By Christoph Schnelle, Australia
I talked to a professor of statistics about PhDs and he told me about one of his PhD students who wants to find out how people make decisions. This student puts people into a FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine and records their brain activity while they make decisions.
Might there be a simpler way to investigate how we make decisions?
From my work with Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I have learned that it is much easier to make good decisions when I am in touch with my body.
What does that mean in practice?
As an example, victims of major accidents, when interviewed, regularly say that they were either very depressed or very happy, euphoric even, just before the accident. When you are euphoric or very depressed it is difficult to feel your body – there is something much stronger going on – perception is swamped by the euphoria or the depression and it is actually quite impossible to feel anything subtle that may be happening in the body.
It is also true that when people overanalyse a decision they have to make, then the quality of their decision making goes down. When we overanalyse we get very mentally active and involved and thereby lose contact with our body.
If I make a decision when I am emotional, it tends to be, actually it pretty much always is, a worse decision than when I am not emotional but able to feel what is going on. When I am able to feel I am by definition aware of my body, but when I am emotional I have found out (and had it confirmed countless times through my own experience) that I am in a reaction to a feeling. Clearly, when I am in a reaction I can’t feel my body properly – except aches and pains maybe, but nothing more subtle.
As a financial adviser I have also seen that worse decisions are made when people lack confidence. In that lack of confidence we contract; it actually feels like we shrink into ourselves and we lose contact to our body as well. Equally, when we are over confident, we are not in touch with our body and our decisions tend to be impaired.
Other people might also be aware of this connection between being in touch with our body and the quality of decisions we made: have you noticed how many shops play loud music and what that does to how easy it is to feel our body? More subtly, have we noticed how muzak (the background music played in big shops) may put us into a dreamy state and we later notice how much longer we stayed at the shop and how much more we have spent?
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
Loved the part where you wrote about the music shops play to entice you to either stay in the shop longer or make a purchase you would probably not have made if the music wasn’t playing, it’s interesting how distracted we become through background noise and how it effects our decisions.
It is great reading this again because what you write is so sensible and makes so much sense it is a wonder that we don’t pay more attention to these simple and very practical facts.
If we make decisions from our minds then they will not be true, our body has the wisdom, we just need to stay connected to it, and being in reaction takes us away from our bodies, ‘when I am in a reaction I can’t feel my body properly – except aches and pains maybe, but nothing more subtle.’
Being connected to our body and aware of our feelings is a magical way of living.
This is a great study of how we are so used to being stimulated from the outside and how this actually takes us away from ourselves and makes us less stable with our own inner truth.
It’s a very intriguing subject Christoph and super important to ‘connect to’ and relate. It makes you stop, and that’s a vital step in the decision process – space is created. The more space the more awareness there is. The more awareness the decision will be in line with a truer outcome.
This is so key. What state are in we when we make decisions? I know for example that I cant think straight if I go into a shop paying loud music. It totally affects my thought processes and makes me a little on edge. Something I’m learning is that we ought not to be hurried into making a decision. Its OK to give yourself time and not feel pressured to give an answer on the spot.
Wow, I had not considered the use of music in shops and how it might affect decision making around purchases but it makes perfect sense. This has been really constructive to read giving me a lot of insights into the decision making process and body connection.
This is such a great description of what happens to our body when we contract. “it actually feels like we shrink into ourselves and we lose contact to our body as well” It is no wonder then that any decisions that we make in this state will not come with care and consideration, ingredients required for wise choices. Coming to understand this I can now see why so many of the decisions I made in my life did not have the outcome I was aiming for as they came from a body that was not living in its fullness.
This is a great blog to read when you are trying to make a decision! Thank you Christoph. Connecting to the body makes things very simple. We may not always like the messages we receive but if we remain aware of our bodies at least our decisions will be truly informed ones.
Exactly Bryony – we are pretty much walking around with an internal navigation system that we constantly have access to. We cannot escape our body, so why not make best buddies with it and allow the wisdom to be expressed as a guide throughout life?
A true choice considers the whole. In other words, making a choice knowing that is will affect everyone else ensures that the choice is true and clear.
Spot on Christoph, staying connected to the body is key to everything – it allows the space for us to access the deep wisdom and knowing we all have within.
Our ability to be present with our own bodies, is key here isn’t it… I had a serious car accident many years ago now (serious for my car… I came out with just a few bruises, and some deep personal learning…), where my car went off the road down a fairly steep hill and was written off.
