If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!
Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff. Imagine the global response if the company tried to tell the world that what they are giving staff is a treat for all the hard work they’ve put in, or that they are only poisoning people a little bit.
Yet as owners of our bodies we eat foods every day that our bodies respond to like they are a poison, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. But we say to ourselves that we are only drinking or eating a little bit, or that we are giving ourselves a treat or reward.
There is often outcry over the way some companies ignore the concerns and wishes of the people who work for them and the place they operate. Unsafe work practice or working people until they get sick is seen as abusive behaviour and something not to be tolerated. How would the world respond if the company tried to explain to the world that the staff just needed to push through to meet their deadline and production needs, again and again?
Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?
How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking? Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?
It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look. We seem to abuse, push, and or suppress the wealth of information that our body provides day in day out. We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.
The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.
If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.
Inspired by the Universal Medicine audio “The Way of the Livingness 19”
by Joel Levin
Further reading:
The Body is the Marker of All Truth
The Body Knows
I Found Observing My Body Is A Great Support
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
“Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?”
I ignored all the messages my body gave me growing up and did the complete opposite to the what was being offered. The arrogance of being able to do what I liked when I liked was huge. I thought I was in control we are never in control but are ourselves controlled by an outside force that plays the tune that we dance to.
Joel, how true that “we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?” We continually ignore it until it gives you that mental or physical stop moment.
I am yet to come across a company who treat their staff well. The abuse is rife in many facets than just one. Yet there are policies in place to protect the workers. Which are great in one respect, but I sometimes wonder whether they are really truly supportive.
With everything going around the world, the only way is to actually take care of one’s body in every possible way. That is our commitment to ourselves and the people we work around will benefit in the long run.
“How often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? – Constantly and worse until someone reflects to you that there is a different way to live.
We are a tuned to ignore the messages from a very young age, so those messages go unheard, until we are offered a stop moment. When we eventually take heed and listen, we have to undo those things that we have done to ourselves. And when we learn to develop a true relationship with our bodies, it is beautiful, and frankly and maybe subjectively, we don’t want to go back to the old ways of living.
When we listen, we can feel what is required or your body will pull you towards it, that’s the muscle that needs developing and it is a matter of time, space and everything will it become stronger.
From a young age, we are asked to toughen up somewhere along the way. Why? Will it be too much for the adults to cope with a child that needs to grow up in tenderness?…
It is too much in most cases for an adult to cope with a child that is naturally tender and delicate when it is born. For most of us we are hugely jealous that they have this inbuilt delicateness and tenderness which adults also had when they were young. It was thoroughly squashed as they grew up and we perpetrate the same hardship on any baby/child that shows any sign of delicateness or tenderness it is not allowed in the plane of life we have set up for ourselves.
It’s so entrenched and normal to abuse our bodies that what is considered a fun night out is to trash ourselves with junk food, alcohol, and lack of sleep. The description here of the workplace analogy with the body really highlights how making something normal runs counter to our common sense, and to our values of decency and integrity. If we wouldn’t do those things to employees, how have we made it ok for our own bodies?
It is crazy that we treat our bodies in this way, when clearly if it was a company we would not treat employees like this, ‘as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’
I can recall doing the abusive things to my body, exercising, drinking, late nights and it was considered the norm and accepted behaviours. When we change the way we live, we are then looked upon as the not norm, and people find it awkward when we don’t entertain those activities.
We function so much better when we are clean and clear of those pollutions.
Shushila it is interesting to observe that we are considered abnormal if we don’t stay out late at night drinking and partying. I know my colleagues now understand at the sales meetings, that I will not go into the city to party. The next day most of the team are wasted and wish they hadn’t drunk so much, but when the drinks are free they find it impossible to say no. It’s a bit like children given free reign in a sweet shop; the temptation is too great not to over indulge. That’s when they look at me all bright eyed and bushy tailed and wished they had made sensible choices and they vow not to do it again. But if it is not us in control of our bodies but our spirit we have no say and this is plainly seen as the following nights after work they all pile into the minibus to do the same again. They think they are making this decision but they are not, the spirit making the decision and they are just the puppets whose strings are being pulled. Until we have self mastery of our bodies we will be ruled by the spirit that also resides in us.
I have been one of those people guilty of this: “We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.” – I used to find my body a nuisance and thought is was a bother to have to look after it. But now I understand what I get back from loving my body up and I am much more caring and loving of myself, though I still have to be watchful that I do not slip into old patterns.
I often use a similar analogy with my clients when talking about health and well-being. I actually promote them to the position of CEO of a company: ‘your body’ and this really helps put things into perspective for them on what is or is not the best way to treat the body. I ask them to interview the organs and see how they are feeling and what support they might be needing….
Joel I love the quirky way that you have considered this crazy but real situation that we are finding ourselves in. Our body is like a company – with our organs the employees. So it is a wise question to ask!
I have never seen or experienced a work ethic and routine quite like what listening to my body can provide. No amount of mental power can produce such quality and quantity of work.
Our body is wise beyond words, we just have to listen to and honour its wisdom, ‘If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.’
lorraine it is fascinating that when we start to listen to our bodies the wealth of information it can share. I felt a tension come up in my body recently and I have become aware that my instant reaction would be to go for some form of sugar to race my body so that I wouldn’t feel the tension. This time being aware of this old habit, I stayed with the tension and sat with it until whatever it was, was released from my body. When the agitation had passed so had my craving for something sweet. This clearly showed me that if we hang on to ‘stuff’ by trying to control life then it doesn’t give our bodies any opportunity to release what shouldn’t be in our bodies in the first place, as living with tension, our bodies are in dis-ease, which can lead to illness and disease.
Describing it this way exposes how ludicrous our relationship to our body is. We sign petitions about abuse in the world and live in abuse of our own body. We also need to see the relationship between self abuse and abuses placed on others in the world, as there cannot be abuse of others without self abuse.
Yes, listening to and honouring our body starts with self, same with abuse, ‘We seem to abuse, push, and or suppress the wealth of information that our body provides day in day out. We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven’.
We definitely seem to be at loggerheads with our bodies and can go into blaming the body for not performing what we are pushing it to do. No wonder it has to take on release an illness to get us to stop and to expel the excess disregard.
The shareholders in the body-corporate are the organs then we would be wise to be aware of how they vote.
Ha ha that’s right Mary – may the organs have a say, may the organs pave the way! I can see them going on a strike for better working conditions and this really does translate to gall stones or pancreatic stones etc etc. any condition that will finally put a stop to abuse…
‘A little in moderation’ is probably one of the most widespread comments made however how can a small amount of food be ‘good’ or support the body when in truth it is a poison and harms the body? I find it amazing when statements or comments are made and made convincingly because they suit the individual saying them!
I have been caught in that trap Caroline Francis justifying why I’m eating something sweet because I deserve a treat. When really I’m eating something sugary because I do not want to feel or read what is in front of me.
‘Imagine the global response if the company tried to tell the world that what they are giving staff is a treat for all the hard work they’ve put in, or that they are only poisoning people a little bit.’ When it is put into context like this we can really see the absurdity of what we are choosing.
A body run by love and a body run by everything that is not love are two very starkly contrasting bodies. Indeed we can function but what is the quality of its output?
There’s loads of science that tracks how different foods affect how the body runs but energetic fuel is a whole different ballgame. At the same time very related as it’s the energy that determines the physical fuel we choose.
A brilliant sharing Joel, having worked shift work for many years I became exhausted and would frequently get sick, I started to listen to my body and introduce simple self-care techniques and I now cope better with shift work and am far more productive and energetic at work now.
Listening to, and honouring our body makes so much sense, just like caring for ourselves, ‘The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’
“Listening to Your Body – A New Body Corporate” – when we listen to our body we can listen to the corporation we work for or that maybe we lead. Because the insight of ourselves we gain from listening to our own body allows useful insight into life which includes work.
Sofia it also includes life which is multidimensional this awareness is something we have lost. The awareness of the universe and that we are a part of it. We have fallen for the trick that we have one life and that there is nothing beyond this one life.
The simplicity of life is a joy when I listen to my body and follow its’ natural impulses
Imagine having the body corporate here described supported, confirmed and the foundation of the structure of society?
We know as a species that we are different from other animals. This has been put down to us having a consciousness, yet we use that to abuse ourselves in all sorts of ways that no animal would ever do. We really need to look at our higher intelligence and start to use it discerningly and with humbleness rather than arrogantly misusing it.
Very wise words Fiona! We pride ourselves on our intelligence, the very intelligence we flaunt arrogantly so whilst we continue to be our own demise.
If our bodies were a company, abuse, bullying, poisoning, disregard would be rife. There is no way that company would survive or be able to produce anything of any value to society.
It really explains why we lack vitality and purpose.
Is anyone truly asking about the diet of treats and rewards and the real impact that these are having on health – in so many ways and on so many levels.
What struck me is ; ‘How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’
This is our more honest and true way of looking at our life and our current state of health. So we can start to truly change.
Do we live in reaction or in response to what’s communicated to us by our body? As in, when we feel something, be it tired, moody, needy, craving something and so forth, do we look at the why and seek to heal whatever it is that needs to be healed, or do we react and fight the reflection on offer?
Every part of our body relies on every other part to do its job. A body corporate could learn a lot from seeing the harmony and the beauty of true ‘group work’ that the body offers!
It is not our bodies that are trying to poison us but the spirit when it takes control of us. Our bodies are there to support us despite all the abuse they receive. Unimedpedia Spirit: http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/unimedpedia-spirit.html exposes some of the tricks of this wayward spirit we let run amok!
Nicola I agree with you until we master ourselves once again we are mere puppets as our spirit runs the show, we do what our spirit tells us to do, it also gives us the thoughts that it is us making the choices. Until we regain self mastery with the support of the soul nothing will change we will continue to abuse ourselves and our bodies will continue to cop the results of the abuse by becoming diseased.
We have a body co-operate not corporate but we don’t co-operate with our wise and wonderful bodies.
Great methaphor. If we were to take care of our bodies the way you describe, our bodies would blossom including all the places we go and encounters we have. In the end the bodies become the CEOs!
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate” – we begin to discover who we truly are too in the process …perhaps that is why we spend so much time in distraction and dishonouring our bodies to pause or delay the inevitable [truth].
The body is our best company no matter how we treat it. Yet, how we treat it makes a difference regarding how it treats us back.
I love the analogies you use Joel. They really do put into context the absurdity of our choices and how we treat our bodies. Things we do to ourselves we would never accept from another to do if it was forced.
I agree with what you have said here ‘If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!’ and it is quite frightening to feel this. I guess it makes sense though as to why we are currently in such a mess in the world if everything we do comes through or from our bodies and we are not looking after our bodies but predominately overriding or ignoring them and not truly connected to the innate truth, wisdom and love within our body as to how we could be, it makes sense this lack of self-love and self-care will then have a ripple affect in all that we do in the world.
If we were about to pass-over would we eat differently to allow our body to be at ease with itself because as you have shared Joel, “as owners of our bodies we eat foods every day that our bodies respond to like they are a poison, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar..?”
And may I add Joel, would we want a pizza, fish and chips, greasy pork chops, or any food that we could easily digest when we were much younger, do we live in the past or do we listen to our bodies especially in the dying process and eat lighter foods that the body can handle?
What would we want as our last meal or would we chooose the foods which take away our awareness of what we can reflect on in our life and thus make a considered choice to never have these dulling foods so we are deepening our awareness for our next life, thus our next incarnation would look a lot different?
Do we actually want to be that responsible even on our death-bed?
For more on passing-over joy-fully, until our last breath see the video at;
https://universalmedicinefacts.com/the-blessing-of-judith-mcintyres-life-and-death/
It is such a great analogy as so often we treat our bodies which such disregard and distain that essentially we our polluting our vehicle that we have to live with 24/7 whether we like it or not which makes no logical sense. And so if we truly were intelligent then it would not even cross our minds to bludgeon our bodies so there has to be more at play. And for me this is where the world of energy enters, what if there is more going on than purely meets the eye, something that we all see and know it as a child.
“Listening to Your Body – A New Body Corporate” – if we listened to our bodies, then we would listen to our companies too to know that how we are with our own body is how we are with, and how we set the body and culture of the company we work in.
If common sense prevailed we would not pollute our bodies in any way. So what is prevailing? And what must one be avoiding to feel through such behaviours? Why are we more obese than ever before? Why is our entire food industry (and the demand for it) not based on nourishment?
Abby the only conclusion I can draw from your question is that we think, we think, when actually we do not think at all. We either align to our soul or the Astral plane. Depending on our alignment depends on how we treat our bodies. The soul asks that we treat our bodies as temples to align our temple to the stars. The Astral Plane lets us do what we want literally anything as long as we do not align to the stars. So we pollute our bodies, we can experience anything we want we can dive into creation and get lost in all the distractions on offer and this is what we have chosen to do. Until such time that we finally come to our senses by realising that all the temptations we have indulged in are not ‘it’ and so we turn to our soul who has been walking by our side while we have indulged in everything creation has offered us, when we align back to our soul we are given all the true riches of the stars which is what we have always craved. To me this is the true fairy tale of internal poverty we have all created, back to the real riches of the stars.
There are many CEOs today which run this position separated with the wisdom of their body when our body is the CEO of our life.
Absolutely yes.
Mistrust between the management and the staff is no good. Can we come together for the same, one purpose?
Beautifully said Fumiyo especially when that purpose is love!
This is such a great analogy. It is the fragmentation of the whole that leads to the abuse of its parts when we do not appreciate the value each part contributes to the whole it is a part of. That is, we do not appreciate that every part of our body is working to achieve harmony with all other parts (organs, systems etc.) and going even broader than this – that every body here on Earth is also synced in to a greater body that is the body of God/the Universe we all live within. With no appreciation of this we are left to wander as a ‘lonely fragment’ totally at odds to the stupendous beauty we all belong to.
A company is always changing and willing adjust to the changes to make sure that it stays productive and healthy, but we rarely if at all take the same care when it comes to our body until we get a reminder from our body in the form of an accident or illness
I love how you compare how we treat our body to how we treat our body, you are right there would be an outcry and it would be in the media if a company was poisoning all its staff, but we willingly do this every day to our bodies.
Like any active and productive company, the body never stops speaking, and like any company it is up to us to listen and adjust our way of living and working.
Ignoring the call often leaves the workers feeling ill or not at ease no different to the ways our body reminds us of die- ease.
I have been to a few events recently that have included competitions and raffles. The prizes for these have been mostly alcohol or sweets and chocolate, in huge amounts. What does it say about us if we assume that everyone wants these substances as a reward – substances that are actually poisoning us ?
Its a great analogy Joel, and feeds both ways. As we learn to listen to our bodies and have more self respect then equally that ripples out into our lives, our work place. It puts a different quality back into a body corporate and starts to effect a change there as well.
There is a whole another level of awareness that we have access to living in connection to, an intelligence that can only reflect the truth in any moment, of the quality of our every move. Our bodies, that we are all born with into this world is our truest guide to living the potential of everything that we are here to live, as Souls in this plane of life. As such it is wise to develop a loving and honouring with this vessel that is everywhere we are, every breath we take.
Love the analogy here Joel, it opens up the way we look and are with our bodies as often if we can see something through someone else eyes, we are more open to seeing it.
Change the management from the mind to the body and you “discover a whole new body corporate” – one that works harmoniously.
In corporate it is almost a ‘dirty’ word to talk about your body or have true care for your body. The body just has to do what is needed for the work and what the mind dictates it to do. Whereas the body actually is an amazing teacher, with a perfect symbolism, for any director, company owner, manager or team member to learn from.
The only way any company can be run is by or with the body. Then it is about people and not just outcome.
Even if a friend did this to us we would quickly pull them up, yet we so often treat ourselves then much less than what we deserve.
Replacing the word ‘treat’ with ‘poison’ exposes what we are actually doing to ourselves when we choose NOT to discern what we eat. It’s an interesting science, that we actively consume foods that do toxify our bodies, and disguise these behaviours as harmless ‘treats’ or something that is okay as long as it’s not in excess. Would we say the same if we were presented with ‘real’ poison?
And would we, do we, say the same when another offers us what they believe is ‘treat’ and we feel it is a ‘poison’?
I still give myself a reward or treat at the end of the day through food or a sleep in the next morning. I love food and I can cook a great feed too. I eat very healthy. I love sleeping too especially a little longer than I need to and also can sleep during the day – I thoroughly enjoy this more than to go out and visit friends. It catches me out though if I eat too much I get sleepy later on or if I sleep in its puts pressure on my body to complete what I am responsible to live the way I know that actually returns vitality and clarity to wellbeing anyway. Looking after your body corporate returns a great profit.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” This is so true Joel. It is quite amazing not only how much can be acheived, but also the quality of what we are doing when we listen to our bodies and stay connected to them and all that they have to offer us.
