Have you ever noticed how dogs seem to have a built-in alarm clock? They know when you should be home, when it’s time for their meals, when it’s time to go to bed and time to get up.
I’ve been babysitting a dog for the past week, and inevitably, about 15 minutes before feeding time, he gets up and starts pacing, or nudging my leg while I’m at my desk, to remind me it’s about time for food. And he puts himself to bed about 8:00 pm.
The Human Element
Well, it turns out we humans have that same ability. I’ve been experimenting lately with lots of ways to connect with my body’s inner wisdom – another form of mindfulness. One of the things I’ve started doing is asking my body to wake me up in the morning, a few minutes before the alarm, or before whatever time I want to get up. Before I go to sleep, I just ask politely, ‘Body, will you please wake me up at XX? Thank you.”
Amazingly, it does just that. I wake up gently, naturally, and have a few minutes to reflect on any dreams I had during the night, or on what is ahead in my day. It’s such a pleasant way to come to the present of the morning – SO much nicer than a blaring alarm.
I follow that gentle, luscious awakening with my morning routine, and it sets me up for a beautiful day.
The Body Responds to Appreciation
The truth of the matter is – at the risk of sounding crazy – I’ve started talking to my body a LOT, using the sway or muscle testing and meditative qigong, and always giving my thanks. Well my body is actually responding! We are building a beautiful relationship, my body and I: I give it what it needs, and it helps me out with what I need. And I’m loving this feeling of confidence, security and SELF that it inspires.
What About YOU?
So I’m curious, what do you do to connect with your body? Please post in the comments below; I’d love to hear what you’re doing, and maybe learn about something new. And if you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you would subscribe; just fill out the form on the right.
My body has a mind of its own. Sometimes it will awaken me when I want, but not consistently. This is often the case for peeps who have a lot of distractions and who don’t have their mindfulness practice down. It’s definitely a YMMV proposition.
Dogs’ lives are simple enough that they easily remember time-based routines.
Thank you for your post, Gene. Yes, it definitely takes some practice. What is YMMV?
Your Mileage May Vary
Thank you for your post, John. Yes, like all skills, the more you practice, the better you get at it. 🙂
Great thoughts. I am on track with you. As long as I can remember I have never used an alarm clock. I generally wake up at a regular time, but if I have an early appt (knock on wood) I have never missed getting up as needed. Meals, certainly my body tells me when I’m in need of food, but without looking at the clock – I seem to gravitate towards the kitchen. There are other things – but suffice to say we are no different than other animals in that regard.
Talking to our body – I have done that too the last couple of years. Each organ has a function, and it’s fun to try and realize that it’s there and doing it’s thing from time to time – and what trauma we are doing to certain organs when we abuse them with foods or drink that are toxic to them (if I had only realized all that as I went through college etc.).
Now that we all (older folks) play the numbers game with sugar levels, fat levels, BP, pulse, etc. it’s evident what matters regards eating, drinking, exercise – and our minds are focused on those items without even thinking (the body knows).
Anyway. My thoughts! Keep up the good work.
Thank you for your post, Bob. Yes, our body knows for sure. I agree with you – we ARE part of the natural world, and we can function with the instinct of animals a little better if we practice and tune in.
And you are so right on the organs, and it’s a shame that we are not taught more about the relationship to our body. But it’s not only foods and drinks that are toxic. In the style of qigong that I practice, I’m learning that each organ holds specific emotions as well, often stuck negative emotions. We have exercises to awaken, cleanse and energize the yin/yang sets of organs and the energy meridians. It’s pretty cool stuff, and I’m excited to be learning how all this ties together. What AMAZING bodies we have!
I mainly walk around the block or around town. My cat, I have a Bombay cat, and he starts meowing just as the sun comes up at 5:00am, he also jumps on my side table I hold up the bed spread he either crawls under neath the bedspread or lays on top, or he gets on top of me and lays down on top of my chest.
Thank you for your post, Deborah. Your cat sounds like a great natural alarm clock, and it’s so nice to have a ‘critter buddy’ to snuggle with!