At the time this occurred, I was caught deeply in the emotional angst of some relationship entanglements I was in then – longing for ‘another life’, and not feeling able to deal with what I needed to well and truly face ‘at home’. It is so important that we deal with anything that may be troubling us (to the best of our ability), and not let anything going on in our lives leave us caught in reverie, fantasy or disconnection from the realities at hand – a very deep learning.
Great point. This also shows us that we not only have a responsibility to our body, our car and our wallet but also to other bodies and road users to not get caught up in emotional entanglements.
These are beautiful observations Christoph – true science… What I have learnt from Serge Benhayon over many years now, and continue to integrate and apply in my own daily life, is that without connection to and awareness of our own bodies, we are effectively ‘lost at sea’ – with no guide nor compass to hold us in connection with our essential selves, and thereby at the mercy of whatever currents (thoughts and influences) that may be about us.
A great example Christoph of listening, feeling and responding to the messages from our body. As you have pointed out our body carries all knowing wisdom, available to us in every moment.
You bring beautifully to the fore how many distractions we have created that let us not be in touch with ourselves. And we have made this way of being our normal – anything we do not want to feel we distract ourselves. What you encourage here is to do actually the opposite and allow us to feel to be connected to what is more truly going on for and with us to then be able to make a decision that is free from the emotions that constantly drag us in all directions.
I probably would never understand a report based on FMRI analysis – it would be too technical, too ‘scientific’, but when you present it like you have, Christoph, based on your own experience it is far more relatable and easier to become interested and understand – and opens up a possibility for me to also be a curious scientist of life myself.
It is great to bring this kind of awareness to the fore for many will not stop before making a decision and contemplate the importance of connecting to our bodies and how this will then affect the quality of not only the decision but what we then move forward in.
Christoph, there are so many things in our day that can take us away from our bodies. I can really relate to the music in shops. There are some shops i just cannot be in as the music distorts so much in me. Music in the gym is much the same. It is odd that we are exercising our bodies but have music playing that totally takes us away from our bodies! It is not accidental that there are so many things in our day that stop us being present to our bodies as when we are in our bodies our reflection is very powerful.
One of the core teachings by Serge Benhayon is that the body is the marker of truth and you have highlighted this so very very well Christoph – thank you.
So much wisdom in this short piece. With all of the examples its very easy to feel how any emotional state takes us away from the natural balance of our body – under or over confident for example where even the names indicate we have left ourselves somewhere in the middle with our natural confidence and presence. It’s also very revealing to feel how easily we can be manipulated by this tendency to leave ourselves behind – the loud music being disorientating and the music lulling us into a dreamy state. None of this affects us though when we make it our first choice to stay connected – yes it takes practice but it is very, very possible.
Christoph I love what you have shared as it seems so true and I am wondering why most of us do not know this anymore. You need your body to make a true decision – if you are not in your body only your mind can made a decision. Have you ever felt the difference???? No, so try out by yourself and you will be inspired how precise your body knows what to do.
I have noticed that when the radio is on at the shop where I work the staff are more easily distracted and not so present with themselves. There can be an illusion of happiness as the music appears to jolly us along and the sadder songs can have an influence too and it is not so easy to engage with customers on anything but a more superficial level. For older people and those with who are not 100% well, which is most of us, it is more difficult to communicate with background noises or sounds such as those from a radio. I imagine a lot of people might dispute this but it has been my observation so far.
You don’t need a brain scanning machine to read this and see that it makes sense. When upset or small my choices and range of available or known choices I have in that moment becomes very limited in they require a need or drive to achieve and the choices are seemingly unlimited. Whereas when I am with my body it’s as if my scope of choices I can make in that particular moment are much more supportive and definite and don’t require second guessing or justifying. For example I was tired last night, while disconnected I could do loads of chores and tick things off my to-do list to ‘rest tomorrow’ – this would of drained me further and the decision from my body was: tired now/rest now. So simple but allowed me to feel the way I do now, more supported and steady from listening to my body.
The first line of the title said it all – Making decisions the body is key – makes so much sense and highlights to me how important it is to take care our bodies, and from continuous self-care, to loving and honouring our bodies which is a great support to hear and listen to all its intelligence and guidance not only when we have a decision to make but in all our movements throughout our day.
This connection with the body, actually being aware of your body and how it feels, is like a giant well kept secret on the path to a joyful and loving life, and yet it is no secret, and it is taught by Universal Medicine.
Thank you Christoph for sharing in such a simplicity how we are trapped in our emotions and thinkings . . . it is a little wake up call for most of us.