I love the wisdom shared here Joel, many people would benefit from calling a company meeting and setting new standards and values with the way they are living and caring for their bodies.
The body corporate that you describe here Joel, if lived, would change the world within a very short time.
Imagine working for a company like that! The joy, growth and brotherhood that comes from working there will have a ripple effect on the world.
WHS is very strictly adhered to in most workplaces because of fear of litigation and workers compensation. Imagine if we took care of ourselves with the same diligence and care out of Love and not fear.
I think if we appreciated that the quality of intelligence we align with is determined by how we are with our body then we might be more attentive!
Like many body corporates some members take more interest and care in the maintaining of their buildings than others.
“If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble! Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff” – how true Joel and the fact is, is that companies can and do poison through working cultures.. a working culture that stems from the relationship that every leader, company/business owner, employee has with their own personal body and the way they look after, care and respect it. For the culture of the body effects the culture of work.
“If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” I love this analogy Joel. If this were the case, and we learnt to really listen to our bodies, tuned into what they were asking us to do and acted on their requests with a willingness and apprecaition of what the resulting consequences would be, we would have alot of very lucrative and truly successful companies working very harmoniously together in the world!
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output” – I love this quote Joel, and it’s true that the intelligence of all of our particles, cells, tissues and organs combined is so, so grand, so perhaps we should be basing our business models on this universal and multilayer intelligence!
Thank you Joel, it’s a great analogy to wake us up out of the self neglect and abuse that’s become a collective norm. If I saw my body as my company’s staff member I would respect and care for it a lot more. Disregarding ourselves is so common.
When we push ourselves and our bodies this will also usually compromise our well-being in some way.
It is so important that we put our living ways into true perspective and then take the responsibility in bringing to life that which we have seen and realised.
We should have unions representing rights and regulations for our lifestyle that protect us from the self-abuse we have bought into and insurance cover for the damage we cause.
Yes, I love this, but this can only come from us living it, because if we do not we will also not see the need for it nor would we know how to apply it. We have all the insurances in the world to protect us from everything that could come towards us but we have yet to understand that we are our worst enemy. And that needs to change.
That’s the only human rights cause we don’t have, the Body Rights movement promoting self care! Someone has to speak on behalf of the body 🙂
‘How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’ Yes, this is true and it is so sad that it comes from trying to please, wanting to be liked for what we do and not understanding that the quality of our being is what matters. The way we nurture our bodies affects the quality of our beings it makes sense to take more care of our bodies.
I agree Carmel, there are so many things we put ahead of ourselves all to the detriment of our health and wellbeing.
I love this Joel, the attention to detail that the corporate business’s have to get the best out of the team and make it operate to its best capacity is absolutely a transferable skill we can bring to our own bodies. Taking time to observe, experiment and find what actually does work and what doesn’t. As well as always keeping the eye and ears on the game as things change as we do, so do the signals and signs that the body is telling us.
We seem to put public standards higher than personal standards, but then we also need to ask how can that work when we don´t live such standards in our personal lives but claim to have them in work life. For example, how much do nurses take care of themselves in private and also on work and what is the actually quality patients can expect to receive? There is a well-known gap.
A great analogy Joel, treating a business that way would be the end of it, it would be failing, just like the failing health we see throughout our society.
I know I have gone into ideals and pictures about how my body should be – that I should be able to go all day, not need naps in the day, be vital all the time etc etc. Yet this isn’t the case. I can fight my body or I can constantly be tuned in to what my body needs and drop all the ideals and expectations. When I do the latter, life doesn’t live up to my expectations but is quite glorious.
How we treat ourselves we simply could not get away with treating others in the same way if we were heading a cooperation. Perhaps in this case we could reverse the saying ‘Treat others as you would have them unto you’ to “Treat yourself as you would to others”!
Accurately written Joel… we do treat our body as something that must be, can be, should be driven. Once we learned that this is not the case, we start to live in a whole new paradigm.
A great way of asking ourselves to be the CEO and HR department of how we treat all areas of our body and our responsibility for the well being of all.
It’s true Joel, the old saying it starts from the ground up has never been more true.
The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output. Absolutely Joel, a lived way.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” Over the years my body has shown me that the above statement is a fact.
Sometimes the only time we stop to really listen to the body is when we feel unwell. And as Joel has so beautifully nominated in the blog, when we get unwell, we often feel angry, upset or resentful that our body has ‘failed’ us…yet if we stopped to listen and heed the body well earlier, then it is likely we would not have gotten un-well to begin with, and also it is important to see an illness as a way of the body clearing out what it needs to clear out, and so rather than stop this process, it is important to support the body in the process. After all the body holds the innate intelligence that knows exactly how to bring itself back to balance.
We could compare our relationship with our body to any other kind of relationship, except in our relationship with the body we largely ignore its communication, yet its constantly there supporting us. It’s very consistently loving.
I love this refreshing outlook on life and the body – I often like to think of the body as a company with all the organs as the employees, and then to take it a step further and interview the ‘organs’ so to speak and how they like or do not like how we treat them! Amazing way to ‘hit home’ and get a message!
“But we say to ourselves that we are only drinking or eating a little bit, or that we are giving ourselves a treat or reward.”- I find it very interesting how we (including myself here) tend to reward ourselves when things are going great with a food or drink that actually is hurting our body in the long run and taking away from the natural state of stillness it wants to be in. How is that a ‘reward’? Its like we don’t want to stand out and show our amazing self to others, so we dull or numb it to blend in.
If our body were a company it would expose that we are a bad company for it.
Being unwell this week, I have been offered a very cool opportunity to listen more attentively to my body and with this comes a deepening respect for all that it does and shows me everyday.
Sometimes my desire for a particular taste or my impatience at waiting till I am at home before I eat and taking something just to appease a desire in me, eg lightly salted crisps at the petrol station the other day, wins out. I nearly always regret this. Thank you for talking poison because often this is just what it is for the reaction in my body is quite painful. I feel though that although there may be these setbacks when we are conscious of the effects food and drink really have on us we do gradually change and I can certainly appreciate that my body is far lighter than it was several years ago when I embarked on this consciousness expanding journey with Universal Medicine.
Interesting but true – we live in a society that values business more than our bodies. And we are the ones who make up that society.
If our bodies were a company, there would have been a Hostile buyout a very long time ago, and a restructuring from the ground up.
I love the analogy of the corporate and the body. It’s so true of course, no company would be allowed to poison employees…even just a little bit. Yet, we make every excuse under the sun to poison ourselves with food that the body, if asked, would refuse to eat.
I am uncomfortable reading this article because I know the truth of what is shared here and yet cannot say I have applied the respect and care in my relationship with my body. It is the letting my body rest bit that is starkly lacking, driven by a need to achieve in order to maintain a level of self-value. Stuff to look at here, so thank you for the spotlight, Joel.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output” . . . . this is a great thing to remember and it is something that I can take into my working day today.
One of our greatest guides to not only knowing who we are but also to living in connection to all that we in truth are, yet it is the one relationship we seem to invest in the least – the relationship with our body and the truth and wisdom that resides therein.
It is a deepening relationship as well. There is no question that the body communicates with us, and it communicates to the level we can hear. I have found that my relationship with work and food and my daily rhythms have all changed since listening but that it is not a linear experience because the relationship evolves. The more I am open to this relationship the more finely tuned the communication.
Our bodies, if listened to, provide us with the steadiest and strongest of foundations from which we can then operate and support so much more, so many more people. If I forgo the clear messages from my body, there’s less stability and flow in my day and the whole thing feels a bit precarious. The more I develop a loving, honest and responsive relationship to and with my body, the more it supports me back, and it becomes easier to stay open, steady and honest.
It is so true that when we listen to our bodies, the productivity does go up and the body welcomes this. It’s crazy how we push the body and expect it to work under terrible working conditions for very little thanks – in fact, we pay it with even more abuse.
It is true and very fascinating how, there is a level of productivity that the human body is engaged with at every moment of the day which no company could match, and so, if every company is made up of people whose bodies are operating at such highly intelligent levels, then why do we have so many global problems?
A great big, beautiful, philosophical question that I plan to take to a kitchen table conversation soon. Thank you, Shami.
I’ve worked in a few companies and organisations now, and what I’ve found is they’re all pretty much specialists at ignoring certain realities they don’t like. The ability to ‘turn a blind eye’ seems quite pronounced. It seems crazy when their business and money is at stake, but when I consider what you present Joel it starts to make sense. For if we are not honest transparent and clear in ourselves and our inner life, it’s only sensible that our businesses will reflect this. It’s our job to be open, simple and true.
Once we start to develop an awareness, which happens over a long period of time, we find a way of living that starts to listen to what our body intelligence is sharing. Then it becomes simple to find the things that do not support our evolution.
If connected to our innermost we would lovingly care for our bodies, but if the body corporate is run by the mind it cares little for its upkeep other than to maintain function.
Putting our body on the line everyday so that we get taken away from our Inner-Most is so common when the truth is presented we run away to keep in the dark.
When we listen to the body corporate and move from the advice shared we not only gain a greater insight into our behaviours and ways of being but also learn who we truly are and in what ways we can support our bodies to be at their optimal. Listening to our body corporate and moving in a way that supports our vehicles of expression offers us such wisdom, it’s a wonder why we sometimes heed it’s advice.
Simply we can say that something is driving us, that we allow to drive us forth, that is total neglect of the body it is in, hence we can make the same choices over and over again even if we know they are not good for us and even harming us at times! So, we better ask ourselves the question: what is the drive behind our movement and what does this tell us about the amount of love we have truly in our body/lives?
… For most people if their body was a body corporate, there has obviously been a hostile takeover 🙂
Living life from the mind always reflects back with how our body feels, looks and emanates. The mind could not care less for the body and what we put it through as long as it gets its desired outcome, which is usually at the expense of the body. The smartest thing to do would be to give the body a louder voice and to start to listen with intent what it has to share – we could do a lot worse.
Totally needed to read this today. Bang on the money as always Joel. The way I treated my body at times this week would see me off to HR for a quick reprimand!
If we bring everything back to the body, and relate to our body with care, honouring its communication then work in its entirety would be vastly different from how we know it today with rates of burnout , depression and so on .. i know that when i started to self-care and self-love on an initial simplistic level, my whole attitude changed towards my work, its purpose, interactivity with colleagues/clients too for the far better with the beneficial effect that true vitality has.
Our body is our marker of truth, shared once by a wise man called Serge Benhayon. If we would use its intelligence truly, we would be in a whole different state of being. For if we would treat it like the animal kingdom does, there would be no over excessive eating and hence there would be no interference with the nature and animal kingdom cycles – that we seemingly interfere with as human beings!
Our world would be way better of and way more in true healthy living. .
“If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” So very true Joel we look after our companies far more than we ever consider, let alone look after and care for our body, yet it is our body that in truth is the marker of how we will run the company, our level of integrity our care and support for our employees all stem from how we look after ourselves.
When the mind is in the drivers seat all manner of disregard occurs as the body is just something for the mind to use and abuse enter connection to the heart and love can flow through out the body in its gentle movements.
I would propose Jill that we are not even in the front seat of our own car when we abuse our bodies but in the backseat on autopilot!
Very poignant example of micro and macro cosmos being the same and that we cannot escape the responsibility we have towards ourselves just the same as towards everyone else.
The responsibility word… something I am more frequently recognising as a blessing and in this comment an opportunity to take great care of my body as I prepare for the new year.
A great point of observation is to notice when we align to being loving with ourselves and others and when we don’t.
There is oft times a rebellion against the divine harmony that would otherwise run us and we will each end up living the result of such loveless choices.
I think many would lose count in how often they ignore their body in a day, let alone a week, a month, or a year… ‘how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?’ Surely to ignore these loving messages is a form of abuse.
Willingly putting poison into our body is something that we do not take seriously enough. Take sugar for example, we all know it is not good for us yet the need to reward ourselves with a sugar treat overrides that knowing. Isn’t it time we had a look at why we need to reward ourselves in the sense that the way that we are living is not supporting us to feed ourselves back the divine sweetness, preciousness and loveliness that we innately are.
Thank you Joel – our body knows the truth time for us to pay attention.
“Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.” the very fact that we treat our bodies with such distain, such abuse goes a long way to showing why we are in the state we are in across society. It’s like if we listen to our bodies and responded with love then not only would that change our healthcare it would change the way our families and companies are run.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” This shows me how utterly amazing our body is – even despite what we throw at it, but very much especially when we align to the intelligence of its particles.
It’s incredible that our body doesn’t sack us, doesn’t sack this character that we allow to run us that is in turn happy to run the body into the ground – is that because this character is in fact immortal?
We read about corruption in companies, And when the corruption comes from the top you can certainly feel that that spread through the whole corporate being… It really is the same with humans… If what’s on top isn’t in alignment then everything is out.
The truth is in our bodies, but we arrogantly ignore it many times, ‘how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health?’ The time has come for us to listen and honour our bodies, to be responsible.
How we treat others in the workplace is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. All businesses are comprised and run by people and a business that supports and cares for the well being of the people within it will encourage everyone to equally care for themselves and others.
Our bodies are meant to work, and it is our responsibility to honour and care for ourselves in a way that whatever needs done is done with a quality and purpose that serves the all.
We could say then, that our body is not for ‘us’ – but belongs to the Universe and is forever seeking harmony, that we may express the grandness we are for the evolution of all.
The Body Corporate that is our body is constantly changing and growing, developing into a unit of love, or a unit of all that is not love. The choice is ours which it will be.
Haha, great article, seeing our body as a company, classic. It’s great to bring in things like this that allow us to open up more to what is going on and how in some circumstances we accept things where in another light we would not. It is like once a behaviour is accepted we almost have a blind spot that shadows across many areas and to break this behaviour we need to take it and put it in another context, as the article has done. This way when we apply it elsewhere we can see it’s impact and how and why we wouldn’t accept it. This leads us to the awareness of what we do to ourselves without first checking to truly see how it feels.
What if we listened to our bodies then ate for our divine connection, which is to eat Light to be Light? So would not the food we eat and the way we eat change and allow the evolutionary diet, which is the only way to expand our True nourishment and ourselves?
Could it be what we eat, how much we eat, when we eat, the energy we eat in, the way we prepare what we eat, the conversations we have while we eat and even the thoughts we have about what we eat all have an affect on how we digest and thus absorb nutrition? Do we also think about our next meal as something that is being looked forward to truly nourish our body and thus looking at something outside our-self as I have done, this just some food for thought to ponder on!
Or could it be that our sense of smell takes over then overrides and rules the roust so we put all our eggs in one basket and just consider food to be an Epicureanism.
Though the modern use of the term “Epicurean” is associated with the saying, “Eat, drink and be merry,”
So are our eyes like our nose believe they see pleasure in things to shut down our divine connection.
Thank you Joel – so have we relied on the energy that has created the result we are in.. Hence we are the ones to turn it around!
So true Danna, we have all looked for a quick fix, which doesn’t work. So we have to take responsibility for our lives, which can make huge changes because of the way we have chosen the energy and what energy we do choose.
We are indeed a crazy society at present, ‘Yet as owners of our bodies we eat foods every day that our bodies respond to like they are a poison, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. But we say to ourselves that we are only drinking or eating a little bit, or that we are giving ourselves a treat or reward.’ Makes you wonder exactly who is running our bodies.
Not sure we would do so well in our performance appraisals in terms of our work health and safety standards and regulations.
I love the way you playfully highlight the absurdity of what we do to ourselves – as in poisoning ‘our staff’ for a treat or just a little bit!
Yes I love the exposure of the way we use the word ‘treat’. It ties in with the sayings, ‘everything in moderation’ and ‘a little of something never hurts anybody’. Madness and excuses for ingesting known toxins.
When we treat our body according to its making, in that what it really needs, it works very smoothly, is vital and very steady.
Profound. Sharing with us what is so sincerely true, and that which we have to make our powerful change — Listening to Your Body.
Whenever we have trouble — seek connection to the body, not the mind.
Put this way Joel we cannot even pretend to be a decent person if we are not treating our body with the attention to detail that it deserves..
That is true Joel Levin – you are showing us that exactly what we are here to do – being true and responsible for our way of living and bringing this to whenever we work.
There are so many questions in your blog that hit home loud and clear Joel. Time to look again at how I am ill treating my body corporate.
Sometimes we need to see things from a different perspective to see the ridiculousness of the situation!
It is true, there is a wealth of information constantly being communicated to us via our bodies, and none of it would be to harm us or our wellbeing, but we treat the body as if it were the enemy.
