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 
Christoph it was great to read this blog again. To make decisions with emotions playing havoc in our body is pretty much how society makes decisions. Emotions seem to rule the world. But there are people like yourself and others that are realising that this is not the way.
Making decisions from the body is very much different. There is no doubt, there is no chatter, it just is. And once this decision is made, there are no thoughts of going back to that decision because, it is just absolute, end of discussion…
Christoph what you have highlighted is the importance of connecting with our bodies, and in turn, our decisions are based upon these connections. Everyday we are faced with these choices and the more we relate to our bodies, the stronger the relationship we have with it, so much better than the relationship we have with our minds. Which can take us to many places, than exactly where it is needed, the body.
The current role I’m in brings to my awarenesses that I’m lacking in confidence. I can feel the impact it has on my body and how hard it feels, so then everything about me is suppressed. Very notable when we start to connect with our bodies, but also the refinements as we connect more and more with our bodies. It’s a massive difference when we live from the body than living from the mind. A working, but a beautiful unfolding progress.
It is so true when we live from that connection to our bodies, our lives are not complicated. The simplicity way of living is very much different. No stimulation, no diversity, no smogers board, too many choices to choose from, it is THE one – simple.
I hate that feeling of being fooled – you know where you get excited about a purchase and then get home and realise it was not a good choice at all….this is where it is important to look back and feel where we allowed ourselves to get pulled away from the body, distracted away from our true mentor and advisor, the body.
Henrietta any choices made using emotions are to be observed. When we are euphoric, it gives us the high, and then we hit the low/lull period, then we know it was the emotion that led. Whilst in contrast, the body leaves us with an internal feeling that can’t be described or hung on to, it’s never stagnate. It’s forever evolving – a marked difference.
Once again Christoph, I love how you have talked about loud music and background muzak as being ways of distracting us from feeling our body and hence more likely to make impulsive shopping decisions or spend more time in the shop than intended. These are subtle but quiet strong ways of affecting people and influencing us in making decisions that we might not feel were the right ones a little while later…
Thank you Christoph! This is great insight and also confirms for me that I should not make any major decisions when I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed out for as you say this is when I am least connected to my body and not making the decisions in the best interest of myself or those around me. When we have a chance to just be, the knowing of what to do is easily accessed and not something we have to think about too much.
How important is it for us to stay present and connected to our body then, so we are able to make decisions from our body.
True Love is when we are “ not emotional but able to feel what is going on.”
What you have described about listening to the body is like a phone call, as soon as emotion, reaction, or false perceptions enter it’s like placing static on the line. We now can’t hear the truth from the body.
And here we are trying to do life from our head, constantly figuring things out, and no one teaches us to live from the body, and businesses do what you describe here – surely that is not a coincidence.
I’ve learned over the years that the choices my mind makes void of the body is a bad choice made. My body makes choices that are supportive and loving even if they don’t match (and often don’t) my coveted mental pictures of how things should happen. This is great because those mental pictures are never worth the effort.
I find the process how decisions are made fascinating and well worth further research, especially research that is broader than just investigating mental processes.
Research is all about the quality of the questions we pose and of the answers to them. Yet, how we assess quality is the key. We can rely upon existing knowledge that has been unchallenged up to then or has resisted well the challenges or, alternatively, we can make it about the body. The latter is pretty much, an unexplored path that holds an immense potential and that offers a unique path to universality.
It is a great point you make about the effect music and ‘muzak’ can have on us if we are not bringing our awareness to it. There are many ways that we can be played by the vibrations coming through media, music and advertising.
Thank you Christoph, simple and relatable observations and experiences you share. Being present with the body is key, the body clearly knows and keeps things simple.
This is evidence of the fact that our mind is never static. We think we are the owner of our choices in that our thoughts are ours and we are in control of what we think or choose. But there is more going on because our quality of thought changes with our state of being which means that our choices are influenced if not governed by the energy we are in.
Everything changes when we are connected to our bodies, and if we’re not, we will eventually be shown the impact through our bodies.
Connection to our body is key in everything we do in life, so simple and yet very powerful when we live and move in this way.
It makes sense that if we are in reaction, we are not feeling our bodies, so it is not a good time to make a decision.
This is brilliant. Who would have thought that ‘making decisions’ doesn’t have to involve a computing process up in our head, listing pros and cons?
Listing the pros and cons is much slower than the body that can instantly know yes or no to a situation. I can logically make a choice but it is still void of energetic truth.