“From my work with Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I have learned that it is much easier to make good decisions when I am in touch with my body.” I absolutely agree Christoph. I now enjoy the decision as my body already knows the answer and I just allow myself to feel it. I know if I have allowed my mind to take over as my thoughts are all over the shop.
Thank you Christoph for sharing, when I go up in my head and leave my body I can go into mulling , over thinking the situation thereby creating anxiety and confusion as to what to do. Staying with my body brings clarity and an easfullness in knowing what is next.
We are so trained to make decisions from our mind and often end up in indecision, the wrong decision or wondering for hours, sometimes days or weeks what decision to make and then needing to ask others for advice, etc. What this shows us is that when we try to make a decision from our minds we are totally lost. And as your blog reveals it serves so much more if we start to re-learn to listen to our body and make decisions from our body – this is a real key to an easy, joyful and fulfilled life!
Christoph, well exposed this area of making decisions from an emotional body can have. This is a great account of what is going on.The Shopping Centers in store music and the undercurrent for sales. I have often browsed in a store thinking this is up beat music, but then after a song or two had to get out as it is too imposing. I wonder how the employee’s cope with the music blasting all day everyday.
I love the simplicity in this blog Christoph and also the power in what you share. I tend to over think things at times and before I know it I have bought complications into my decision making and made the process that much harder and more time consuming. When I make decisions from my body the difference is obvious, I feel much lighter and more expansive.
Living our day in connection with our bodies allows us to discern what is truth and what is not, this is a simple and powerful way to get through the day with joy and vitality in everything that we do.
And a very interesting point at the end of this great blog about the muzak that is played at us everywhere in the retail environment… it is no coincidence that it affects our decision making projects.
Wow, Christophe. Who needs a PhD when you’ve laid it all bare here? Makes perfect sense. The body is our primary source of knowing and feeling. So when we feel, we can know what the right decision for us is. No logic, no mental gymnastics, no analysis, no emotion, no reaction. We just know.
Yes, I agree Christoph – the body certainly is the key when it comes to making decisions. It isn’t always easy to get the mind out of the way while I am searching for what my body is communicating to me, but I do know through experience that when I do connect, I feel clearly what the answer is to any decision I am facing.
Connection to our bodies is the only way to live in every area of our lives. Thank you Christophe for highlighting the importance of this when we are making decisions as these are happening in every moment of our life.
You are expanding the meaning of psychology Christoph, from it being broadened from simply how the mind processes life to how the entire body interacts with life.
I hadn’t really considered the effect music has on me when I enter a shop but I do know that I avoid the shops with bad lighting and loud music and I can see how music can be used to lure people into their shop. What about music in the festive season is it possible it contributes to people overspending and getting themselves into debt around that time? I can also feel how my decision making can be affected when I don’t remain connected to my body and go into my head.
Thank you for presenting this Christoph – everyone needs to know this.
Great point Chan Ly ‘So if we are used to practicing making everyday decisions based on supporting and loving ourselves then when it comes to making the bigger decisions we can naturally apply the same principles to them too.’
Fascinating blog Christoph which clearly demonstrates the things that get in the way of good decision making. I have always been aware that sometimes I make really quick (and usually good) decisions whether it be shopping or major life changes and other times I am almost paralysed by indecision and however much I try and force it I either cannot make a decision or end up making a wrong choice. In the past I had a tendency to get lost in my head but the times I am super clear is when I am connected to my body and it’s like the decision is just there no effort needed.
That is a good point, Helen. When we have trouble making a decision, it may pay to take a step back, to connect and, in addition, to see if all assumption about the decision were right – Does the decision have to be made now? Are all choices possibly equally good or bad, in which case any decision may do and many other possibilities.
Thank you Chrisoph this is such an awesome sharing, I believe I spent most of my life making decisions from a lack of confidence and not checking in with my body to feel what was true. Since attending Universal Medicine presentations I have learned to connect to my body more and I agree it really is the key to making decisions and supports us in so many ways.
There are so many things that affect our decision making, and it almost all has to do with the state we are in and connected to our body, the best decisions are made in connection with our bodies, which count in all that is needed, not only that what our rational mind thinks.
Although we might be not aware but life is about making choices. We make choices every minute of the day. What you are pointing out Christoph is that whenever we are not connected with our body it is never a choice we will benefit from as in a true choice. I feel when I am with my body it just flows and the moment I start to think how and what etc it stagnates and life (and my body) becomes painful and my awareness of what to choose is gone.