Boy poisoning the staff has been my agenda for many years that left me wondering why the company was not doing so well. Now this blog makes a lot of sense having made the choices to start a fresh and slowly and with lots of patience removing what does not serve every one in the company anymore. Interesting enough there is no end to this process but a steady pace of asking for more ways to see what needs to be revealed and giving everyone around me the space to take this on board.
The beauty about listening to our bodies is that it is not just our body on its own, it is a vehicle of energy and is either nourished by the Soul or driven by the spirit, a cunning part of us that repeats itself over and over until it makes true choices.
We consistently look to our companies, houses and families to bring us change. ‘How flawed and corrupt they are!’ we exclaim. Yet we have conveniently failed to take a step back and see the energetic facts – these institutions and organisations are just results of how we are in ourselves. So as you beautifully show Joel, if we truly wish to see change it’s our way of living we need to reform.
Our bodies are like radars for truth and love. I find food fascinating because I can weigh up the few moments of satisfaction in my mouth to the hours/days of discomfort or agitatedness afterwards and even knowing this can still go for the few moments. However as soon as I go ok so why do I really want this then it all changes. After all do I want a seeming short term gain, leading to a loss or a long term win for everyone?!
Great analogy Joel. And interesting too that the root meaning of corporate is corpus, Latin for body. We’re running our own corporation and we are the CEO. Or better still, give that job to the body itself – it’s wiser than we are!
Confirming the body corporate brings the natural profits – that benefits the all!!
So much power lies in the body. When we listen to what it is communicating and read what is going on, it’s mind boggling. The mind can’t even begin to comprehend the power and intelligence of the body. Yet it seems we have given our power to the mind and it is the mind who has control. That is why we are in our current predicament where our bodies are not faring well as a species.
This is a great analogy, and so true there is a dialogue to be had, constantly – between me and my body, for there to be harmony.
Everyday we ingest food and drink that is in fact poisoning us and not only do we do nothing about it but we celebrate it! How crazy is that?
A body corporate of responsibility – YES PLEASE! A great reflection of the impact this would have on the well being and levels of health and vitality we could all live.
Yes listening to our bodies is something that we don’t want to take responsibility for a lot of the time. I know for me, sometimes things have to happen again and again before I really listen, which is really quite crazy and very very unloving to do so.
Listening humbly to what my body tells me is offering up a whole new depth and quality of relationship with myself that is then having a huge impact on all my relationships and my approach to life… it is inspiring to consider the wise sage I have with me at all times.
Our systems everywhere have to change so that they are more supportive for everyone. A world system that supports people to pay attention to their bodies and what their bodies need is essential for our evolution.
Absolutely Elizabeth, one only has to review the current statistics on illness and disease to know we need to change the current way we are living, eating, drinking etc as it is literally killing many people.
Responding to the messages of the body will bring a different way of living, and that way will develop and grow constantly.
It is sad but true that we treat ourselves and our bodies in a way that we would never treat others or sometimes allow others to treat us.
Yes we don’t except it from another yet we practice this without an ounce of resistance. Is this not a marker of what we say we live and what we are truly living?
It is true “If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” we would either be bankrupt or held before a court for abuse neglect and many other offences, but because it is our own body we think we have a right to do with it what we like, handing over the responsibility to others when it starts to fail us.
When we let go of control and expectations which burden our bodies we find ourselves in the awe of how simple life is, where the only thing that is required is the appreciation and acceptance of our beingness which allows us to surrender to what is divine.
“There is often outcry over the way some companies ignore the concerns and wishes of the people who work for them and the place they operate.” It is great to realise that these things you mentioned like disrespect to employees things that are just not right at big companies etc. probably will continue as long as we keep disrespecting and ignoring ourselves and our body by eating things that we know are not supporting it, being harsh on ourselves, pushing ourselves to and over the limit… The big outplay in life is always a reflection of our micro inner life. This is empowering because we can change how we are with ourselves yet we can not always change the big systems straight away.
“How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?” Great questions to ask Joel. So often people then wonder why they get diseases, yet if we stopped to feel what our body really wanted – be it more rest, sleep. different food, more exercise etc, let alone a reduction of emotional angst and stress, our health services would mot be reeling under the overwhelm they currently experience. Our lifestyle choices have a huge impact on our health. One day this will be even more recognised.
Boy I know this feeling really well. Push it hard and you will feel hard, keep it steady and the natural flow is offered. Its a simple as that!
Feel and know you levels of sensitivity and the body moves with ease amongst the chaos we call our modern day world.
My body co-operates when I am listening to the loads of messages it sends. Actually the more I read and listen to my body and respond accordingly, with a naturally loving way, then the greater my health, vitality and connection to my inner-most becomes, so life simply flows.
“Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff….” when you put it like that Joel it is seems absolutely crazy that we poison our own bodies, yet as a society we do it daily not only with the food and drink we consume but also the pointless and repetitive conversations we have with one another. Just as our bodies need real nourishment so to do we need real connection and real intimacy with others.
A brilliant blog Joel exposing the abuse we live within our own bodies and often turn a blind eye to, time to call a staff meeting and discuss a new way forward to honour and listen to the body’s innate wisdom and to deepen this beautiful connection everyday.
It is staggering, interesting and confronting to consider how much we load our bodies with stuff, energy, habits that do not support it to flourish and then somewhere around middle age we say….what is going on…or I am getting old, our bodies do not need to slide into ill health and disharmony it is not inevitable, I do not say that sometimes things needs to clear or come up and out of body, this is the case at times, but there is a true whole other level of vitality that we could be experiencing if we took responsibility for our whole body health.
The whole doesn’t work if the entirety of it’s parts are not working towards the one purpose.
In the case of our body – it is universally united – and yet the drive behind the way we live often pollutes and segments the parts (particularly the mind) which then interferes with the body and it’s otherwise clarity and purpose.
What you share here Joel gives new meaning to enjoying our own company. For every act and choice that we each make is like a new initiative and transaction and in the end they all add up, not only in the financial way – but also in terms of energy. So if our life isnt rich and reporting great returns, we know at which department to look – the office of honouring our stillness and grace.
I would say the truth is we are in all sorts of trouble ‘If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!’ as dis-eases and illnesses including things like diabetes, obesity, exhaustion, mental health are, at the moment, actually getting worse and not better. This blog asks us just who is in charge of the choices we are making i.e. are they loving or not. I was supported and reminded today that first and foremost we seek vibration. So for example what vibration are we seeking in the way of food and drink. Are we seeking something that confirms us, our light and love within the world or something to dull our awareness, keep us contracted, stressed, in overwhelm and anxiousness! Everything is energy and if we gave ourselves more space to read into exactly why we do things or have certain behaviours so much could be healed and revealed.
So true, if we brought the same level of neglect, disregard and recklessness to our work that we do to our bodies we would be sacked pretty quickly, or the business would founder, but in fact the abuse we visit on our bodies is the quality we do bring to work to realtionships and to our family and friends.. conversely if we start to treat and hold ourselves with love then that is the quality we can then bring to all.
Our truth is our body… What a simple statement that, if reflected upon would change the economies of all our countries, and totally shift the balance of energetic awareness around the planet
It all starts with our bodies and how we are with and treat ourselves, this quality we will bring to everything we do and are involved with.
‘has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.
” you know what even though most of the time I am tired – I think my body won’t be able to do things – but actually reading this let me feel that my level of productivity my body is capable is huge! Much bigger than I think or give it credit for. For example last night I came in and thought I wanted to sit down, but my body said no, and cleaned the bins – this felt energising and also going to the gym.
So true Joel the level of disregard we can treat our bodies with sometimes would be called corporate abuse in the general world.
Our body is the most consistent communicator in our life, it has a steady, no-nonsense approach and if we listen to it we would flourish and blossom. No more rollercoaster, no more seraching for answers, simply a dedication to the body, our body amd all its wise communication.
The particles that make up our body are totally divine so it is no wonder then that the body has so much wisdom to offer us.
Beautifully said and very true Elizabeth, it is crazy how we pollute such divinity and wisdom.
Our body is the master communicator. But how often do we judge what we are hearing, seeing and feeling rather than listening and then adjusting what we put into our body i.e. food, fluid, emotions. All our body asks of us is to listen and it will get louder until we do. However if we choose not to it’s no failing, simply an understanding that there are consequences to all of our actions.
The true state of humanity’s corporations is mirrored in the state of the seven billion plus bodies on the planet. Corruption abounds. It’s difficult to feel we can make a difference to a huge corporation but perhaps choosing truth in our own body is more powerful than we can imagine.
It’s true that we allow a part of us to override and essentially bully the whole based on it’s own desires, needs and wants in life – over the respect, decency and care for the body as a whole.
What a great analogy Joel. When I was pregnant I was pondering what it would be like to bring up a child who doesn’t eat gluten or diary, clearly this would be going against the grain (pun intended : ) and then I had the thought that if I knew arsenic was in bread but only I knew it I would never give my child bread just so they could fit in and not stand out, so it made the choice very simple. I know gluten is not supportive to our bodies like a poison, that was 8 years ago now and I have never really found it difficult to hold firm on what we eat. The more that comes out about the harm gluten does to the body and brain the more I am super pleased I stopped eating it over a decade a go now.
Even when we get ill we often don’t see the stop sign, the opportunity to make changes to support ourselves moving forward. We see the inconvenience of the illness and push to find the quick fix so we can get back on the roller coaster again. Not very loving or respectful of our bodies.
It’s funny because if we have problems at work or there is a situation going on there it usually is a direct reflection of how we in turn connect and support ourselves too. If everything is everything then the connection we hold with ourselves will correlate with all other facets of our lives too. It makes for a great exploration and deepening awareness of life as we live it and how we choose to inevitably move within it too.
How often do we complain about the company we work for, our bosses, our colleagues and how they treat us, and yet we do the same to ourselves. The body is the best boss we could ever have, but we still complain and fail to acknowledge its efforts on our behalf.
A powerful metaphor, concerning how we treat our bodies, I see it as a universe within a universe, so to speak that all our cells are part of the population and how we treat them matters as it does in a country and yes in an company.
A sobering yet inspiring analogy Joel. Keeping our bodies dulled and dense affords us an excuse to not listen and thus heed the wisdom on offer within our every cell that is consistently reminding us that the way we are living life is simply not ‘it’. We need only look at our current stress levels and rates of illness and disease to confirm we are not yet on path back to the truth of who we are.
Every day the body is giving us another opportunity to know ourselves deeper. Not only in the choices that I have made, but also in how much I can accept myself with all the choices I have made.
We skip over the very point that is most relevant when it comes to ill health, why it occurs. We go from sickness to attempted healing, but ignore the why. Imagine we were to make more of a big deal of it. We should have a massive stop about all the diabetes, obesity, cancer and dementia, to name a few that is becoming endemic. For this need not be, were we to reflect as a whole global population and not be stuck in such arrogance and decay in how we live.
This line just stands out for me and being a business owner I was really able to relate to it “Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.” If this was true what a criminal offence, so really its no different from our own bodies, we are going against the truth of what our body can take. Really something to ponder on.
Yes Amita, if we ignore what our bodies are telling us then we are dismissing what is true. It is definately something to consider more deeply as to why we would do that when it is ultimatley our own health that is at stake.
Yes, Joel. It does not make sense at all to continue the behaviours that we know cause us harm. We ignore the truth once the pain or symptoms have temporarily subsided, and carry on without looking at why we make such unloving choices.
I agree this is not something that should be tolerated ‘Unsafe work practice or working people until they get sick is seen as abusive behaviour and something not to be tolerated.’ Yet it happens in many places. Also it is not only about how we poison our bodies with certain foods and drinks that do not support it like caffeine, sugar and alcohol .. which really are poisons but how we are actually poisoning our food. I have just done a cooking class in Vietnam and the owner of the restaurant was telling me that they do not use fish from the sea because of poisons that have been leaking into it from somewhere and also how they do not buy the vegetables from certain places because of the poisons that are literally sprayed onto them. In the end all of this, I feel, comes down to what do we accept as humanity because if we didn’t accept this … abuse in the workplace or poison on our food along with a whole other huge heap of things there would be no room or space for it.
Joel, I observe this a lot, ‘How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’ In companies it almost seems to be the ‘norm’, that if there is a deadline then staff will meet it, no matter that there may not be enough time in the day to meet this, the expectations often come from ourselves too; wanting to please, do a good job and gain recognition, rather than us staying true to ourselves and stopping working when our body feels tired and saying NO to working late if it is not supportive for us.
Yes, Rebecca, this is a work in progress for me too – to not override the body in any way and make the quality of my movements the most important part of my day.
there comes a time when the body must be listened to, whether that is after over-eating, having a pain or injury. But when such choices are made with self love, it is deeply nourishing and rewarding.
Wonderful Joel. The ‘new body corporate’ for sure. Our body’s intelligence is amazing and we have the choice to ignore it or embrace it.
It is a very telling point when we will choose a deadline over our personal well-being. How often do we stop and consider the cause and affect this has on the quality of the result and the ripple effect to all of life? For me this puts one particular dead-line in to perspective.
There certainly is another modus operandi which throughout every facet our lives deeply honors who we are, is accessible to us all, and is guided by a highly reliable source that has only our best interest at heart. Yes our bodies will never lie and in fact only knows how to speak the truth; we only need to be willing to listen.
I enjoyed reading your blog again this morning Joel. Wise words that I will take into my day.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” This is a fact when we live with a level of self-care that is honoring of our true nature we have access to the infinite power of the universe for the purpose to serve humanity so there is a consistent productivity for the benefit of all.
This is such a brilliant analogy clearly highlighting the state of relationship we have with our body and where our responsibility lies. So true – we cannot possibly ask for better staff than every single cell of our body – ever so loyal and forever hardworking. Whether this corporate of mine keeps running harmoniously or not depends on my management skills, how I listen to my staff and take care of them. I just need to make sure that I am the boss I myself would love to work for.
It’s crazy that we doubt or ignore the body’s intelligence for the sake of our minds and it’s desires. The body is the one who has to deal with all our choices.
And thus the arrogance of the human spirit is exposed for it knows that it is immortal and that when this joyride is over, it will leave this body behind and come back into a fresh one.
And very odd that we keep choosing to ignore the fact that all the love-less imprints we have accrued in the current body, or ‘vehicle of expression’ we reside within, will be there ready to imbue the new body we incarnate into. Such is the loving law of karma that ensures we leave nothing behind and no stone left unturned on our journey back home to the love that we are. This also gives us a clue as to why so many of us do not want to believe in reincarnation… quite simply, there is no escape from our recklessness and irresponsibility, only a forever grace which is given for us to re-turn to what has been lived, if what has been lived has not been true to the love that we are.
Obviously we are not shy to corrupt our bodies no different to some businesses exploiting their employees. When we only see our body as the tool to do what we want we for sure have no interest in listening to how the tool feels about it. But then, one day, we will recognise that the body is not just a tool but an entity of its own right, intelligence, order and principles we would be wise to listen to.
It comes down to Responsibility with a capital ‘R’. Even though we think what we do with our body is up to us, we have a responsiblity to do what we can to ensure it isn’t run down. If not, we take time off work, possibly need support from family and friends or the community, lean on the health system and walk around in a body that is reflecting a way of living that is not how we could be living.
It’s ironic that we complain endlessly about our companies recreating the wheel and insisting on changes that we as staff have tried before or know will not work, and yet this is exactly how we run our bodies – we know something does not work and yet we will do it over and over, and then get mad when our bodies fail us. Is it any wonder that we get sick when we do not listen to what our own common sense is telling us.
I would love to see this awesome blog at the entrance of any organization as a reminder that our body is the best company we can ever work for and with!
Yes Elizabeth – it should be part of working contracts, to work for your body FIRST and then your employer 😉
‘Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff. Imagine the global response if the company tried to tell the world that what they are giving staff is a treat for all the hard work they’ve put in, or that they are only poisoning people a little bit.’ It is extraordinary that we describe a substance that is chemically only one letter apart from cocaine as a treat. We give it to our children to celebrate and we eat it ourselves as a reward. We never consider that we are feeding children a poison when we add sugar to their cereal. We don’t even consider a glass of wine as a poison, far from it we say glass of wine (sugar and alcohol) is full of antioxidants and therefore good for us. The other day, I watched a clip from the overstretched NHS showing a alcoholic who returned to A&E drunk on a regular basis in order feel safe and to be given care. Is it not time that we started to be honest about what we are really doing when we numb ourselves with food and drink and then go looking for the love and support that was missing from our lives in the first place?
It sounds bizarre that we would knowingly poison ourselves, yet everyday when we don’t listen to our body, and we override what it is telling us we are doing exactly that. Eating foods that don’t support us, and getting caught up in emotional games. The more we become aware of our body and start choosing to listen the easier it is to rebuild the body we have.