Connection with the body is not just the key to decision-making; it is also the bedrock of living a life of wellness.
Connection with our bodies is fundamental to our lives.
The quality of whatever we do makes all the difference to the outcome.
When we get distracted and go into our head we correspondingly lose our connection to the clarity and wisdom of our heart – and if we are honest we all know this is true.
One of the big shifts for me was getting out of my head and more in my body, which meant I could feel again, feel what was true for me and what wasn’t. and being more conscious in the body, it is easier to make decisions.
Most of the time I am aware of the background music when I am in shops, as it can be very annoying when it is too loud or very hard, which makes me leave the shop very quickly. It is great to bring this up as most are not aware of the impact the background music has on our emotional state and the correlation of how long we spend in the shop and how much we spend!
Yes, how the music may put us into a state of mild euphoria, reducing our ability to make decisions.
I am one who always used to “overanalyse a decision”, going over it again and again and so totally confuse myself in the process. I could never understand why so many of my decisions turned out to be such disasters. But recently I, like you Christoph, have come to know so clearly that if I do not make a decision from the truth I feel in my body but instead rely on my mind, the outcome is more often than not very different than the one I had foreseen.
Overanalysing a decision, in other words being indecisive is a very tiring and time consuming process I know so well, the other way I know too and that is the complete opposite, my body is wise and gives me the answer instantly.
Thank you for sharing the awareness that when we lose connecting to feeling our body then accidents great and small are likely to occur.
This shows the importance of always regarding our whole body, how much more we know then and are aware of.
Muzak is in place so people linger and spend more in a shop, a clever marketing device that only works when we are not present and not connected to our body.
What an interesting list of ways we can disconnect from our bodies. It demonstrates our mastery in this domain – an area in which there is no decent return on our investment!
It is so true Christoph, that we make far wiser decisions when we are guided by our connection to our bodies. As we grow up we are not taught this and in fact we are shown how to override the truth of our bodies from a very young age. However this truth has never left us and the beautiful thing is that at any point we can bring ourselves back to re-establishing and honoring relationship with our bodies, and the truth that it never stops offering us.
Spot on Carola – this is something we can come back to at any point should we choose to do so. Thankfully our body cannot run away from us, even though we try to run away from it all of the time! Our body truly is our saving grace 😉
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.
Yes Melinda, it has such a strong but subtle effect – I too had not considered this in depth and now feel to be more aware of it and actually observe how it works on myself or others to influence us in all these strange ways. Shop music or background music certainly has a sway on us when we allow it, that I can feel is so true.
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.
As a wise man (Serge Benhayon) we know says – ‘the body is the marker of all truth’ and when we are in conscious presence with it, true answers are there, rather than solutions.
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.
Thanks Christoph. I’d never considered before the relationship between the state we’re in and how our body is, and how this affects our decision making processes. If we’re in any form of contraction, depression or unable to feel the body, it makes sense that decision making becomes difficult because there’s no connection to the knowing of what needs to be done. Or, if we have felt that knowing but aren’t used to listening and acting upon it, we can easily dismiss it and go off into our heads to try to work out the answer – when really we already know. It reminds me that building and maintaining that consistent connection with our body has so many benefits – easier decision making being just one of them.
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?
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.
I totally agree Christoph and think what you’ve shared here is actually huge – being in touch with our whole body and aware of what we’re feeling on a deeper level can make a big difference to the kind of choices and decisions that we make.
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.
We have certainly created a society where we learn from a young age to be guided or more so led by everything outside of ourselves to make decisions from the responses we receive, and that our emotions define who we are. Yet as you have described so brilliantly Christoph, I have also discovered that there is another way that offers far more truth and steadiness in the way I live, as I am far more connected to who I am within and how my body feels. Through self- honesty I have discovered that our bodies are our greatest friend if we truly want to be guided to live with fulfilment of the love and truth of who we are in all that we do.
Wow. This makes me realise how our daily living is completely loaded with so many things that would interfere with our state of being, hence the importance of making a conscious choice to be with our body.
All kinds of things have come up when I’ve needed to make decisions, sometimes there is pressure, past experiences of making wrong decisions, needing to get it right, being reactive etc. I find that if I don’t give my self space to feel my body and am put on the spot that I make a hasty decision. You are so right on the music in shops, they are solely there to influence and bring up emotions.
Thank you for your sharing. It is great how you regard making a decision. When we are connected to our body its easier to make a decision and when we are emotional the decision is not from the body but from the head. Our emotions can trap us in our heads and therefore cause my delay in decision making.