Its a bit crazy , how we override what we are feeling, to make a decision that fits what the head wants us to do, but how poorly those decision turn out
Absolutely Christoph – music is incredibly powerful to putting the body into a false state of ‘feel good’ emotional energy or euphoria. I can very much relate to that in many instances – especially when I used to get ready to go out for an evening at uni, for example. It gave me a false sense of me, as if the ‘me’ part was never quite good enough. I now find if I am aware of my body, am connected to its communication, the different feelings I receive are of a whole different quality. There are clear messages being sent to understand the true decision to be made. I am starting to understand the body is so intelligent it actually knows the future, and so communicates back the appropriate decision to make at that time to support us to get there. Wow.
This is so awesome ginadunlop and has also been my experience when I connect ‘I am starting to understand the body is so intelligent it actually knows the future, and so communicates back the appropriate decision to make at that time to support us to get there.’
It makes absolute sense that when we make a decision that decision is influenced by how steady and connected to our body we feel in that moment. I hadn’t actually considered this fact in such simple terms – thanks Christoph!
We have so much wisdom inside, we just have to use it and not go back to old ways that tell us to stay in the indecision, waste time and energy and also annoy our friends, waiters, and people waiting at the restaurants and bars!
Your blog should be taught in schools, although sometimes one gets it when one has felt it in the body, and has gone through the steps to lose it and find it back. Thank you Cristoph.
You give a very comprehensive and helpful explanation of what gets in the way of making better decisions. Thank you. I have always had trouble making decisions big ones and even tiny ones like choosing at a restaurant, and I am well known to my friends for that. What I have discovered is totally in line with your discovery. When I have a decision to make now, I let my body choose. Those are the best ones. For instance, if I doubt whether to go or not somewhere, I let my mind rest and just let my body do what it has to do, move or sit down. And not think or analize. The body knows whether to move or to stay. It is much simpler.
Great blog Christoph. So simple and so clear. So simple in fact that it is makes the opening paragraph all the more strange. Being in touch with our bodies is something we all know on a certain level is what supports us to make the right decision. How did so many get so sidetracked into thinking decision making does (and should) come from the head.
A great discussion, Christoph. We often think that we think in our head and we make decisions in there. The world we currently live in is designed to numb and distract us from feeling our selves, and even when we talk about ‘feelings’ there often is confusion about it being emotions. Developing a connection with our body is totally worth it.
Very true about the confusion between feelings and emotions. Many do not know the difference but the difference is massive. Emotions keep us out of our body and feelings are in our body.
Yes, paralysing yourself with indecision is a way to get very heavily involved and busy and numb. And emotional. Feeling your body is much quicker – what we need to learn is how to handle it when we don’t get a signal from the body. Am I thinking about the wrong decision like walking across the road and deciding whether to pick something up from the ground instead of deciding to get out of the way of the approaching car…
We are as amazing as any FMRI machine, if not grander when given the opportunity to surrender to the greatness that is within. The intelligence, the wisdom, the capacity to have awareness is all there, its just we numb ourselves down from our true potential.
Very simple but yet very revealing observations, Christoph. A true marker for decisions is our body. And the more we are connected and able to feel it and what is going on in it, the clearer and truer our decision will be.
In the bigger picture, when we are connected to our bodies there is no decision that needs to be made – we know which way to go as our bodies are aligned to the wisdom of the Universe.. How cool! Here I am, knee deep in confusion trying to live from my mind when my body knows everything already.
Well said Rachel, how overrated are our minds, all we need to do is connect to our bodies.
Gorgeously put, Rachael: “In the bigger picture, when we are connected to our bodies there is no decision that needs to be made – we know which way to go as our bodies are aligned to the wisdom of the Universe.” So how important is it to take super good care of our bodies….? So our body can connect to this wisdom and be the vehicle of expression it is meant to be.
I have identified myself in the past as someone who can’t make decisions. I blamed this on having a Libra star sign for the most part, yet this always felt irresponsible and not true. Like you’ve said so simply Christoph, we have a few avenues to make decisions from and I can clearly see that my decision making has come from the swamp in my head without much consideration for my body. This is changing now.
Wow, it’s interesting to write down the effects of all of these behaviours/ways of living. It seems it is a fine art not to get caught in the outer, but to stay connected to our inner/bodies for true choices to be made- I have experienced this. But wow- how many true choices do we make?
When I was young … not a lot. The body is great though, that when we are on the wrong track it gets louder and louder if we don’t actively try to shut it down and even then it would regularly still give us reminders. We just have to listen.