Yes, it is only with this awareness that I have been able to address the foods I eat which do not support me. The world may tell me one thing but my body tells me another. Once upon a time I relied heavily on health care magazines latest scientific results or google for all the answers now I know to trust the consistent loving communication from my body.
It’s all very well throwing blame at the body or at oneself because it’s failed us by becoming ill, and that’s something I’d definitely done – how dare it breakdown! But the real learning has been in looking back and seeing what got me to that condition and changing aspects of how I live. And there is always more to learn as the illness is just the catalyst for looking at very deep rooted patterns and beliefs.
Love the title Joel and the way you so beautifully expose how we are choosing to run our bodies.
‘The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’ The vitality that is revealed when we make different choices that support our bodies is incredible and would transform the output of so many companies if this became a consistent way of life. The results reported at AGMs would amaze the corporate world and do away with so much regulation aimed at controlling workforces as they became more self regulating.
Great analogy Joel and the abuse that we have heaped on our bodies is reflected in the damaging ways that so many companies function putting targets and outputs above the health and wellbeing of the workforce. Pushing through regardless of the consequences is lauded and it feels like the workforce is seen as a disposable asset in the constant striving to improve the bottom line. This is such a short term view and one that so many are guilty of within themselves only looking at getting through any particular day and then rewarding themselves with their chosen ‘poison’ only to repeat the same behaviour day after day acting surprised when the body finally says Enough is enough’. If anyone had shares in our body they would rightly challenge the way their investment was being handled!
I love this analogy Joel. What a difference it would make if we really did treat our bodies like a well run, highly organised and respected corporate business. The crazy thing is that all this is already the natural and innate way that our bodies work, and we are continually throwing things in its way that prevent it from doing what it already knows.
Joel, great anology. I can feel how there would be outrage if a corporate treated its staff the way we treat our bodies, it seems to be usual to push our bodies; be tired, even exhausted; to drive our bodies to meet deadlines; not allow our bodies the time to fully recover if they get sick and give them a range of poisons. And this is ‘normal’?
I love the connection between the way we treat our bodies without a second thought and what it would look like if it were a business. We treat our bodies with so much disrespect and abuse expecting them to keep on functioning whilst getting frustrated when they fail us. What if illness were a blessing, one that stops us in our tracks so that we have to feel the impact of our choices?
Our bodies are amazing markers of our choices for us and it does seem absurd how much we ignore them. It is worth building a deeper relationship with our body and all that it reflects to us.
A great way to expose the ridiculousness of how we treat ourselves that under other circumstances would never be tolerated or allowed. We truly underestimate what we are capable of when we work with rather than against our bodies
Such a great point. Samantha, most of us spend our lives working against our bodies and getting irritated when we get aches and pains but what if those aches and pains were gently guiding us back to another way of being.
So much is learnt from simply being open to listening to our body. I feel it actually takes away lot of, if not all of the complexities in life, when I am in the complete understanding of the message, which my body is sending me.
This is such a great way in which to look at our bodies going forward, like we are contributing to the health and wellbeing of the organisation we work in, ie. the success of the company is directly related to how ‘I’ live. This would call for a lot more responsibility and accountability!
Our arrogance in the way we think we can treat our bodies and get away with it is huge. This attitude is often seen in companies where the staff do as little as possible and even boast about it and often grumble interminably about their assignments. Becoming so devoid of joy in our lives is a self created situation. Eating vital foods and bringing a sense of purpose to our work place actually enlivens our cells and puts a smile on our faces. Why not start a trend in this direction?
The thing is this is happening … everywhere! ‘How would the world respond if the company tried to explain to the world that the staff just needed to push through to meet their deadline and production needs, again and again?’ Only recently I was reading stories from doctors and nurses of how ill they had been whilst on call even with things like meningitis yet were told to ‘push through’ with this and keep working attending to patients in hospitals! This whole work ethic is crazy in fact I would say there is zero ethics here, and this is with people that are supposedly trained in health! We hold our own health within our hands but also have a responsibility to support and care for others when needed. And you are right that so called ‘treat’ like a glass or wine, beer, coffee, cigarette, bar of chocolate is not a treat but a poison to the body. It may seem a bit extreme saying this but it is just the truth.
One wise man once said: Our body is the marker of truth (Serge Benhayon). Hence all we put into it, will come out and be reflected to us. Hence again if we abuse it it will be clear (illness and disease) and if we love it we will instantly feel this love coming back to us and people around us. That is why this way of living as presented on this website offers humanity a different flavor and opportunity to shift things around.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” Yet this is not something we are taught to do. “If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” Wise words indeed Joel. We congratulate ourselves for pushing our body to its extremes – witness men climbing Mt Everest even after losing digits to frost bite – and we ‘push through’ at all cost, ignoring our body’s messages, as if this is something to be proud of. Only when we succumb to disease do we (sometimes) question how we have been living.
“We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.” This could be termed a form of slavery and abuse only of oneself rather than others. A sobering point!
Sick leave is a big cost to businesses worldwide. We would all benefit if we valued our bodies enough to apply similar health and safety regulations like those that are currently in existence for businesses.
Technology has given us an abundant supply of food, but in that supply chain there has been a tale of greed and corruption, as marketing and promoting products became all the rage. From what I understand this really started to develop post war and from that promotion we now see a massive range of products sold in supermarkets. So many flavours and concoctions designed for our satisfaction. Our democratic right is to eat what we please, and to be pleased by what we are offered, and in this desire we have lost sight of what it is we actually need, which is very simple, and about nourishment and health. Our own companies are falling down, so addressing the sickness in our ways and reversing the trends we have created should be our new priority.
Totally agree Joel, and what a fun way to put it.
I really enjoyed reading this again, thank you Joel. I had an image of my body being like a neglected, hardworking, devoted but often ignored slave, just there for me to use. I had recently been thinking of my body more like a company and it certainly brings a level of honesty and objectivity to how I am running it. There is such an undercurrent to not valuing the body, compared to say a company and the money it could make – this in itself is very exposing. Some great inspiration here for feeling how precious my body is, and treating it accordingly.
It’s an interesting way to look at how we treat our body. If our body were a company what kind of productivity would we have? We can go a step further and say that if the way we treat our own body isn’t reflective of being a productive company, then what body ARE we taking into our actual workplaces and how productive are we?
I love this metaphor… It totally exposes the unbelievable and yet ongoing disconnection that is redolent in our society, with the obvious consequences in our faces in our healthcare systems.
When we stop and actually listen to our body is can tell us loads of information about the dynamics of what is going on within ourselves and around us.
The analogy of a company ‘only poisoning it’s people a little bit’ is funny and at the same time really asks us to stop and consider just what we do to ourselves when we override what our body is communicating with us and the impact that this has on everyone else as well…
ha ha what a great analogy but really it is not ha ha but boo hoo when you think of what we do to ourselves and then to add insult to injury call it a treat.
Both examples, the corporate and the body, show that we are focused on doing and outcomes in ignorance of the quality and relationship with people, that is ourselves and our body or with others like company and staff. We need to develop relationships based on who we are as real persons not as units of function and that involves and incorporates very much the body who is the indicator of how we feel, what is going on, emanating and communicating our state of being etc. Probably companies would naturally work very differently when everyone personally would honour their body. The moment we honour ourselves we cannot but honour each other equally.
We wouldn’t dream of running a business the way we run our bodies nor would we treat a loved one in the same way. We know not to give kids alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, junk food etc yet many don’t seem to question ingesting any of that ourselves.
Many do give their kids junk food, computer screens, impatience and bad examples.
I love the angle you have taken Joel on this subject….”If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” To see our bodies in this way really highlights the abusive choices we make whether it’s over eating, or under eating… no exercise, or exercising in a driven way that hurts joints and muscles… not enough sleep, hours in front of the telly or computer, excessive caffeine/alcohol and emotions… the list goes on. To discover the “new body corporate, ” by looking at the sold one is revelatory.
It is amazing how when we look form a different perspective at the way we treat our bodies we would see that it makes no sense and long term is generally not sustainable. It is a bit like saying do we want worn out machinery that needs to constantly be fixed or would we rather free flowing machinery that is ultra efficient? The answer is obvious so why do not not then truly look after our bodies so they can be the ultra efficient machines they are designed to be rather than the tired, slow depressed, worn down ones most of us live with? Im sure if we were all assessed on a productivity scale then we would all be in for a shock to see how little work and output we actually achieve each day!
This puts the responsibility back in our laps, to listen to ‘the boss’ we have inside that is continually communicating our abuse and disregard, and giving us warnings, and do we have the same disregard for ‘our boss’ as we do our ’employer boss’ and what does that say about how we approach living?
Whole body intelligence is exactly that – it takes into consideration and acts accordingly to what works for the synergy of the whole and never just for one seemingly isolated part. To isolate a fragment is to invite into our ‘vehicles of expression’ a far lesser intelligence that will not let us know that it is not actually that intelligent at all for if it did, such ‘intelligence’ knows it would be immediately sacked for not having the company’s best interest at heart.
If we live life with a lack of self appreciation and value for who we truly are, we are then literally signing our life away to a life that does not allow one to surrender and trust but encourages you to be in constant drive in order to survive and this is the illusion as on the material side who might seem to be doing ok but most likely this is at the expense of our bodies.
This is such a timely read as only a few hours ago I was walking past a person trying to sell another person some Christmas cookies in a fancy bucket. As I walked towards them I could hear the seller saying ‘everything in moderation is fine’ and I shook my head because that certainly isn’t my experience. We have been sold such a lie that everything in moderation is the way to eat and drink, and I am sure that a diabetic whose body cannot tolerate have sugar would totally agree. For me, and many others I know, to have a little bit (in moderation) of dairy, or sugar or gluten is definitely no treat or a reward in any shape or form, for if I did my body will let me know for the next few days how miserable it is and therefore my vitality and my joy of life will suffer horrendously and that’s not how I choose to live these days.
If only organisations were more in tune with how they operate, from more of a person level. Where we do place people over profit, that will be I feel a turning point for humanity. It may time some time, but it will be a great change for how we do business and operate with each other.
If our body was a company we would be either not doing particularly well or actually be bankrupt. We misuse all our body has to offer us then expect for it to return a profit.
We take our body for granted and assume it will always carry out the movement, activity or task regardless of the level of care we hold it in. When we consider the level of demand we place on the body – the level of care does not match up. What would happen to our car or lawn mower if we did not put in the correct fuel? then would we turn around and blame the car or lawn mower for not running well. The gift that our body is, has been overlooked. Everyday we have a choice on how we care for our body and to act on the communications it shares with us – the quality of care and the love we hold our body in is the quality of output we will bring to everyone and everything we do.
Our bodies need occupation health and safety guidelines like we have in companies to ensure the health and safety of employees. This way we could bring attention to the fact that we do have bodies and they are not slaves to be used and abused. They are divine and sacred, and need to be treated as such. I am only really getting this at the moment as I feel the preciousness of myself and equally my body. It certainly has changed how I treat it.
Love it… we can be our own body OSH reps, walking around with fluro vest 🙂
Yes, I can see it now… a sea of fluro yellow, ever increasing as people put themselves in charge of their own health and well being.
Rereading your blog Joel has inspired me to look deeper at what I am ‘doing’ to my body, it is a very timely gentle reminder. I love the succinct and powerful summary you have expressed here;
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate”.
It is okay, we are only poisoning you a little bit! We would go crazy if our company told us this, yet it is what we do to our bodies almost daily.
We do treat our bodies abusively and then get annoyed when our bodies let us down. How crazy is that?
it is very cool how you have linked the body and business – sometimes we can care so much about work as it provides us an identity or or an income, so we have in investment into it, but we don’t stop and consider that our body is a constant reflection of how we are living, and so it is important we take care of it and listen as sooner or later, all our choices are going to show.
It is very interesting how it seems to be normal behaviour for so many of us to disregard our bodies. It is definitely time to ask ourselves why we think this is an okay thing to do. There is absolutely nothing normal about treating our hard working body as if it does not matter.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” Wouldn’t it be great if we had these above necessities and values instilled in us when we were young? To often other things are put in front of the basics- which is always to our detriment.
I agree we would then grow up with a completely different mindset and mentality towards looking after ourselves and treating our bodies and self with the love and acre we deserve. We would get our priorities straight. But one thing I have learned from the Universal Medicine student body is that it is never too late and the before and after photos show this.
“Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” Most off us would just go back to the old ways and the same problem return and sometimes more serious than before, yet we still do not change, until it becomes life threatening. Just goes to show how there is lack of responsibility in way we choose to live. Something for us to all ponder on. If we want life and health to change we need to starting making more responsible choices.
Listening to the body proves time and time again without fail to have the most loving intentions and results. Taking responsibility for the fact of having rejected these directions makes more sense and is far more humbling then to try and hunt for an answer or excuse outside of myself for why such wisdom has not been the CEO of my life full time.
Joel its great to be reminded of the simple fact that we would never treat our work as badly as our bodies. If we listened to what our body had to say, moment, by moment, I have no doubt society would change rapidly. Products, events, shows, food, relationships everything would change. We’ve tried it many ways which have not worked, why don’t we try this way. From what I’ve experienced so far its certainly the only way.
Loved reading this again. Great proposition of how things would change if the ‘rights of the body’ were championed in the same way as the rights of workers.
Yes the ‘rights of the body’ are often ignored. How often do we stop to ask the body what food, exercise and communication choices it would like us follow through with? We champion our work rights but often are ignoring that our state of wellbeing is an example of how we have ignored the rights that are constantly being communicated to us from our body.
Exactly… And sometimes an injustice that is taken up on workers becomes a cause celebre and is taken up around the world… Imagine if the injustice that is wreaked upon bodies all around the globe was taken up in the same way.
Great observations Joel. How we treat others in the workplace is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. All businesses are comprised and run by people and a business that supports and cares for the well being of the people within it will encourage everyone to equally care for themselves and others.
The power of reflection when we choose to stop and stand in this impact is quite an awakening of how we are living. Do our reactions in the work place hide how we react to ourselves? There is so much to read and re-read in this blog about the tinniest of details that we can over look but continue to be the rod that we carry that brings less of the true quality we are in all aspects of our lives.
Gorgeous blog Joel. As I read your words I couldn’t help but feel that many organisations do actually get away with driving, poisoning and abusing their staff and ripping off clients to pay directors million dollar bonuses before the company goes bust. All the while most of us sit back, watch and breathe a sigh of relief that it is not happening to ‘us’. Perhaps the truth is that the state of our very corrupt and abusive world is simply a reflection of the degree to which most people have chosen to drive and abuse their own bodies.
There is a great discrepancy in how we have made HSE regulations for workplaces and how we all individually conduct our lives. I found that these HSE regulations are based on love and when used with integrity, provides us with a way of being that is in honour of the human body. For example we now have the regulation that humans are not allowed to lift goods heavier then 25 kilogram and I meet men who are gratefull about this as in the past they were supposed to lift heavier loads from which they now suffer a variety of backpain issues and more.
Another brilliant article exposing how the current way of human life simply does not make any logical sense. After all – what we do to ourselves is what we do to another in one way or another.
This is an important thing to consider… the fact that the choices we make for ourselves do have an impact on others… and this brings us to the unifying responsibility we all have, which is pretty cool if you ask me.
Brilliant Joel – how often do you hear us complain about a job or a boss, and say how they don’t include us, or continue with the most hairbrained plan, even though it already didn’t work a million times? Wow, well could this be a coincidence that we live exactly the same way with our body? No it’s not. I feel a new resolution to make my company truly incorporated and accepting and appreciative of all feedback – and I sense that at the next AGM we will see a whole new integrated direction that will mark a big change.
Awesome timing for me to read your blog again Joel. I have recently realised how supportive it is to listen to my body, I mean truly listen. What you’ve shared here is spot on for me, ‘If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us,’ this is brilliant. Learning to stop and really listen. To give myself some time to feel what is going on for me before I move to the next task or before I respond to a situation. If I have a craving of a certain food, I am learning to give myself time to feel into why and what is going on, so I can make wiser and more loving choices. It is these little stop moments and checking in stops that will support me to stay more connected to my body, nurture and care for it in a loving way to support me in every way.
Without our bodies we simply cannot function here on earth as human beings. We are the custodians of our bodies and with this we hold the responsibility to care for it. Through developing a loving and honoring relationship with our bodies we access our true intelligence and as such we then moved and live in union with our Soul, how we are intended to.
What this shows so beautifully is that the micro is reflected in the macro and vice versa. Everything is connected and we cannot focus only on the outer and make changes there because if we do not start with ourselves any effort made established in rules and laws etc. is only a holding things under control but not true change.
It’s funny really we want it both ways, to have our bodies on point and ready all the time and yet we do not support them to do that (speaking from personal experience here!) and yet we get annoyed at them when they dare to show us how we really are – hurrah for our honest bodies reflecting to us how we are being with us and always ready and waiting for us to hear and honour them.