That is true Amita, it is the level of vibration (energy) we choose to think, move by that either comes from the mind or the whole body.
Our emotions can be a huge distraction.
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.
I completely agree Anne, that when we are in our bodies our reflections are very powerful and express so much more than words. Reflections are silent, have no investment in anyone getting it and very supportive when we are ready for more awareness of our next steps.
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.
Having lived a lot of my life in my head and mind, coming back to my body has been a God-send- literally…Listening to its messages and honouring those is transforming my life. Yet I notice when things are flowing and going well, i still have a tendency to be less aware of its more subtle messages.
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.
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.
Brilliant Christoph, this is so true and so interesting to read your blog. We are constantly making decisions from the smallest scale everyday things to the large major ones that can impact our lives. What state we are in when we make these decision determines the outcome and consequences. If we are deeply connected to ourselves and our body and make decisions without pressure, attachments or emotions they can then truly support us and the opposite applies. 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.
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.’
Some great points to reflect on here in your blog, Christoph. I’m particularly struck by how extreme emotions can impair our awareness, ability to feel and therefore the quality of our decision making. This and the manipulation that is clearly at play in shops through the kind of music played, purposely picked out to put us in reaction and arrest our connection to the truth in our bodies in favour of their profits.
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!
Also, when you put it like this the body clearly is the key that unlocks more than correct decision making – great blog.
Yes, it is very simple the way Christoph have shared this with us.
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.
Julia – yes!!! it is this simple, letting our mind rest and let our body what it has to do, move or sit down. If we learn to do this without interfering, it is an amazing revelation what then happens. So simple and it works so well, it is hard to believe.
Very intrigued by your blog Christophe, especially this relationship between decision making and confidence. It had not occurred to me before how when we are steady (that mid point where we are just ourselves and not over or under confident) the decisions comoe from a stable place to make consistent decisions based on a platform from which we live. Whether it is decision by decision, or a build up over time, decisions consistently made create our world and the feedback will inevitably nurture us.
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.
So many of us are extremely disconnected from our body that we then solely rely on our head to make the decisions. So it’s no surprise to see disharmony, disarray and turmoil in people’s lives because of the disconnection with our bodies, ourselves and with other peoples.
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.
This got me thinking about how the education system is, with no blame, just an awareness how as we grow up, we are taught to make decisions from our head, rather than be supported and celebrated to honour what we already know and feel in our body and make decisions from here. This is no fault of teachers or parents as I would say 99/9 % would have grown up with this too. So it’s beyond words, way more going on, enormous, a true game changer you could say all that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine offer and present.
When I make a decision from my body, my heart, my inner knowing it is very clear. I feel light, spacious, joyful and I don’t think about it again. I feel much more open, playful and love being with people. When I try to work things out from my head, it’s like a record on repeat play. My body feels tense, there’s a lack of clarity, I get frustrated, irritated, exhausted and overwhelmed. Not to mention a bit short and grouchy with people.
Sometimes I found it can be important to also use our head – to process information, mainly, but, as you said, for the actual decision that doesn’t work.
This is what I experience too, it’s so clear that there is a distinct difference when we make decisions from our head compared to the ones made from our body. The way you’ve described it is brilliant Gyl.
” Might there be a simpler way” so simple, an offering to get to truth.
Thank you Christoph, I love the simplicity of what you have written. In the past I often made decisions or choices from my head, in reaction, or desiring a particular outcome, and have come to realise there is no clarity or wisdom in such choices. By contrast if I connect to my body and feel the innate wisdom and understanding that my body holds the true action will always present itself.
Perfect blog to read this morning, as I have been making decisions from my head a lot recently or complicating simple decisions and choices by debating what my body instantly feels with my brain. Neither of them work, they leave you in a state of confusion, and are exhausting and draining. The biggest thing of all is it diminishes your power and truth – what you absolutely know is true and you can feel from your body. You miss out on the joy and simplicity of life by living this way and being with people, as you spend most of your time in a state of mental activity.
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…
Thank you Christoph, I love the simplicity of what you have written. In the past I often made decisions or choices from my head, in reaction or desiring a particular outcome, and have come to realise there is no clarity or wisdom in such choices. By contrast if I connect to my body and feel the innate wisdom and understanding that my body holds the true action will always present itself.
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.
‘knee deep in confusion trying to live from my mind…’ Well said Rachel, I know this place well and such a different place to when I’m connected in my body and the way forward just seems so simple.
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.