You present some great examples here Christoph, and why would we use a machine when our body has so much wisdom of its own! When we connect to our bodies, we can clearly feel when we are making an emotional decision and when we are making a choice that feels true. Our body has lived with the consequences of our every decision therefore it is naturally the authority in knowing what is true for us and what isn’t.
My Mother used to say…’analysis is paralysis’ which I can relate to, and also to your blog. When I go too much into my head and analyse everything, I lose the ability to make a clear decision. When I get too emotional, I lose the ability to make a clear decision. When I tune into my body, and clear the table (so to speak) of the false stories, and emotions that are surrounding the issue, it becomes much clearer. No fancy machines required 🙂
Its very true re the loud music drowning out our ability to listen within. I have also been so sure about a decision and then making it and turning out to be an unwise one, all because I was disconnected from my body.
I agree Andrew. Over time I have learnt that good decisions come exclusively from the body, never my mind. My mind is useful for many things like writing this comment but definitely not for the moment of making a decision.
Great points Christoph, thank you. Hearing Serge Benhayon present on the difference between feelings and emotions has been key for me.
Yes, and strong emotional states, including positive ones, make us particularly unaware.
This is an Interesting article Christoph, ‘When I am able to feel I am by definition aware of my body’, it is great how you bring it back to simplicity. I now know from experience that making decisions when i am emotional really does not work, that i need to be calm and present in my body to make a true, clear decision.
I have worked in shops for many years and yes I totally agree the loud music and lighting in stores can be very obtrusive on our senses. As a customer I generally will not stay in a shop with overwhelming music as it makes me feel quite unwell. We play music in our boutique but it is very low, making it more enjoyable for all and easier to connect with everyone.
Christoph, thank you I really appreciate the many examples you have used to bring clarity to the process of decision making. As for music in shops, I never hesitate to mention to a person working in the shop that the music playing turns me off my food or that I feel like I need to walk out of the shop as it affects me making a decision, often the response is ‘sorry I have learned to switch off and did not realise that until now that you have mentioned it.’ We can’t blame the music for numbing our ability to feel our bodies. However this sure reminds me to take a moment to re-connect to my body.
I loved what you shared Christoph for it reminds me to deepen the trust into what I feel. I am one of the kind tending to override my feelings with analysing. Great marker to get your reflection!
I love the simplicity of what you offer here Christoph. No machines needed to research on how we make decisions but to bring it back to the body and the true intelligence that is within our body.
Yes, shiny, big machines are fun to use when you do research and they give you an aura of importance. In this case, though, there is a much simpler way to do this research.
Interesting that many victims of car accidents were either very happy or very depressed before the accident occurred. Like wise when we lack confidence or are over confident we are not in touch with the body and our decisions are impaired. Today’s lifestyle seems to be a continual roller-coaster of highs and lows and the additives in our food and what we choose to eat and drink often exacebates this – or maybe it is the foundation of this?
Christoph, that is such a simple, very interesting and profound blog – I loved to read it and it made me even more aware to stop finding a decision when I am not in my mind and instead in my mind. How often do we find ourselves in our head trying to get a hint, what is the right pass. Connecting to the body and then going further with the decision is a great way and I will remember it for sure next time.
Whoa. Great call out on the shop music Christoph. Spot on! You have explained this so well- simple, consise and easy to read. What your saying can be seen in relationships too- when you get angry and say something in reaction, then after wide realising it wasn’t the best idea…Being over emotional your not with your body.
And everyone knows the ‘I don’t make good decisions when drinking’ saga of events that happen. alcohol numbs you from feeling and so your choices arnt coming from your body and how you feel. Thanks for sharing this Christoph.
I agree. Actually I know quite a few people who drink lots of alcohol when making major life decisions. It numbs them from seeing where they are at and they accept that they are making bad decisions as it is too painful to see the reality of their life.
The worse decisions are made when people lack confidence….. so the advice would be to not make decisions when not feeling confident and unsure in any way, but to wait till one is feeling confident and fully present. Because it could be said, when one is fully present with oneself, one always knows what to do.
Great blog Christoph. I have always felt the truth of the saying “the body is the barometer of our soul.” It makes sense to me and this blog also resonates that truth to me. To realize that my being emotional is me in reaction to a feeling is revolutionary. If l can truly get this it means l have the opportunity to cut out all the “Drama” in my life.
Carola this has been my experience as well. I can always feel that the decision I made from reaction and my head is not quite right when I am back connected to my body.