A great analogy Joel, would we treat our body in the same way if it were a corporate body.. The belief many hold that we can get away with abusing our body so long as we don’t feel the effects immediately (and very often this is because we’re not in connection with ourselves) is delusional and leads us down a trajectory of self destruction
This really exposes the double standard I live in. I have such high expectations towards the world and its people and can get hurt easily at my whim, but I have accepted my own ‘Whoops. Won’t happen again’ so many times. Totally corruptive, and unreliable as a corporate. Not surprising if I am allowing this kind of lack of integrity and responsibility within myself to go on for so long, the world is just reflecting that.
An inspiring re read Joel, and reminder to listen and learn then put into practice what I have learnt!
It’s true Joel, what we have come to expect of our bodies in this modern era is killing them more than ever before. We have forsaken quality and harmony for pure function and a robotic type existence.
This is a great way to look at how we are with and how we treat our bodies. If we understood how much there was to gain when consciously and lovingly being and caring for our bodies, we would possibly stop and consider our ways of living. We focus so much on earning money to be making a living that we want, that we do not see the toll it takes on our bodies, our relationships, on our well-being and end up being caught in this mad drive that we need to keep on going. To stop and start simply is the answer, making different choices step by step, choices that we deep down know we need to take.
A sobering and brilliant analogy Joel. We think we are the ‘boss’ of our body, but we are merely a custodian of it. Within this physical form lays great wisdom, often muted by the foods we eat, the way we move and the behaviours we seek. Learning to honour the body brings with it a deep appreciation for the responsibility we have in tending to this vessel through which the wisdom of the Universe (God) is able to communicate. We are vehicles of expression whose essence is love, so what is it exactly that we are choosing to express – is it all that is of this love or, all that is not?
We often cry ‘foul’ when we hear stories of corporate abuse or corruption but is it any wonder we have such occurrences when our relationships with our very own bodies are abusive and corrupt?
As I feel more into my body the thing that treats me with the most disdain is myself! How I think is by far the most distracting thing that keeps me from truly feeling from my body. The caffeine, alcohol, drugs and sugar are easy to feel in my body as not being tolerated by the way my body reacts. Being distracted by my thoughts brings about far more harm than the abusive substances.
Everything my body tells me is an opportunity to learn, whether it is the stuff I am way off mark with that is causing harm or the stuff that is settling me into a sustainable rhythm that supports. The former is an invitation to change and the latter an invitation to deepen.
“how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?” the short answer is ‘a lot’, I know that I have ignored my body and the messages it has been sharing with me for most of my life. It has taken a lot for me to stop and listen, to develop a loving relationship with myself and body. This is ongoing and every unfolding.
We have gotten to a place of sheer irresponsibility and this blog goes a long way to increase the awareness of that, thank you Joan
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” This is so true, for me it was a challenge to start with as I was so caught up in life, in being busy that I never stopped to listen to my body. My body was a mess, extremely exhausted, tired, bloated and this went on. But when I started to take time to listen to my body and observe what was going on, I was able to start making different choices to support my body and my way of living.
It is said we are part of the animal kingdom. If that is truly the case, then I have yet to see another animal that is so disconnected from its own body and its own needs. Perhaps we could argue that technology has made us so and in part I would agree that modern life has accentuated the problem. We get sick, there is a pill. We cut our arm – there are antibiotics to make sure it is not as life threatening an injury as it once was etc. But I venture that it is deeper than that, that this disconnect with our bodies and ability to ignore its needs is a trait that has plagued us for eons as a humanity. Esoterically speaking, this in part explains why we are so in denial of our own divinity, for in truth it is only through the sensitivity of the body that we actually become truly aware that the world is not just physical, for it is our body that has the capacity to register and feel the fact of fire, or God’s light. Mistreat your body however, and it is like puling the antennas off an ant. You are ignorant to anything beyond the mere physicality of life presented before you. And that is a tragedy.
Exactly Adam, and the glue to stick one’s antennas back on lies within our inner-heart, which is the esoteric.
It seems that society is great at burying their issues using drinks, cigarettes, chocolates etc we have been masters at not listening to our bodies and hence why there is now so much illness and disease what you say Joel is so true when we listen and honour our bodies we discover a whole new body corporate.
It does seem extreme when you put it like that, but the fact of the matter is that we do push ourselves to meet our deadlines and the body suffers and then we wonder why we feel so rough, and need a holiday to recuperate.
Great way to look at how we are with our body and bring some truth to this aspect of our lives. I often say to people how we don’t on some days just decide to put a different fuel in our cars because we feel like it or it needs ‘a treat’ yet we do this with our bodies. The way we justify our choices makes no sense.
Joel this is great what you share “If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” definitely a lot of things to work with here.
Thanks Joel, I love your writing as it allows you to deeply ponder on what is going on and to sit back for a moment and reflect on the choices you are making in your life. I often find when I read your writing something clearly presents for me to go deeper with in my life.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” This is a great stuff.
How we treat the body is very much in line with hierarchical images of the world that are also used all around us (in firms, public settings etc.) and that inform what is normal. The truth is that these images are just images, a mere desideratum. The body adds to this. It shows us clearly how damaging is the image and how much better life would be if we allow it to lead the way.
Joel when I look at how we are running our business I know that we are on nearly every aspect and address any concern or bump straight away. It’s a shocking thought that the same level of attention is not applied to my own body, that I will let things go on instead of jump on them. If we did that at work we would have no business.
Our bodies do indeed hold a vast amount of information and when connected to makes the thinking mind like a drop in the ocean.
It is sad that we tend to only to look after our bodies when we have to, when something goes wrong and we are inconvenienced or fear for our lives. Wouldn’t it be a huge shift if we actually cared for ourselves while we are well.
I would say that is shift one… cared for ourselves while we are well…then shift two is to keep caring for ourselves as our life become more vital and alive…and to keep care and keep caring not looking for the place to stop and set up camp, where we are good enough
I love the poison analogy as one of the most harmful lines that is thrown around a lot these days is ‘everything in moderation’. This lets us think that everything is ok to consume, as long as we don’t have too much. When it comes to poison we would never think like this! Another example that doesn’t make sense to me is that the cancer council can declare alcohol a poison, yet we seem to only consider it a poison for people with cancer, and once the cancer has gone it is ok to resume drinking. If there was an award for finding loopholes and exceptions, I think we, the human race would win by a mile. No other animal thinks like this, and no other animal is suffering from obesity and chronic diseases like we are.
Ah so true Joel. Often we would speak up and complain if our workplaces treated us in this way yet we often treat our own bodies with a level that we wouldn’t tolerate from another. A great eye opener to start to look at why this is and to make more supportive choices.
It is a great point you make here Joel, if someone else told us or made us over work, over eat and drink poison we would be in an uproar but here we are making those choices for ourselves – it makes no sense.
The slightly scary thing for me reading this, is that is exactly how many businesses are run… different choices covering the many different lies that we can tell ourselves, and mirroring what we do on a personal level to our bodies.
We are in a body. It is our body. Yet, what makes it up does not belong to us. It responds to us but not just to us. What we do with it affects not only us but others and the universe. But we like to see that it is our body and how we manage and what we do with it is only our business and that what we do stays with us for good or bad.
I love the practicality in which you write this blog. What you are saying is very true, if we treated our businesses the same way as we treat our bodies we would be in a lot of trouble. When we break things down to the simplicity that they are we can see how ridiculous some of our behaviour is, for example, it makes perfect sense that we need to listen to our bodies and yet we don’t.
My body seems to be my theme for the day, as this is the second blog I have read that is bringing more awareness to it. Much needed as I realize I haven’t made space enough to listen to it these past few days. Thanks Joel. Here is the other one, equally as good. https://medicineandsergebenhayon.com/2016/08/11/the-test-of-life/comment-page-8/#comment-66497
One of the keywords or phrases here… Amongst the many gems of course, is ‘ if we take the time to listen’… And this is the crunch isn’t it. This is always the fulcrum in our lives, the choice that we can make, do we actually choose to take the time to stop and feel and listen… Because then we do what we will hear will be loud and clear.
This was definitely worth another read as it brings the responsibility back to us in a most entertaining yet serious way. We have a responsibility to evolve, to keep developing and growing, just like a business and to do this we need to pay attention to our bodies and the messages that it sends us. No time for poisonous ‘treats’ and so called ‘rewards’ that dull us down and set us back . . . in the corporate world this may be seen as our opponents infiltrating in the attempt to derail our business.
What’s interesting is that we wouldn’t tolerate another abusing our bodies the many ways in which we do.
Thank you Joel for this different perspective on the reality of how it is that we treat our bodies and what we think we can get away with but in fact don’t.
Yep, both hands up to the fact that once symptoms have gone, I sometimes do return to the same behaviour or food that caused the symptom. It sometimes takes me a few goes before the penny finally drops and I say ‘that’s enough’ and make a change so that I don’t do whatever it is again…drinking alcohol was one of those but it’s coming up 10 years since I said ‘that’s enough’ to alcohol and have never looked back.
Such a great analogy to use, Joel, of a company poisioning its staff, to describe what we do to our bodies.
This is such a powerful blog Joel, thank you for sharing your experiences, knowledge and wisdom;
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate”.
Very wise inspiring words indeed Joel.
Joel I love your analogy of likening our body to the care of a company, it’s so true as both need commitment to purpose, order and harmony to function at optimum.
Being willing to listen to the body is the first step, and after that being willing to hear without judgement is important.
Sometimes, in fact often, what the body has to say, we don’t want to hear, but the body is persistent and patient, it will keep talking until we listen.
Good to read this blog again Joel. It makes poor sense to ignore the body’s wisdom which this analogy to the corporation makes blatantly clear. I have been very arrogant about my body’s needs in the past but now I humbly appreciate it more and more deeply every day.
We can choose to work from a temple and a solid foundation or we can choose a workplace that is falling in on itself, without the foundation to support us – such is the contrast between honouring the bodies wisdom and choosing Love, or not.
This blog is worth revisiting and revisiting some more. Our bodies wisdom is forever presented to us, requiring us to constantly listen, refine and deepen our love.
At the moment I feel as if I am the newly appointed CEO of my own global company i.e my body. Many new feelings and discussion are always underway and I’m always finding out different nuances and details of what works and what doesn’t. That’s why I really enjoy working with this company i.e my body and discovering and learning what works and what doesn’t to thrive today. Awesome blog Joel thank you from one CEO to another.
I like the company analogy very much, and it is an interesting reflection, for there are companies that abuse their staff, and their customers similar to the way we abuse our bodies. And funnily enough, they cause complications and often don’t end up lasting as long as they should, no different to a body I suppose that has been abused.
This is such a great analogy. The abuse we do to our bodies we would never accept from a company. So where are we at that we shout for greater responsibility from them, whilst talking zero responsibility for ourselves?
” how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?” Great question, I would say the answer is ‘a lot’!! We ignore the messages all the time. When our bodies are saying and sharing all the time what it does or does not like. It is just up to us to learn to listen.
“Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” I have been asking myself this question today and the answer I come up with is shocking really. I must not care enough to change my behaviour. I know this is not truly me, for in my essence I know I am a deeply caring woman, so this is something I need to remind myself of when I am being uncaring and start to turn the tide back to my natural expression of caring and nurturing.
Our body’s are just so intelligent and a masterpiece of engineering, signalling, communication and design. We can learn so much by simply observing what our body constantly communicates. And yet we have this apparently part of our body….our mind, that is unruly at every step and asks us all the time to ignore or go against the natural wisdom that our body imparts. One has to then wonder what is the purpose of our mind if it constantly asks us to not listen and be aware of our body? And seeing that we have given the mind much credence over the body and seeing where our health is and where our relationships are, one has to ask is our mind actually part of our body and if it’s leading us down the garden path?
We are the CEO’s that don’t listen to ourselves! Bizarre. I guess it depends what the CEO is aligned to .. love or not love that is the question.
There’s a definite contradiction in how we expect others to treat us, and the integrity with which we actually treat ourselves. I wonder if we first took the deepest, most utmost care of ourselves, the way other people treated us would take care of itself, as the propensity for abuse just wouldn’t be there.
‘We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through’ – and then we go on to over-ride what is happening with medication and continue to ‘push through’. There appears to be much consideration put into prioritising workloads, meeting deadlines, even setting up time to socialise into the night or whatever our prime distraction is but making space to just be with our body and being ‘Still’ doesn’t happen. No wonder peoples bodies are crashing and indulgence in food, drugs, alcohol and entertainment is growing. The symbolic understanding of the body corporate is helpful in increasing our understanding of the importance of understanding, loving and caring for all parts of our body first. Great Blog – thanks Joel.
Thank you Joel, we really cannot go wrong when we listen to our bodies. I am still staggered when I don’t and yet I find it happens way too often.
Our whole world would completely transform from the ground up if we did truly listen to our bodies and treat them with the love and care they call for. It starts with us.
I love this analogy of the body corporate Joel. In many ways, our body is like a company where everything is interconnected and reliant on every other part to do its job. Just as in a company, the body needs attention or it will start to fall apart. We need to give as much time to the body as we do our work or any other part of our life. It is our body that we need to take with us everywhere we go.
The way the majority of the population abuse there bodies and if their bodies were a corporation they would be in receivership
Looking after my body, it is such a simple idea, and yet the behaviours that get in the way of this, it is well worth scratching below the surface to understand the cravings to overeat, the desire to override tiredness, the acceptance of stress in the body. All these things are signals of something deeper we need to address, the hurts we feel being one very obvious one.
Joel, you remind me that if any company ran in the way we run our bodies, they would be bankrupt, and yet we wonder why our health systems are almost bankrupt? It is past time for us to take charge of our body, the one we have now and live such that we take true care of it and not push it beyond based on an idea we’ve taken on or some image we’ve fostered in our head. I love a comment earlier that we become our body’s company director’s we are that, it’s just been a vacant chair for many of us and now it’s time to fully occupy that chair and take care and responsibility for our realm.
I like this comparing our body to something we are so connected with and would be surprised to say the least when a company makes the same choices as we do with our body. It is a wake up call to see the incredible harm we can put ourselves trough, in the ideal of needing to be a certain way or living a life in ‘pleasure’. While we need a truly healthy body to have true you in our lives.
yes indeed Joel… Imagine if our bodies were able to go on strike, if our kidneys united and said that is most definitely enough we are not cleaning another milliliter of blood until you stop putting alcohol… If All of our pancreas’ said until you realize how much sugar is in all those cans of soft drink that you drink, I am out of here… well the gallbladder… They would Collectively just be speechless with the endless irritation and rage and frustration that was put upon them… And then… Just imagine… If everything worked in harmony!
“We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.”This statement seems to refer to most of humanity. The illness and disease rates are showing us that how we are living is not right. Your blog exposes the deep level of disregard we carry and how it is looked upon as normal when in fact is anything but normal. Thank you Joel for showing us so clearly how it has not been working.
Listening to our bodies and all the messages they give us, means getting ourselves out of the way… stopping being individual and instead build a body for purpose and service. When we love our indulgences like those treats we believe do not harm us, we are not considering what is needed next but taking ourselves out until we ‘think’ we are next needed… e.g. have a big weekend and then think we flick a switch come Monday and be back on deck for work.
My body is never shy with letting me know what’s going on, yet I can wait for the messages to be more intense before actually taking the time to listen. I think I need a CEO shuffle and reimprint how I can for my extremely dedicated and loyal staff!
maybe there is a recruitment agent you can go to! I guess that would be an esoteric healing practitioner….
‘It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look.’ I agree Joel – the superficial layer of looks, weight and style are one thing, but what we put our bodies through to get there and the level of disregard we have is another.
To treat our cars the way we treat our bodies; putting in the wrong fuel, the wrong oil, not keeping the tires correctly inflated, not fixing a broken window and driving them hard and so on, would have these vehicles stalling, spluttering and finally coming to a grinding halt; then we do everything possible to fix them quickly so we can keep moving but don’t change how we are treating them and they break down again. So why is it that we are surprised when we treat our bodies, our personal vehicles, without due care, that they break down? It feels like it is time for the CEO of our body to have a new and improved job description, one based on a foundation of love.
What a great comparison – how would it be if our body was a company, a body corporate? And would we really get away with the same excuses and tricks to circumvent what it is telling us?
This is a brilliant analogy Joel, you have done it again . . . you have driven home a simple truth and made the excuses we all make to not take responsible seem as ridiculous as they truly are. Well done you have left us no place to hide.
Joel, great analogy between a company and our bodies. This is so true we expect the company to be responsible for its treatment of its staff and conditions, but we have a irresponsible how we manage our own bodies. This doesn’t make sense when you put it in this prospective. We expect others to be responsible but we excuse it in us. Something is not right. So I ask myself, how am I managing myself?