What you share Paula is so true regarding emotional decisions and making choices that are true so ‘why would we use a machine when our body has so much wisdom of its own!’ Wise words indeed.
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.
Great points Christoph, thank you. Hearing Serge Benhayon present on the difference between feelings and emotions has been key for me.
Christophe I feel that our bodies are constantly offering us information about what ever it is that we are involved in. We therefore have the opportunity to use that information in our decision making. That information is available to us all, all of the time, it’s just that, that information gets manipulated and ignored usually because we are actively involved in doing something that distorts it. In the past I have used food, alcohol, exercise, music, TV and all manner of other things to distort and bury the information coming from my body. I have also held beliefs that have muddied the way that I have interpreted that same information. Gradually, over the years I have slowly stopped doing things which interfere with the communication coming from my body and as a result I am able to make better decisions.
Yes, this communication is quite something. In the beginning it took a while to read the signs, because I got different signals depending whether I am not expressing or expressing with emotion or even whether I am feeling resentment – whether it is mine or the person I am speaking to. There is a lot to learn I found but the messages can be very detailed.
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.
Reflecting on your blog, I can see a correlation in my wardrobe, in terms of my buying decisions, between the time when I wasn’t connected with myself and all my clothes tended to be black (which doesn’t suit me at all) or dark colours and very plain, as though I was trying not to be seen. As opposed to more recent years when I’ve been buying much more colourful clothes and lovely, feminine dresses, previously unheard of, which I absolutely love to wear. I feel they are a celebration of the gorgeous woman that I am.
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!
Thank you christinahecke, “trust what I feel” that’s all we need to do.
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.
I love that too Marcia, yes machines are great support for research etc if they are used in the right way, for example knowing we make decisions from our body first, then using machines / scientific evidence to support this.
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.
A powerful comment Christoph – that we would rather numb ourselves and make often disastrous choices than face up to a choice that is needed by staying in what is sometimes a difficult even painful place we have got ourselves into, in order that we can start to make the right choices to navigate our way out of it.
Yup, I can make decisions from my head, my emotion, my need or a deep connection to my body (me)…I have always found the last one to be the most consistent.
That is my experience too: decision made from the body come from a knowing inside and exactly bring what is needed at that point in time. Whereas the decisions I have made in emotion, from my head, overanalyzing or worst overwriting my body, don’t turn out to be so great.
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
Some great observations here Christoph, I can totally relate to having difficulty making a decision and being crippled by the worry of getting it right – all from not having a solid connection to my body. These days this is a good marker for me and if I feel there is the slightest doubt or indecision on how to phrase a letter at work, it shows me where I am at.
Being with the body I have found makes life so much simpler. If I stay with me I get a sense of what is needed next, if I then choose to follow that sense I end up feeling more prepared in the next moment.
What you are saying here Christoph is revolutionary. That we can make decisions from the body or from the mind and that there is a big difference between the quality of both. I know I used to make most of my decisions though intellectual analysis and would often get myself in a tangle of indecision when there was no clear winner between the pros and the cons, but slowly I have begun to trust my intuition more which comes much more from my body rather than my head. The connection to this intuition only remains clear however I have noticed if I look after my body and deeply consider the quality that I hold it, move it in.
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.
I’ve noticed that how I am leading up to being in a shop that uses the psychology of music, colour, etc to engage the shopper determines how easy I can hold me or let myself go and become caught. The more I am with me the easier these games that are used stand out as false hooks to pull me away from myself. The assault is not that I’ve spent more, but the fact I’ve chosen to disconnect.
Very interesting statistics about how people feel before an accident, the depression was more obvious, but someone being happy or euphoric was a surprise. In retrospect I see that any in emotional state, we loose connection to our bodies and the clear messages and warnings they give us, therefore we are more likely to have or create an accident.
Yes, and strong emotional states, including positive ones, make us particularly unaware.
Great blog Christoph, I completely agree about what you said we going into shops where there is music playing, I often loose my connection to myself and clarity in choosing, I end up choosing to leave the shop without buying anything, rather than make the wrong choice.
I support your observations Christoph. It is only when I am connected to my body that I am clear to feel and make decisions. Increasingly I am developing confidence in trusting this process and indecision is becoming a thing of the past for me.
Super insightful ! The mind really can lead us astray if we are not connected to our body and the subtleties of feeling it offers us constantly. We need only summon the love to listen deeply to what is constantly being communicated and we can have a clear path to walk in life – full of the knowing and the confidence that we often seek outside of ourselves.