Christoph these are really great observations. what you say about where people are at before a major accident being either depressed or euphoric I had no idea about. I have noticed that I usually walk into furniture if I am not connected to my body. Not an experience I enjoy. But it returns me to my body quick smart.
Christoph, you are so right – there are so many distractions which can take us away from our bodies, which is where we feel the truth. The question for me is why I choose to be distracted in the first place. I can be distracted with food, music, a junky magazine-all designed to keep me feeling comfortable and to stop me feeling the real me, but it is my choice!
We check-out as a society a lot these days. We tend to hide behind what we have been told is right or wrong and remain in the haggle with that in an endless game in our minds. This is exhausting! As it puts our bodies in a state of perpetual anxiousness. We simply need to feel our bodies, be in the moment and live!
We can’t blame music for numbing our ability to feel our bodies, but it sure can feel like an imposition in some shops. I find taking a moment to make sure I am connected to my body as I enter these shops, allows me to maintain this connection and not be affected.
That’s very true Carmin. It is very interesting to observe the cleverly selected music shops may choose. I agree that a lot of music shops play is imposing in so many ways. I recall a shop I used to go to when I was younger would blast out dance music. I found that I could no longer go into the store because of this. Their loss.
A lovely and simple reminder Carmin, thank-you, just take a moment to make sure I am connected with my body before entering these shops to not get affected with the blasting of music that feels imposing for my ears and my body.
Thank you Christoph this is so true. I know times I have been really excited about something and have made some terrible decisions! Connection to our deeper knowing through the body is so liberating.
Great observations, I am finding that connection to my body is key in every part of my life.
A great blog Christoph, such a beautiful reminder that when we are connected to our body the choices we make are more supportive and loving.
It is true that we need to be in touch with ourselves, to make decisions, otherwise decisions come from all the convoluted conditions and patterns that we have gathered in our heads, and making a true decision will be like trying to see your way out of the maze in the pitch black… Impossible
A great observation Christoph, I will remember that when I am at a shopping centre. I have noticed that when I have trouble making a decision, going back and forth I know I have lost touch with my body, I can then choose to come back and feel me.
This was a really interesting article Christoph and such a poignant reminder of the power of clarity that the body holds when we choose to stay connected. The foggy decisions that can be made when coming from the mind or from being emotional are undeniable. A fascinating study in itself.
Yes yes yes! I can totally relate! I can get organised at home with what I need to get from the shops and when I get there suddenly I think I need new shoes or new clothes. I’ve observed this happening to me so I am much more aware of when those thoughts are really true or if I am being influenced by the music and noise – wanting to me be there and spend my money and my time.
Great questions you ask Christoph, a gentle reminder to notice these things in our daily lives.
Feeling the connection with our bodies is indeed crucial when making decisions; we need to take responsibility to stop and listen.
Thank you Christoph for sharing your wisdom and experiences.
“More subtly, have we noticed how muzak (the background music played in big shops) may put us into a dreamy state and we later notice how much longer we stayed at the shop and how much more we have spent?” Oh yes Christoph, I know this one, particularly at Christmas time when they have late night shopping and you spend way over your budget. Great, as you say, if you can stay with yourself and not get drawn into it.
This blog makes a lot of sense, I know from experience that when emotional I make more bad choices than if not emotional. For example: Food shopping while hungry – so consumed in my head about eating something, anything that I’ll buy loads of different things. Get home and I’ve ended up with loads of items I don’t want, need or affect my body in a negative way (makes me racy, sleepy etc) What you mention about music in shops is also interesting – distracting us from our feelings and impairing our ability to make supportive choices. If we were allowed to feel what was true for us how much, or less, could be sold to us under the guises of ‘healthy’ ‘trendy’ ‘fashionable’ if we felt into what was before us without the extra stimulus and energy of the music, lighting, the stores layout or theme?
Very true Christoph, feeling the connection with our own body is crucial to make decisions that are healing and not harming ones. How beautiful is to learn that have the opportunity to revamp everything related to what matters at deciding times. Thank you!
I agree, because everything that we normally experience numbs our body – getting stressed, getting nervous, getting agitated. It’s like putting on a 30kg backback every time we go for a walk.
Hi Christoph I really enjoyed reading what you have presented here, so many great observations about the quality with which we can make decisions when not with our body. I too have noticed how some shops play such loud Muzak it is difficult to think clearly – it overwhelms the senses and I wonder what the long term effects this will have on those who work in such places. Thanks for your insights.