No wonder that there is such a popularity for mindfulness courses as we are living in a way where we completely ignore our bodies and are only focused on our mind. Our body gets neglected while it should be our main focus.
This is gorgeous Joel. A way to see how we are completely accountable for our body, and how by no means should we be taking all that it does for granted. It is magnificent how it functions. Even with us abusing it so – it puts up with a lot. “Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff. ” i laughed at this, even though it paints a vivd picture of how we are with ourselves and is quite saddening to think how much we don’t love, appreciate and look after ourselves. A great wake up call Joel.
Well…I could not have chosen a more relevant and perfect blog than this one to read this morning. As the CEO of this body, I have to say I am not doing so well right now. The tendency to make the work and the deadlines more important than the staff (the body) is something I have done all too often…have done it again in the past month.
So, without further adieu, no anger or blame, I am asking the CEO to be accountable, not just for outputs but for all outcomes that this body is experiencing.
Thank you Joel for you way with allegory, that allows the reader to understand the inner turmoil and the imprisoning patterns.
Love this Rachel Mascord, Just experiencing exactly the same thing myself, placing ‘deadlines’ more important than supporting the body. Another momentary slip this CEO is in the process of correcting.
Makes sense to stop letting the mind run the show and start listening to the major shareholders, the body and its many parts. The other way is not working.
A very astute blog Joel, imagine if we tried this with our children, announced that they could not eat or go to the toilet until they’d met certain targets or goals – we’d be denounced for abuse (rightly so), and this is exactly what we do to our bodies, we abuse them and we get mad at them when they then show us the consequence of our abuse, it really is past time for us to deeply honour our bodies for the amazing tools of truth they are, it would completely change our lives and world if we did.
This is such a great blog, it makes sense of the non-sensical. Exposing how we are as a society not living what naturally makes sense.
I would say as a species we have the capacity to live in a near utopian world. If everyone worked in a way that supported everyone and the entire system which we live in i.e. don’t tax avoid, be responsible for your health to not cripple the health system and spend within your means.
We have the means to build a world we all would be proud of yet we are choosing to have it… makes you think doesn’t it.
The way we treat our bodies and therefore others, especially with food makes no sense if we were to treasure it, and everyone is, as the precious vehicle it is. The question therefore is to consider why is it we are able fall into these choices we make? Thank you Joel.
Love this analogy Joel, when you put it like this you can see quite plainly see how crazy and detrimental it is to ourselves, our work and others not to listen and respond to the body.
Love this Joel , well said! – ‘The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’
I wonder if the the level of abuse that happens in companies is because we have not yet realised that this is linked to how we treat ourselves first.
I like how you’ve gone from the allegory about the body back to the realities of many corporate environments. I agree with you that because we treat ourselves so harshly, it becomes okay to treat others in this way.
Awesome blog, I love the take you have given this which allows us to see from a different perspective. If something goes wrong with say an order we have placed as a customer we very easily go into blame, get irate or angry … it always seems to be easy to blame something or someone outside of ourselves. When it comes to our own health if we can’t blame someone we blame life or the dis-ease itself but there is no responsibility or empowerment in this. We truly do hold our own health in our hands and it doesn’t take a genius to get that what we put into our bodies in the way of food and drink affects this. Many of us look after our cars more than our own bodies! Craziness! And it’s true what you share here ‘Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?’ We place more importance of what we can put in our mouth than what it is actually doing to our very own beautifull body. It seems currently taste (or disregard) comes before Love.
A great analogy – the body’s sensory feedback system as its very own CEO. When the feedback is heeded, the share price of our vitality and wellbeing starts to sky-rocket. From there the trick is to keep heeding the feedback and clock when we’re at risk of letting complacency or abusive arrogance kick in.
Well said Cathy for to accept that our body’s sensory feedback system is our CEO we can then begin to understand and appreciate that ultimately it is the coordinator of our bodies and thus how much we listen to it determines and contributes to our quality of health and well-being.
Joel, it’s great to read your blog and my feeling reading it is that we’ve now taken body abuse to such a level that we actually do in companies treat people in that same abusive way as we treat our bodies, with many modern workplaces paying lip service to staff health but remember you have to meet your deadlines so in truth everything is more important than the body and it’s only when people get ill that they manage to get off this. So our abuse of our bodies has huge consequences in the world, it’s supported a system of working which is deeply abusive to us all and as such what is the quality of the output we produce in that, if we’ve honest it’s sub-par. Now if we began to treat our bodies with true care then we would naturally take this to our workplaces and the quality of what would be produced would be on another level, and actually workplaces would change as everything would be done in a way which would not be at the expense of the body. It’s the only way to go, and we all benefit if we live in this way.
Thank you Joel for this great sharing. I feel inspired to become the responsible Company Director of my body, up until now I have used words but often not enough action. Have gone so far, but not far enough in truly listening to and putting into action what I hear!
Great comment Roslyn, I just finished reading an article by Gabriele about that very thing…what we think matching what we do when we do it…https://truthaboutsergebenhayon.com/2016/05/01/the-absent-landlord/
I was the same Roslyn, I am now learning to walk the talk. I have had so much support and inspiration from reading blogs on this website and the amazing comments. Now, I am practicing to truly listening to my body, to care and nurture it to support evolution.
It occurs to me that companies actually do abuse and poison their employees increasingly with systems of control, manipulation, and drive towards profits regardless of the well-being, mental, emotional and physical, of the staff, and end up with less positive results than they expect. Equal relationship is last on the agenda. I wonder if that is because as a society we have lost touch and do not understand or feel the true relationship with out bodies, and we treat everyone else the way we treat ourselves and take that into the work place and how many a company is run. If the boss is not listening to the people who work for him, or respecting their qualities and experience, then it becomes an increasingly Master/Servant situation. The same with the body if the head is the boss and we make the body a servant rather than a partner whose sound adviice we listen to.
The same could be applied to any government or educational system or any form of team work, if theres a battle for control and have the head as the leader rather than the whole body than a small part speaking on behalf of the whole without the whole’s input is not going to support the whole. It highlights how important it is to address whats ‘at home’ so to speak with our bodies to then start addressing the wider results of the initial and deepest/most intimate relationships we hold.
Allegories are wonderful things, because lets face it …. We do need to hear some things again and again before we realise that there is a living experience to be felt and acted upon with some words.
The body is a remarkable vehicle of expression. It needs to be treated with respect and care.
Here, here Elizabeth…not only a vehicle for expression, but a fountain of wisdom and grace.
Yes Joel… and so much more too. We do indeed have an amazing body that needs the utmost respect, not because it in itself is so amazing, but because it enables us to express the grandness of who we are… and when you consider that it takes every single last Soul to express in full, before we can know the absolute grandness of God, we can begin to appreciate the true purpose of taking the best care of our bodies.
This is true beautiful and humbling to contemplate…the arrogance of ‘getting it right’ for me, falls away for the appreciation that we are all not only equal but essential parts of the same plan.
Beautiful Joel, when you bring it back to the bigger picture, the little ‘self’ that’s identified by ‘getting it right’ melts away.
Thank you Joel for your blog, I have so much been in control through my mind for a large part of my life, It has taken a continual returning to feel what my body in its wisdom is sharing with me instead of thinking what my body is feeling. Listening to my body is a learning in process.
The extraordinary and delicate, complex and harmonious organism that is our human body is able, miraculously, to let us know exactly what is needed to be done, to be eaten, and to be undertaken, at any given moment, we simply learn to listen.
Yes, cjames2012, quite a phenomenon, and to think that the Being within this wondrous body, is a billion times more grand than even this!
You are right Joel, if management are lying to its workers then there is going to be an uprising, a reaction or poor production output. A lie is a lie no matter what type of icing it has on it, the comfort it brings or how good it might taste. All it takes is the willingness to observe, to respond with honesty and with the intention to love and all will unfold as the Divine Plan deems
Joel – you share here something quiet simple yet extraordinary. That our bodies have the ability to guide us all the time. The problem is, we seem to have ignored our body for so long that we feel we need to ‘control’ it with our behaviors and our minds – rather than simply feeling.
Many of us rate work and our careers very highly, as it means a position, power, money, security – but as you suggest, what if we applied the same ethos to our bodies? Doesn’t it account for just as much if not more? Power as in feeling confirmed in ourselves, moneys as in being truly healthy and therefore not having the expense of illness and disease, and security in terms of truly looking after our bodies in the long term. There is so much to be said for just listening to our bodies – rather than trying to control them.
True hvmorden, there are some very different foundations we can build from and through the body that deliver an unexpected form of wealth, power and security that in reality is deeply craved
Absolutely – imagine how differently we would operate if our foundations were from our bodies, not security to control an insecurity we have set up in the first place.
“security to control an insecurity we have set up in the first place.” – Look forward to your blog on this… its an amazing topic and insight to explore 🙂
I like that a whole new body corporate, and all we have to do is listen to and honour what our bodies show us. That repeated behaviour you speak of Joel where we push until something is done is absolutely prevalent in our world and indeed it’s lauded by many. And while we might abhor those company practices of push to complete and people come second, when it comes down to it many of us do the same to varying degrees and we make stars of people who work this way (take the current trend of star CEOs). We need an absolute paradigm shift in how we approach life and our bodies, we need to look at the whole picture and understand that anything not done in the quality that takes into full account out bodies is not ok – so if I’m exhausted when completing something what type of output will I have produced? The body reflects how we are and a more body centric approach is truly beneficial for all of us.
I love the way you say this –”If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” What strikes me is just how true this is. Time to support the body to be the true vehicle of expression it is meant to be.
Being the CEO of our own bodies is a beautiful responsibility to hold and what we offer from these seats of power is the opportunity to show other CEO’s how to be responsible to by the example we set from our livingness.
These questions make sense but something many struggle with. I know I find it hard at times to really do what my body needs- different thoughts often kick in to justify or override.
I think people trash their bodies so as not to feel what is really going on for them. Eating foods that either numb, comfort or stimulate us, in utter disregards for our bodies all points to this.
When will people realise the health system can no longer cope with the abusive choices people are making in regard to the wellbeing of their bodies
Ha Ha, thank you Joel. I love the way you started, that we would be in all sorts of trouble if we were a company poisoning our staff and the reality is that’s exactly what’s going on with humanity at present. For many people, they are not even aware that they are poisoning themselves with their choices of food that they consume. So in truth not a laughing matter and for some of us it’s taking a while to learn/remember how to listen to what our bodies are telling us every day/moment, myself very much included. I have had a head full of idea’s and beliefs of what and how I should be and in that was constantly hardening myself and overriding what my body has always been communicating to me.
love it Brendan, it doesn’t make any sense as you suggest…there has to be something about ourselves that we are rejecting or fighting to make the equation you describe so common place
‘Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?’ I am just grasping the amazingness of our bodies and I have been neglecting all my life the signals my body was given me, I am relearning to be honest and pay loving attention to what my body has to say, so it does not have to scream any longer. The more I listen the more the body is telling me and it is an awesome company to be part of.
Joel, I laughed when I read the beginning of this blog, if our body was a company we would be in serious trouble, there would be too much distraction, it wouldn’t be running efficiently, and it would be over stretched. Great analogy Joel, and we are actually doing this to ourselves.
Joel this statement has so much truth to to it: ‘It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look. We seem to abuse, push, and or suppress the wealth of information that our body provides day in day out.’ – We have a lot to learn by just observing the body rather than simply treating it as a thing that we have and that gets us through the day. Our body – the magic of its systems, how it functions and responds, heals and recovers, is amazing – like a high tech computer that is advanced beyond our awareness. To respect and appreciate our body is to acknowledge its beauty and purpose.
Thank you Joel for the wisdom of your words, in appreciating the wisdom of our bodies. I find when I am overrun by my mind I become very neglectful of my body and cause it to suffer with anxiousness and exhaustion. but when I am with my body, appreciating all it has to offer there is a simple flow of harmony and joy there, being expressed.
love it… Liver, pancreas, lung would all have a thing or two to say about our choices.
Great blog Joel, highlighting the simplicity , and absolute wisdom, of listening to our bodies as opposed to the complications that come in when we engage the mind.
This is a magnificent question: How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?
Often, I have done that for basically all my life , until recently that I spot in my life how often I was doing this. And it hurts. Not because I was bumping into things physically, but because I was actually pushing my body in such a hard way ‘that I was never enough’, a constant stress I had put on myself to move forward, to have the feeling I was doing something ‘good’ in life. Well I have changed my mind, all of that was a cover-up from the amazing power I hold inside – now it is my turn to turn the tide – and make my power of choosing love number 1.
Great points you raise here Joel, a simple yet powerful reminder to listen to the wisdom of the body. I know when I do listen to my body and how it responds to certain foods or movements I am guided in what truly works for me or what is draining me. It is a constant feedback system there to support us and bring us to more awareness and love.
I am enjoying the process of rebuilding a relationship with my body and listening to all it has to say. Even though I know I can still get stuck in listening to my mind, I give myself a gentle reminder that I do not have to live like that anymore and that I can choose to listen to my body. Every time I do, I am rewarded by how amazing my body feels and then, by appreciating myself for making that choice.
Love it Simone, the messages are subtle but can lead to profound changes for the better.
In the past i have worked for organisations by giving them my “all” and totally sacrificing and overriding my body and its’ needs. I did this because I wanted to be seen on the outside as i felt small on the inside. Now my body is in charge and I am an excellent audienceI
Has our body failed us or have we rather ‘failed’ our body? Our body is as vital as our living allows it to be.
Our body is our decisions and lifestyle put into flesh and reflecting how much we care for ourselves each and everyday. If it seemingly fails us, we could rather see it as a loving hint that there is something in our lives that does not fit and needs to be looked at. Seeing our body as our best friend and advisor instead of seeing it as an enemy is the key.
“Yet as owners of our bodies we eat foods every day that our bodies respond to like they are a poison, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. But we say to ourselves that we are only drinking or eating a little bit, or that we are giving ourselves a treat or reward” why do we do this, it’s crazy when we know it’s poison we feel terrible after but we still continue, we are ignoring what our body is saying and still abusing, what is causing us to do this. Is it lack of self worth?
Exactly Brendan. If it could actually speak after being so toxified…
I agree Joel “the truth is our body , when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output”. Why don’t we listen to the wisdom of our bodies and put them first? What have we got to lose? I know we have a lot to gain!
That’s a great question and something we all should be pondering on. Why do we find it hard to look after our bodies? I like your analogy with the house, how can we destroy the house we live in.
I was just pondering exactly this Brendan. I would never put the wrong fuel into my car and yet I push and test the limits of my body.
This is a great one-liner Brendan.
Loved returning to this article and the last line will be one that i keep with me going into a new year – ‘If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.’ As 2016 starts it is a great time to relook at my sleep, cravings, energy levels and emotional stability.
Love this analogy of the body being our company.. We get outraged by the abuse and exploitation of children and the poor working for ruthless companies driven by greed, yet we drive our own bodies into the ground without a second thought until they break down. Sometimes we also choose to ignore the plight of those exploited employees, I wonder if we were to care for ourselves more, we would also be more sensitive to the abuse that is happening to others, and if we all step up and speak up, then abuse like that would no longer be able to continue.
Well said Annie. I have no doubt that a body and being that is not abused, is far, far more capable of standing in and speaking up for the truth when abuse occurs – towards themselves or any other.
We allow what we condone in our own lives (in whatever scale or measure), don’t we.
For the past few days, it feels as though all my employees are out shouting and demanding changes in this corporate body of mine. Initially I acted as though it was a surprise, but I can feel there was a knowing that how I was treating my staff was not quite where they needed to be. I am learning the need for a continuing dialogue that is always ready and open to the next step.
Through the teachings of Universal Medicine I reacquainted myself with my body. It is like a long lost friend too precious to lose again. I haven’t yet fully explored or felt the depth of its wisdom but I know I have it for life as the best possible ally for reconnecting with me.
Returning to this blog is a great way to remind myself to take better care of me, my body and I! Such wonderful comments so inspiring and a big wakeup call to not let the side down (humanity) Thank you Joel you are amazing.
Nothing is more effective than our bodies. They are like the combination of all leading positions in a firm. Why are we never taught to listen to what our body is telling us and instead just learn how to numb away our feelings?
Isn’t it strange that in the corporate world we easily see what is going wrong, but when it comes to our bodies, we are not prepared to honestly observe how often we override what our body is telling us and do things that do not support us – to say the least
This is the key Michael, just because we ignore it doesn’t mean it’s not going on.
And we also like to complain and not so often express our appreciation for companies and their service. The same way we complain about our body when it is showing ill symptoms, but it is not the norm to appreciate our body and its wonders on a day-to-day basis.
