you to connect with your vision and purpose in life, and naturally, you’ll live with more confidence, clarity and ease.
Embrace life’s duality- it’s all around us. Just as we have night & day, we have left and right brained skill sets. There’s no reason we have to choose one and divorce the other. It’s not "either/or", it’s "and/both". Connecting to our embodied intelligence is the way we reconnect our severed bobble-heads and become the whole human beings we were intended to be.
I wish you an enjoyable journey in developing your somatic superpower and understanding your body’s unique language.
And if you’re ready to dive right in, book your complimentary Jumpstart session today to uncover the magic of your Somatic Superpower.