Thank you Christoph – I have been trying to make a big decision today and have been feeling emotional. Reading this I can feel that there is no point trying to make a decision while I feel this way.
Well said Christoph, being in touch with our body really is key to the quality of decisions that we make.
I love this blog, so much fact and simple truth put together with care and grace. Let us listen more to what our bodies have to say when we want to make a decision, there is a lot of information and support available if we make the choices to be still, listen – and feel for ourselves.
Great observation, Christoph. I too have found that my decision making is impaired when I am not connected with my body. The apparent paradox is that when I am with my body, instead focused on me and insular, I am in fact far more aware of everything and everyone else around me and therefore connected to them.
Yes, that is true and on the face of it quite strange. The body isn’t selfish.
‘The body isn’t selfish’. I never thought about the body in that way but it is true. My body, and therefore myself, feels joyously harmonious not when it is ‘selfless’ but when my body and I are connected, at one, with the environment.
I was at an airport in the UK some time ago and deliberately chose the restaurant with no music playing. As I was eating my meal, and enjoying the general atmosphere in there, someone put the music on. Immediately after that, all the babies who were in the restaurant at the time started crying. I found that rather interesting, as in what could they feel or hear and what was it they found upsetting. I certainly felt uncomfortable and left soon after. Funny how public places feel they have to play music everywhere.
Yes, we lose the ability to feel the impact of sound. It goes so far that many of us seem to want to have music in public places.
A survey – Uncovering A Musical Myth – asks people for their opinions about music shows that many consciously stay longer if music plays they like and many don’t like silence. I remember a former colleague who deliberately chose the office workplace with piped music. Others share his opinion.
I agree with you when say many don’t like silence, Christoph. When there is silence or just the normal environmental noises, we are asked to keep company with ourselves and are given the space to feel how we are in that moment. I strongly suspect that is what unsettles people so much that they fill this with music to stop them truly being aware of the quality of life they are enjoying… or not! Music we choose to listen to can be a great way to cloak awareness of personal choices, as well as the responsibility each of us has for how our life flows and feels.
I also feel music is used with intent in public arenas – either to get people to slow down and linger so the possibility of their spending more money increases or to zone them out so they aren’t fully aware of what they are doing or the passing of time.
I recall not so long ago being in the gym, I was the only person on the machines, so I asked for the TV music to be turned off. It felt so lovely without the distraction. I find if I am not connected to my body I can get carried away (so to speak) with the music and overwork my body.
Thank you for this very timely post Christoph 🙂
I awoke this morning feeling really uncomfortable in my body, almost like a depression which I haven’t felt for a very long time. I sat and read a prayer “I am that, I am” which brought me back into my body. In an instant I realised I had become lost in trying to pressure myself into making what is a big purchase decision when it wasn’t necessary to push myself to go that far. As soon as I realised I could come back to it later when it felt right the uncomfortable/depressed feeling disappeared. Awesome!
I agree Susanne, that happens a lot to me.
Christoph, thank you for your lovely post. The other day I was in a shop where I had to leave because the music was so loud I couldn’t think or feel, so they didn’t get my sale that time, but I certainly can relate to what you mean about how music can affect our decision making.
Thank you Christoph. I really appreciate the examples you have used to bring clarity to the process of decision making.
Christoph,thank you for this ‘to the point’ blog. Nothing compares to feeling the body, knowing the stillness and expressing from there. In the past I was always mulling over, questioning things, looking at endless interpretations of situations – always a way of distracting myself or entertaining myself in my head instead of feeling authentically from the body the simple truth.
As for music in shops, hairdressers, lifts, phone-call waiting – I have always felt what a hazard, and how manipulative it is. It is such a blessing to go into Laura Ashley where one is left to browse through the lovely clothes without the imposition or interference of music. The silence is such a support to one’s presence, and presence creates divine time and space. Decision-making is then easy and natural.
Hi Christoph, I certainly connect to what you say. In the past I couldn’t even go into shops with blaring music because it felt like such an assault and when I was in shops that were playing “muzac” I would almost go into a trance.
These days I can go into shops with imposing music and choose to leave the music “out there” whilst staying with me and thereby not be affected.
From attending presentations given by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, I have become aware of and learned to value what a huge beneficial difference it makes to every aspect of my life when I stay connected to my body. The more I become aware of this the more I choose to say no to things, thoughts and emotions that harm my body, and the stronger that connection grows, the more aware I become, and the more I can self-lovingly say no and so it goes on!