What an interesting picture you draw here Joel. Like with our bodies, in a corporate every little details matters. You can try to brush things under the carpet, ignore what is really needed, but in the end this will just not work.
‘The truth in our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’ Something worth putting the time into exploring.
If we could just stop and ponder the incredible workings of our body and how everything is connected we would realise that there is not a body corporate like this any where and this we need to appreciate.
We live like we have another body to go to, being annoyed at our bodies when they don’t repair themselves quickly so that we can go back to the way we were. This is a crazy way to live yet so many do. Why don’t we see this? What is it about our psychology that allows us not to see the folly of this way of living? Why do we consider ill health bad luck rather than looking deeper to question whether there was a way of being that led to the disharmony we experienced? Where was the smaller disharmony that we buried that came up as something worse? These ideas are worth considering.
Great line Joel “The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output” so true, if only that awareness was with everyone today. There is a long way for us to go as a society/humanity, in how we live, listen and love, or not as the case is for many. But there are many who are and building on this everyday, holding those who are yet to make the choices to listen, with absolute love and understanding.
Yup, it is an evolution and wont be a revolution because there is so much invested in fixing problems that don’t really need to be there.
That’s right Joel, investments in fixing problems that were created just to be fixed.
Sure where, giving us a sense of ‘busy work’, ‘dedication’ and that killer ‘progress’. All the while, the real grandness that we are waits for those who are still enough within themselves to first feel it then accept it then live it.
This jumped out at me while I was reading “ often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us.” This has made me aware of how often I might respond to anything even with a tiniest bit of resentment. That is any tiny momentary thought that doesn’t support and appreciate 100% actually who I am as I am or what I’m doing. The word resentment feels like it can unpack a lot of conditioning and behaviors we hold for our bodies.
It is this little moment of resentment that stops us from truly feeling what is going on and acting accordingly. When I feel this special kind of resentment I instantly know that it is time to stop instantly and observe the situation with absolute honesty.
No one teaches us that the way we relate to our own body has a profound effect on us (a good one if we treat it well, and a bad one if we do not). Yet, as statistics confirm, we are not treating our own bodies in the best possible way. So, this is an area in which there is a lot to re-vise and re-learn. There is a sea of things to gain if we do so.
Good analogy Joel – exposes how we lie to ourselves when the body so eloquently shows us with grace what it truly needs.
And connecting back to that grace is but a choice, a choice that asks us to let go of concepts and ideals and to be prepared to take responsibility for our life, our choices and their consequences.
‘It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look’, so true Joel. We do seem to be very focused on how we look, and yet how we behave, even with ourselves also needs attention with the loving care that is required even within business law. I get a great sense here of how we are all interconnected and there is much more here to support us than we are currently reading and understanding.
So true Lisa – Why do we focus on how we look rather than on how we move, speak and act with ourselves and others? As a society are we so invested in outcomes that the end result, the superficial layer, is all the matters? What about the health of our organs, our tissues and our bones?
Exactly Rachael, what about the effects to the inside of our body? It suffers greatly when we do not live in and with the interconnectedness that really exists.
Overeating and bloating has been happening lately. I thought I no longer did it, but it came back. This really makes me appreciate that my relationship with the body is a constant unfolding and there never is a ‘goal’ where I can relax.
I completely agree Fumiyo, there is a constant unfolding of us happening here and there is no room for ignoring it in comfort, but plenty of room to learn and love more. The perfect opportunity.
This is great Fumiyo, we only have one body to show us our next steps in evolution, so we can mistake the same symptom appearing as a failure, rather than another layer of refinement.
Yes Fumiyo yours is an important statement. We can never relax, thinking we have arrived at whatever goal we may have pursued. Each step we take helps us along the way of unfolding, deepening our reconnection to this amazing body of ours.
Love this question Brendan, it is a stop you in your tracks kind of question that makes the absurdity of our priorities all too self evident.
That is a powerful analogy Joel – with this it is nearly impossible to deny our bodies. I wrote nearly because I am sometimes trapped in the illusion that I can put a deadline ahead of my wellbeing only because I can do so. It is good to be reminded that this illusion did not work even if I try it out a thousand times! It is much better if I choose to be more aware of how I do things so I can stop myself if I am on the trip to be a human doing.
We are taught and told that an illness is something to get rid of as soon as possible. Most of the time this means getting rid of the symptoms so that we will be able to function as usual. Why do we not get taught to value an illness as a sign from our bodies that there is something to be looked at and by that enable ourselves to heal the root course instead of just cutting the symptoms of?
I sat with this for a while and realised I was answering each point with ‘that’s true’ yes that’s so very true etc. Feeling in my body and appreciating that yes, I have made many changes by taking more responsibility for my choices but to not sit back in comfort allowing a complacency to set in and to continue supporting and making little changes to not ignore the messages that my body clearly gives out. Really enjoyed your sharing Joel thank you.
‘ How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’ A great question. And a reminder for me to slow down this morning and shift my focus from quantity to quality.
funny thing for me elainearthey is when I shift gears as you describe I end up with both quality and quantity 🙂
Great reminder Joel, thank you.
Yes Elaine, and how important it is to become aware of the difference when things are done from only from quantity and when we put our focus on quality – things seem to truly change (in a good way). So an equal balance is needed between those two!
We are prepared to help everybody and indulge in solving other people’s problems. Why is it so hard to deal with our own stuff first and live a loving life?
”How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?”
This question is so well asked. I say this so because I can feel the truth of the question, and in this question there lays our answer. It is time to pay attention to what is really making us so tired, is that answer to the above question?
We do see the wrong in abusing others, why do we constantly abuse our bodies then?
Well said Michael, or actually well asked. We seem to be more responsible for our work, business, something that is outside of us , while we are disregarding our body that is our inside. It is a very interesting question. As why would we? is this clever?
Great questions indeed Micheal and Danna, and to add another question, how is the quality
of everything we do outside of ourself when we abuse our bodies?
Very true, Michael and Danna, it can be so much easier to look after others than ourselves, but if we really looked after ourselves, there would be far less abuse of others….
And abuse of self, very well said Joel. And if we look after ourselves there is no struggle to care for others too. It no longer is so exhausting than the otherway around!
Love this pearl of wisdom Joel Levin. The resounding sense I receive from what you have delivered here is that you speak of ‘accountability’.
How easy it can be to point the finger at a company for its ill treatment of staff, for effects it has on communities and people… How easy to complain about our government’s inept use of resources and placing of retaining office over the true interests of the people… Yet are we truly willing to stand accountable and responsible for the choices and decisions we ourselves make – on a constant, daily basis – that impact upon ourselves and our bodies?
Are we truly willing to stand accountable for the fact that, in not deeply looking after and caring for ourselves in large measure, that others are affected – be they family, friends, colleagues, businesses… the list goes on… As Einstein taught, “everything is energy”, and if “everything is energy”, then all of our thoughts and activity – the very resonance of our bodies and beings – impacts upon the whole.
The teachings of Serge Benhayon have brought home to me what true accountability means on profoundly extensive levels that I truly did not want to see before. The revelations and awarenesses are ongoing, but surely, if we accept ourselves as each and every one of us having an impact upon this world – a fact that cannot be obfuscated from or denied – then an ongoing way of living that allows such revelations and awarenesses IS ‘par for the course’.
For me, I would have it no other way. And I am eternally appreciative beyond measure for the great man that Serge Benhayon is, that I may remember and stand to take a true place in this world once more, founded upon accountability and the rock of God’s Love. There is no other way – to live less is to deny ourselves and all the reality of who we are. The impact of living in such a ‘less’ has brought nothing but devastation to mankind – it is truly time to change the tide.
So true Victoria. “It is truly time to change the tide” of humanity and quell the devastation by living in the fullness of who we truly are. There is no other way out of the mess than the Way of the Livingness whereby we can ALL stand and “take our true place in this world once more”.
Absolutely Anne. And if one man can change the tide in such a way, then what can a group who understand the true call here, and are willing to live God’s Love in full – all that the Way of the Livingness is and represents for humanity – bring about?
Watch this space…
powerful Victoria, “it is truly time to change the tide” – to change a tide requires a moon, the be a moon, we live in constant relationship to a body of life, reflecting life at every angle.
Your words are very expansive Joel… We see ourselves so stringently as ‘this one body’, but the fact of our intimate interconnection cannot be denied.
I guess it can be denied, because so many of us do it, but it hurts to billio to do so 🙂
Denying the truth of all things DOES hurt us ‘to billio’ Joel, absolutely – the reality of this comes home more every day.
Great question Brendan and I could add another one to that, is a person then really living life or coping with life?
The world is screaming for a new body corporate if it hasn’t begun already. It is rather strange when we treat ourselves with things that do us harm or celebrate by swallowing ten pints of poison.
Why not simply celebrate by having things that support us – and above all by really appreciating ourselves in all our beauty?
True Michael. why on earth do we tarnish the incredible beauty of our bodies by not taking true care of it, especially when it communicates so clearly to us when we don’t. Why do we place more importance on the things we could have than the body we do have. Sure is a crazy world.
We tarnish our incredible beauty because if we don’t, it would mean that we really do have to appreciate all our beauty, wisdom, intelligence and grace, and live that in full. Be a shining light….we have to ask ourselves if that is what we truly want and are ready for. Why else are we here?
so true kevmchardy, the way we treat ourselves with poisons is nothing short of a form of suicide.
As always Joel Levin introduces a profound awareness shift with the simplest of allegories, and opens us up to new possibilities of awareness which, if understood and acted upon , will change the quality of our lives, and the way we live.
I agree cjames – Joel makes it so simple for us to get. And that simplicity is sheer brilliance in itself for we know so well how to complicate life. But for us to very clearly be honest about what we put into our bodies and why, knowing how divine we are, is the first step to being honest and then starting to make choices that supports us rather than numbs us.
I agree cjames, the simplicity and profound messages of Joel’s writing presents us with another way of living that is true and honouring for our bodies and soul.
Joel, such wise words offered here and ones that I still am to embody! 8 years ago I found it very easy to give up sugar, alcohol, gluten and sugar as I knew without doubt that they made me feel, depressed, racey, sad and emotional. Today 8 years later I am looking at why I overeat and eat in a way that is rushed. My body has spoken that this is not ok, it is time for me to stop repeating this patten and listen to my body when its said many times enough is enough – slow down!
So true, samanthaengland, our bodies are always showing us more and more ways to refine, develop and streamline how thing get run.
Great comment on how the body keeps talking to refine what is not working in to the detail. It feels the deeper we connect the more the body can express what is not working. Sometimes people can say, that your body is out of balance because what was first a ‘normal’ way of living is now something the body cannot handle. But my experience in this is that the body could never handle it, but my disconnection to my body didn’t allow me to feel how my body was telling (probably shouting) me all that was not working.
Yes definitely, it is our disconnection but also arrogance to not listen to what our bodies are sharing with us. We keep repeating an unloving pattern until we choose to take responsibility and let our bodies lead the way, the way we lost when we chose our mind over our body, the lovelessness over love.
Yes Annelies;’…the way we lost when we chose our mind over our body, the lovelessness over love.’ Simple and true.
Great question Brendan. The elephant in the room…one of them at least!
I love the title of your blog, it is spot on… Our body, our health and wellbeing is our business, and just like for any business to run efficiently, attention to detail, responsibility, integrity, care and evolving to a new way of doing things, are equal ingredients for a vibrant business and our body. This is a great parallel and reflection of how we live within our body is expressed in how we go about our business.
A new body corporate my body is so up for that! Just have to give the CEO a take over happening and accept the new rule of listening and loving the body first. First!
Seeing our body not as a tool that is practical, that does not need much care or attention, but instead seeing our body as our biggest support, which needs care and attention, that will reward us with never letting us down – to me, this is the key to fully grasping what a treasure we have with us wherever we go.
Nice analogy Joel! A new body corporate in which our bodies are the wise CEOs – perfect. Next task: learning to listen to this CEO rather than rejecting its innate wisdom and authority, to be willing workers aligned to the harmony of the whole.
In companies we very easily see what is wrong, in ourselves and our bodies we do not. Could it be that what challenges us most on the outside is what we are least prepared to look at inside ourselves?
Everything matters. How I put on my socks in the morning, the way I walk from my house to my car or how I open the car door. There is no getting away with anything just because no one sees… The greatest trick of the spirit, ever.
Thanks for this Joel – as ever simple truths emerge from your ‘pen’. Having stopped ‘poisoning’ my own body for a while now, the real revelation to me is just how lovely it feels without those ‘treats’ I once depended on to pep me up. We need to consider the possibility that our bodies are just naturally harmonious without the need for stimulants et al to chivvy them along.
It’s amazing what we do to ourselves and encourage in others without really considering the consequences.
Joel, your blog reminds me of when many years ago, I attended a residential permaculture course. The majority of young people there were passionate about how the Earth was treated and called for what they believed were the highest standards of care for the land including no pollution. Yet these same young people thought nothing of polluting their bodies with tobacco, alcohol and all manner of drugs. It seemed very hypocritical at the time and I could not understand why they did not treat their own bodies with similar care. It was almost as though the more they cared for the land the more they lived in disregard of their own body!
That is a great observation Anne, it really highlights the crazy way we treat ourselves and put so much energy into ‘saving’ the planet or a cause yet in that will actually harm ourselves with almost no connection that this is hypocritical.
Often what we see is a reflection of how we are treating ourselves.
“How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” – you wouldn’t – straight away there would be outcry and a demand to stop. Yet at the same time we continue to choose to abuse ourselves?
The fact is we as a society take more care of material objects and animals than we do our own body.
Yes we do Gyl and I know Ive been guilty of that in the past
I have seen, as I’m sure most have, people dumping on and in their bodies by either smoking or drinking, eating bad foods, extreme sports etc and are surprised when they get an illness, disease or an injury. As Serge has presented our bodies are our superannuation and we must invest in its health for our future.
So true – “We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through”. This is downright bullying, workplace bullying to keep in line with your image of the body corporate. How different this is to listening to the body’s symptoms, signs, the cravings and conditions and make the necessary changes and adjustments.
Thank you Gabriele Conrad. I had never considered that I might be being a bully by pushing my body further than it truly wants to go or eating something in a way that I know is not truly supportive. As I write I feel a pain in my left breast and am put on notice about how much more nurturing I could let myself be.
Wow Gabriele, this is a great and exposing way to say it: ‘downright bullying’ our bodies, but it is absolutely true, we misuse and mistreat our bodies constantly in such a demanding way, it is bullying because we are not listening not even when the body is screaming back to us.
It sounds so sensible to treat our bodies with care, yet we generally work to get away with bad practices as long as we can. It would seem that we can see the logic of caring for ourselves to a point yet don’t see the connection between the way we live and getting sick. When some illness happeness it is considered bad luck and to link it to some way we have lived is considered out there or airy fairy. Self responsibility is missing down to the finest detail and that seems important if we want things to run smoothly. We need to care down to the finest detail.
I really love what the ageless wisdom has to offer. So often we turn to things Ancient to help us out of modern day crises, particularly with health. The Ageless Wisdom is just that, Ageless, it has always been there and always will be, and I am so grateful to Serge Benhayon for inspiring a student body that is so dedicated to developing a way of Living.
Great blog Joel, highlighting the importance of relationships. The relationship we have with ourselves (our body) and the parallel analogy of relationships within a workplace/corporate business. This relationship starts with self care, which, when you think about it, starts just with one person, and then has enormous capacity to change everything.
Very well said Joel , the body being the marker of all truth.
There is such an opportunity here for us to get to know what it feels like to be the CEO of our bodies, to behave in a way that honours everything its workers do to keep it, not only functioning, but working in a harmonious way. Then, once that is lived in our bodies in a consistent way to inspire our children to keep the connection they have to their bodies from the outset. Part of their life education.
Nice link Lucy to how if we live this we can then inspire others, we can become the new industry standard. To stay connected first and foremost and then everything is different.
We only have one body (this life time) yet we abuse it time and time again. Many times it bounces back with regularity until, we push it too far then an illness, accident or general feeling of being ‘unwell’ lingers longer. I was an expert in this for many years. Just taking my amazing body for granted. I would not like it at all if my boss/company treated me in the same way that I’ve treated my body in the past. In fact I would of walked out years ago – it would of been called ‘abuse’. As you share with us Joel our bodies provide us with a wealth of information, it comes down to how clearly we are listening and act upon that freely given information.
I often ask myself, why I don’t always listen to my body, because it really is very simple. Thank you for sharing Joel.