Decisions that result in emotions like euphoria or depression will never be truly from our body. I know that I am connected and have made a fitting decision, when my mood afterwards does not change, when the feeling I had when “preparing” for this decision is the same after the decision has been taken, Maybe even a little more joyful, but always relaxed and never agitated.
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.
‘When we overanalyse we get very mentally active and involved and thereby lose contact with our body’. Yes, I completely agree, Christoph. Something I have a tendency to do! You just end up going around and around in circles, but not getting anywhere in terms of a decision. You can always rationalise the opposing view to whatever you’re thinking. Very draining.
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.
I have noticed this too, Jennifer. A not so subtle ‘wake up call’ to come back to my body. The patterns that have been ‘running’ me for years, lifetimes even, are so entrenched that it’s a shock sometimes to see how quickly I can fall back into the same pattern without even realising. Whilst I don’t enjoy walking into things, I’d rather that than to continue my day in further disconnection.
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!
So true Anne – the list of potential distractions we can use to befuddle ourselves is absolutely endless.
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!
It is true Christoph, when I am not present and with my body nothing is clear. When I am present with me in my body there is a natural confidence and everything I approach is clearer. I relate to the confusion that comes with over analyzing and the ‘out of touch’ feeling that is there in excitement, they are all very out of body experiences so to speak.
Connection to our body is key.
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.
Jill, this is great. Such a simple remedy, just re-connect to our body and anybody can do it.
Very informative Christoph. As I was reading I was remembering instances in my life where I have experienced much of what you are saying. This blog has expanded my conscious awareness and the distractions that take me out of my body while making decisions in the moment. Being in our bodies and aware of the quality of presence we hold has a very powerful influence on the choices we all make. Thank you for sharing
Hi Amina, I also found that music can be very stimulating and that this has an effect of my way of shopping. Sometimes I have to leave the shop immediately because the music is to loud or to annoying. Isn’t it funny that there is hardly no music in a shop anymore – so we all have to deal with that kind of stimulation all of the time. How wonderful it must be to find a shop without music!
I keep coming back to your words of wisdom Christoph and am inspired to be ever present when making decisions. This is a challenge because in truth it is every second of the day.
Brilliant observations Christoph. I have found this to be so very true. When I make a decisions from a reaction or from being emotional they are never supportive and I can feel the discomfort that results in my body. I am learning how important it is to be connected to what my body is feeling how when I choose to stop, breathe and feel I can respond and make choices with the clarity and truth of what is needed.
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.
I agree, Carola. I have found that when I am anxious, particularly regarding decisions around money, my decision is driven by the need to stop my anxiousness, to make the problem go away and if possible, to stop it from coming back. Any decision based on fulfilling a ‘need’ is not going to be what is most loving and supportive for me in that situation.
The fact that shops use music to manipulate us in our shopping behaviour means that the science behind it is know but not openly shared in public. Thank you Christoph Schnelle for bringing this awareness of the fact that we do make decisions from our body and when disconnected from it we tend to let us be guided by what we are told form the outside.
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?
I have the same experience – if I am too hungry shopping I buy the wrong things but I also found if I shop after eating a fair bit I can shop too little 🙂 – it is funny that way.
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.
Without a definite sense of ourselves the question is who or what is actually making the choices. Of course the responsibility is ours anyway.
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.
I am not one for really enjoying shopping, I don’t like the feel of large shopping centres with the noise and all the emotions as you state, but your comment shows I can turn this around completely and create a truly loving experience. Thanks Christoph.
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?
Hi Christoph, yes definitely. I have found that when I stay with my body I am much more able to observe the chaotic thoughts that come into my head and say things like ‘you will never know this’ and ‘oh no I forgot about this I won’t pass’ etc. By observing these thoughts I can see they do not make sense and are not supportive to studying. So I do not chose to go into them (to the best of my ability) and then yes I can function a lot better during the exams. It is also a lot more pleasant and maybe even joyful for myself.
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.
I can relate to this too. My diary used to be choc a bloc with different events, my life was full. However, in reality, the opposite was true, it was exhausting working my way through my week, I wasn’t truly present in anything I was doing. I had a constant feeling of my life ‘not being enough’, when what I was searching for was nestled inside me all along, I just hadn’t realised. Now I don’t have any attachment to having events in my diary to look forward to. I can enjoy every day, just being me in whatever I do.
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.
Yep, have been to that shop and was relieved to leave it again back into the bright light of day, feeling myself and all senses coming back to life again. It is actually an assault on our nervous system, senses and state of being not easy to defend.