I had a seminal moment walking through a shopping centre and feeling affected by all the emotions and the noise and a lot more around. I then connected to myself and could feel being surrounded by love while walking through that same shopping centre. A very strong religious experience.
What a beautiful and clear blog Christoph. I say yes, true I can make easily choices when I am relaxed, feeling my body and with myself. And it get’s more difficult when I feel pressure or when I am stressed and with that, not, or less feeling my body. Thanks for talking about music in stores I did not like it but never really knew why – and this names sense!
Lieke, you wrote a great blog about exam stress and how not to get caught in it. Would you say that by staying in touch with our body the emotions of exams touch us a lot less and we therefore can function much better during exams?
Well said Liekevanhaastrecht. Our bodies give us a grounding and a solidness from which we can go through and meet ‘life’ one on one with who we truly are. The best wisdom comes from our living way which comes from a natural awareness in our bodies. If we are not in our bodies, is it not a haggle with what we have been told and what with think is right, but never what we feel is true for us in that moment.
Christoph, This is so simple yet so profound. More Blogs like this please.
I totally agree annejoycebarnes, this is an awesome blog – more blogs like this would be awesome.
I used to think the point to life was about creating those moments where excitement and euphoria were induced, but now I feel a huge unrest in my body if I am excited. Life now is one where I feel a constant steadiness and an inner feeling of love and wellbeing, it is so much more than the life I was creating before where I was always seeking the next moment of excitement. Now I choose how I live and feel by the daily choices I make, before I was always relying on life to bring those moments to me. Thanks Christoph
I know what you mean Toni. I love how you describe life now being a constant steadiness and inner feeling of love and wellbeing. I also have that (with occasional oops moments). I remember in the past I used to constantly feel exhausted and often would create excitement as a form of stimulation – a bit like caffeine. There would be a short term high and then I would be even more exhausted. These days that kind of stimulation is not needed and actually feels like an assault on my body.
Yes and I noticed that when I am euphoric I am completely numb. That was quite an experience.
I can confirm what you say about euphoria and accidents Christoph, having had two separate car accidents years ago where each time I was in an over excited state. I was not in my body at all, but way off in my head reliving the moments that led to me being euphoric ,and boom, my lack of presence resulted in a crash, with damage to my car and another persons car. It made me more aware because I noticed the similarities but it wasnt till I heard Serge Benhayon speak that the penny dropped and as a result of what I have learned and begun to live, my way is much more steady and connected now, I still have fun but not at the expense of my connection with me. Any kind of excitement in my body feels really unpleasant now actually.
I was the same Toni. In fact I would get quite worried if I had nothing exciting planned or nothing ‘big’ to look forward to. Now I just love waking up to and with me and then being with me during my day, that this is everything.
This is the contentment we are all searching for but have long forgotten how to achieve this. The teachings of Serge Benhayon and The Ageless Wisdom have re-connected me to how simple it is to bring about this level of Joy for life, ourselves and each other.
This is great Christoph – to highlight how easy it is to forget that we are living in our body every day, that it is a reflection of the choices that we make. I have been doing a lot of work around staying with my body and making sure I am in it and have not left it behind when I do anything. I can notice so many more things now that reflect to me if I am completely with my body or not. A recent example was sitting to have a conversation with someone and I noticed that the way I sat in the chair meant I was slightly turned away from the person, this did not feel right and I had to adjust my position to be facing them properly. So our body can be very loud and also give us subtle but very gentle and loving messages all of the time.
Yes, there is a huge amount of information available for me from my body pretty much all the time and from my experience, apart from gut feelings, it is truthful. In my experience, if I say something but can’t stay with my body while saying it or get a pain in my body while saying it then there is something wrong with what I am saying.
Thanks Christoph. I was in a shop in Bath the other day – I love the clothes but its very dark with loud Muzak playing. Everyone I’ve spoken to finds it hard to really see the clothes and the labels are small as well. It’s a bit like an adventure going into the shop. The people who work there, apart from all looking like models, constantly get asked about the lighting or remarks being made. I said to the guy serving me, surely for this set up to make sense it must be working – people walk out with bags full and end up with lots of impulse buys – the disorientation almost makes you forget about the price tag!
Absolutely!
I agree, at some places I really don’t enjoy shopping because of the noise. Regularly though, and especially if I make an effort, I manage to hold myself, i.e. stay very much in touch with my body / inner heart and then it can get very interesting when I walk into such a shop or shopping centre. Worth trying.