I love your opening sentences Joel, ‘If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble! Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.’ So true, yet we allow ourselves to fill it with all sorts of rubbish, then wonder why we get sick – and cast the blame away from ourselves, because we don’t want to take responsibility for our own health. In the UK the NHS is at crisis point, but no-one has yet made the public really aware of this fact, although there is tinkering round the edges…..We need to take back responsibility for our own health, making adjustments – as our body informs us – if we choose to listen to its wisdom.
If we ran corporations like we treat ours bodies the world would be in serious moral, economic, emotional, spiritual and physical strife – oops, wait a minute IT IS!
love it jeannettegold.. it is so true…we are in a big heap of trouble !
I don’t fancy working for a corporation like this….even if they offered me a job.
Love your comment jeanettegold…a great reality check, and how the microcosm affects the macrocosm and vice versa: What is happening in the world is a reflection of how we are treating ourselves.
When one person makes loving choices, it shows another the possibility, and if they choose to be more loving it can inspire another, and so the ripple effect continues – it all comes back to the simplicity of our choices.
On the surface through various systems corporations have managed to come up along with unions and other organisations some good occupational health and safety practises. Underneath there is still corporate abuses going on with expectations of higher outputs and longers hours as an example. What I wonder after reading this blog is will the real change to how we treat each other change only when we are willing to really listen to our bodies and stop abusing ourselves?
It is interesting that we will make demands of the company/organisation we work for to make changes and to take care of us … but how willing are we to take responsibility for the care of ourselves and the company?
The extraordinary amount of dis-regard in the world simply reveals the chasms of grief just waiting to be healed.
Joel your writing always blows me away as it makes so much sense. I found in workplaces people expecting the company to treat them a certain way while they fail to consider how the are treating themselves first. I often share that we need to value and support ourselves before we ask company to deliver this to us!
Yes Sharon this is all too common, the old cartoon of who wants change and everyone puts their hands up, who wants to change and no one puts their hands up! We want someone else to take over and clean up the mess rather than taking full responsibility for the state of the company and building a real foundation from which to trade!
If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!
Your absolutely right Joel, the way we run ourselves is nothing short of abusive and disrespectful. We even treat our cars with more respect and make sure they get regular servicing, while our poor bodies become a dumping ground for bad food choices, alcohol and physical torture. There is something very wrong with this picture.
Thinking about it like that Julie, there would be no stock market if we treated companies in the way we do our body, liability suits would be flying from city-to-city yet its acceptable to kill ourselves, just not a company. It shows how we have got the meaning of Love upside down. As, if there was true love, we would have things in place to support people not to kill themselves through the way they eat, drink, work etc..
Something deeply and intrinsically ‘wrong with this picture’ indeed Julie. Well said.
In the days when I did drink the occasional glass of alcohol and then regret it for three days later feeling very rough and then gradually coming back to my normal self at that time, I would always swear to never drink ever again, but inevitably I would succumb and say one won’t hurt. Then there were the times when I would abstain from chocolate for six months and then one day I would think one won’t hurt and then I would be back on a daily allowance of chocolate. Same with biscuits, start with one and end up eating the whole packet. There are countless things like coffee, tea, sugary drinks, all given up but only to return at a later date.
These days I have learnt by listening to my body that these items do not agree with me and never have and I find that it takes away the trying to stay off something – you do it because you know. It seems that daily there are observations about the body and how it feels that I can either choose to ignore or go a little deeper with. Then every time I get sick it gives me the opportunity to stop and look at the observations that I have been ignoring.
The bottom line is we do know what we are choosing to ignore at the expense of our bodies and it’s well-being.
Yes Julie I have found the same, and yet I will return at times to things that were long gone but find place in the mouth! But like you say when you really feel what it does to the body and when you love your body it becomes much harder to keep doing those things. Until one day it really is gone for good, like smoking and drinking I know that I will never use those things to numb my feelings ever again and there is no desire or use of will power but rather a deeper love for myself that would never hurt my body like that again. Still building to a level of love where I really put my soul in charge and surrender the individuality to that.
I agree with you Vanessa, just tonight I had a discussion about donuts and how I am still offered the donuts at work, even though I have turned them down for a year and a half. The point I’m trying to make is that, I realised that I don’t miss them because I know that by having one will harm my body and I will feel the ill effects and ultimately it isn’t worth it. It’s such a great feeling to know that I am not missing out.
mmm… a one-unified body working for the one cause – this would work miracles. How else do we expect to increase our wellbeing and productivity if we do not consider the whole, but isolate ourselves into parts?
love it Kylie, just imagine what a body could do if everything was working together and for the same cause.
Comparing the physical body to a company that is being held accountable for its interactions with staff is a great demonstration of how negligent we can be when it comes to messages and symptoms ‘from the coalface’, from our body – but are we listening?
It is a fact that we as humanity have been using our body as function while choosing to ignore the constant messages it so lovingly delivers. However, our bodies register and record everything and, in due time, they let us know through different ill conditions that we have not been willing to listen. But what is in the way for us to really connect to our body and make it ‘the only boss’? Through the teachings of Universal Medicine I have come to discover a very different way of being with my body. I have come to realise that when I truly honour the tenderness and delicateness that I naturally am, my body responds with great vitality and clarity. There is joy, lightness and commitment in all I do and express simply because I am not ‘swimming against my body’ but I go with it.
It is a fact that we as humanity have been using our body as function while choosing to ignore the constant messages it so lovingly delivers. However, our bodies register and record everything and, in due time, they let us know through different ill conditions that we have not been willing to listen. But what is in the way for us to really connect to our body and make it ‘the only boss’? Through the teachings of Universal Medicine I have come to discover a very different way of being with my body. I have come to realise that when I truly honour the tenderness and delicateness that I naturally am, my body responds with great vitality and clarity. There is joy, lightness and commitment in all I do and express simply because I am not ‘swimming against my body’ but I go with it.
Yes, Giovanna, how much energy do we waste and harm do we cause going against the messages of our bodies and using a force to continue regardless of the consequences?
Joel, on revisiting your wonderful blog, the very first sentence saw me remembering advertisements I have seen on television where companies target very young children, kindergarten age, by producing products in bite size portions, just right for little mouths – the same shape as adults’ products – so they can have what mummy, daddy, and all the grown-ups are eating. Yes, it seems we have to be more aware of the seeming ignorance and arrogance of many companies, and take responsibility for choosing what we put into our mouths and into the mouths of our little children.
The more I listen to my body and take responsibility for what it is telling me the more I can feel, the only limit seems to be how much responsibility am I prepared to take.
“we are giving ourselves a treat or reward” I was thinking about this the other night, when after dinner I heard the words in my head along the lines as what can I have now – ‘I deserve a treat’ – this was huge – I was blown away by this as this is not something I would say – yet here it was. This made me stop and say okay, where did this come from, this is not me. What came to mind is how we grow up world over being rewarded / treated with sweet things, be it sweets on the weekend, something sweet after dinner, or when we do something good or to keep us quiet. Then as we grow up we start to equate sweetness as a treat, because we deserve it rather than the truth of seeing the harm it really does to us, and the fact, in my case, that it numbs my ability to feel and be acutely aware of whats going on.
Exactly gylrae, by the time we are adults the pattern and habit of rewarding ourselves with all manner of sweet treats (lets face it there is an abundance to choose from available 24/7) has become so ingrained and unconscious that it becomes normal to live this way!
Imagine if we have laws against self abuse? Since we have them for workplaces and for the way we treat others, is it so outrageous to have the same standards for the self? And if we looked at it this way, where does the abuse to the self originate from, since it doesn’t make sense that we are ourselves an abuser we would need to be protected from? Hypothetical laws aside, why are there no standards for self care, even though there are for the treatment of workers or other people?
Great point Melinda, and, if we had standards for self care, the quality of our care for others would naturally be taken care of.
The funny thing is that we do all have these standards – and our body enforces them every single day – however, we do not take these seriously enough until the body firmly stops us from ignoring it any further.
Ha Ha I have been loving reading these Baldwin contributions and what Aimee, Sara and Helen has shared too – it is so crazy how we do treat our bodies and consider that normal! Even now I am sitting here on the couch and feeling my body and realising that I have pushed myself yesterday and so today I feel the tiredness of it in the body – the CEO made decisions that have impacted poorly on the health of the company! This is not acceptable – and if this goes on, perhaps the adrenals will go on strike and say “no more” – resulting in adrenal exhaustion, or perhaps the NS will get over-wired and turn into a NS condition, or an endocrine condition. The employees (organs and the body) have the power to get our attention – but how sad that we as CEOs do not put them as a priority first and foremost. After all we only need to look for inspiration with the business model that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine present, where he always makes it about people first, and he is always there to support the employees in all ways possible – the care and the holding overrides all else. Now this is a take home message and one worth implementing big time!
Link to Baldwin comments
https://truthaboutsergebenhayon.com/2015/09/15/listening-to-your-body-a-new-body-corporate/comment-page-5/#comment-84798
Our bodies are the markers of truth and there is no other way around it, they reflect every single choice we have made and constantly communicate with us what needs to be done all we need to do is to pay attention and listen.
“Our bodies are the markers of truth and there is no other way around it, they reflect every single choice we have made and constantly communicate with us what needs to be done all we need to do is to pay attention and listen.” – can’t get any more simple and true than that – fact.
‘How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking? Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?’ – How reckless we are with our bodies is sobering.
When I read your article Joel, I become very aware of the bigger picture that shows how the world is running. I like the analogy with the body being our own company, that brings me to a place where I can understand my responsibility for the health of my body I feel worth it to look after my own body and health, with that I take my part of responsibility for the quality of work that I do in the company I work for.
I agree monika2808, the bigger picture of how we live and work and the fact that it affects everyone.
There’s more to add to that, that every choice we make no matter how big or small, just like the CEO of a company making a decision will affect everyone who works for that group, no different to the way in which our choice, no matter how big or small affects everyone around us, those we work with and even bigger than that.
Well said Gylrae, there are so many things we do with our bodies and in life that we think no one will notice or it doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t harm anyone, but what I have found is that everything matters, everything affects another whether consciously or unconsciously. There is no sweeping anything under the carpet in this company.
Good point monika2808 and gylrae. This also points out the responsibility we have to ourselves and everyone in every detail.
It never ceases to amaze me how gladly the body celebrates when we do implement changes that are impulsed from within. I recently bought myself an alarm clock by my bed instead of using my mobile phone which I often found distracting – this seemingly small change has been enormous for me and as a result the way i go to bed feels simpler and cleaner and likewise does the way I wake up. Nothing short of a mini miracle!
This does feel amazing and clean Lucindag – and is proof of the little simple things we can do to change and support the way we are living – and how they have a bigger impact than we may well choose to realise on the way we are living and those around us too.
Absolutely Brendan, disregarding our bodies certainly is like destroying the house we live in, but a lot of people feel comfortable with this way of living, and overtime have forgotten that there is another way of living. If we look at the messy state of the world, most of the population will make their bodies messy too – so that there is no tension between the inside and the out.
Well said Susie, I have been feeling comfortable with that too in the past – but when reflected on , as in feeling more of how I have chosen to feel lifes hurts my body – I have learned to make choices that are in connection with my body so I would feel more clear and true in my body. This has supported me hugely, and so I have learned that I have the power to change things and make sure that my choices are in-line with my body and not at the expense of it! This for me I am still learning in many ways.
I agree Susie and its not just bodies that are overweight or unkept but also pushing your body hard, living in anxiety and drive, being in constant motion etc are all ways in which we smash our bodies.
Great point Susie, we are very good at adapting to what seems to be normal even if it literally is killing us! it takes honesty, love and self-responsibility to live in a way that is different to the norm and which is honouring of our own divinity.
Forget about VW emission levels. If our bodies were a global corporation our emissions (harmful attitudes and behaviours) would be through the roof.
Wow! Thanks Abby, this is a great reminder of how much we pollute the earth without even being aware of the harm we are doing. If our harmful attitudes and behaviours were visible, like smoke out of a chimney, there would be a general outcry and maybe even quotas imposed!
Great point Abby and Anne, we are polluting the earth and our environment with our self-harming behaviours and attitudes, as we are all connected.
That is a form of global warming in itself Abby.
What if it is the cause of global warming….???
So funny Abby, I too thought about how we are like corrupt companies, corrupting our bodies with ill food, activities and behaviours. With no consequence for the effects that we have only focused on having an experience or gaining something for ourselves.
So true Abby – Imagine we could actually see all the stuff we put out there in the way we express, move, walk, talk, act, behave etc – we would be absolutely dumbstruck and shocked and I am in no doubt stop immediately. Yet, even though we can’t see this, we know it and we can all feel it – so why do we continue to harm ourselves and one another?
So why do we continue to harm ourselves and one another – is the question to be asked gylrae? For myself I was only able to stop the self harm (which did not happen overnight) when I was reflected another way to live by Serge Benhayon. This gives me a real sense of just how important our reflections are – each of our reflections either harm or they heal us…..
That’s so true Abby – maybe the car industry is reflecting to us just how much we ignore, lie and cheat on our bodies, forcing them to endure what they are not capable of digesting, utilising and cleansing. There are some things we make our bodies consume that we would never dream of running our cars on and then we have the arrogance to wonder why we get sick.
Brilliant Abby exactly what the world needs is to take responsibility for everything we are putting out.
This makes me ask the question – what if we could actually physically see the harm through everything we do, every word, action, thought, behaviour, attitude etc – the world would stop, people would be completely dumb struck, horrified and shocked and immediately change. We may not be able to physically see it yet, the truth is we can all feel it all, so why do we carry on to behave in this way?
Thank you Joel, for sharing our body corporate, a great analogy. My body tells me how it is, if I just listen.
A great CEO listens to its staff and knows that without all departments working together that the best outcomes are not reached. It is crazy that we allow the mind to run the show when our bodies are copping the ill choices.
Our body is the most amazing marker for everything as it will not fool us like our mind. It will not make up stories, but reflect to us what we are truly up to. The more we open up to listening to it the more we will realise the fact that it simply has the answer to everything.
The more we are open to listen to our bodies the more we will be given the answer what is needed.
To listen is the biggest step. When we are open to this the process becomes easier.
Beautiful point Michael, the body cannot make up anything or reinterpret or fabricate. It’s the ultimate truth teller.
Yes I loved that line too Melinda. It is the ultimate truth teller – it just is. It tells no lies, makes up no stories, does not apologise – it knows it function and what it aligns to (universal order). It can only take so much as it loves us and then when it is overloaded (through the choices of us) it lets us know through illness and disease.
Yep so true, and sometimes its uncomfortable to hear the truth.
That is very true Michael and we will find that there is absolutely no need to spend energy in comparing or competing with other ‘companies’ to see how they run their business, because we all have our own unique working conditions.
I like that diana1975, we all have our own working conditions and they change every day.
Very true Michael, thank you. ‘Our body is the most amazing marker for everything as it will not fool us like our mind. It will not make up stories, but reflect to us what we are truly up to.’
The body is so incredible, and when we see those within the community we can see if people are struggling. We are able to offer the most loving support .. Sometimes just shining as brightly as we do can help bring light to another’s life.
Well said Michael, the body tells the truth, and won’t fool us. It’s our choice to listen or to ignore, until we cannot ignore anymore.
You said it Michael – listening to the body feels simple, while the mind – when we choose to let it – can make a complication out of anything and everything.
Important sharing Michael. The body does not lie to us and is a very true reflection of where we are at. I would add that when we choose to start honouring our bodies, they ‘repay’ us with the innately harmonious flow that is delightful – and this really shines the light on those bad habits and choices that left us disconnected from this flow. The fact that our bodies can recover from those choices is remarkable in itself and not something to take advantage of but something to appreciate and respect.
That is a very clear and true comment Michael, you are right that our body never lies.
I am starting to realise myself how my body is a constant reliable factor in my life which as you say Michael, has the answer to everything, it is crazy to realise that in our society nearly everything is based on our mind and outer appearance and thus mistreating the body in a very severe way, the complete opposite of what is true.
This is my experience too Annelies, the body is something I can rely on, and when I treat it like this, it gives me a constant, a steadiness in my life that I can come back to when ever I need it.
Great metaphor and it shows how ‘upside down’ our current way of living is. We have a body which -when taken good care of- can take us to levels of productivity we don’t even yet know. But what do we do? We use our bodies as a dump place as if it is not even part of ourselves. What if we deeply embrace our bodies as the one and only vehicle through which we live, express? Then surely we would reconsider with great care everything which passes through our bodies, whether our mouth, skin and ears.
I agree Caroline Reineke, we do use our bodies as a dump place and take them for granted and when you take anything for granted it is so easy to abuse. But our bodies can only take so much abuse…. thus the day comes that is says enough and makes you stop and this can often come in shock form, ie in some form of illness especially if we have ignored all previous messages and communication form our body to stop and change our behavoiurs. When we become more aware, we realise how the body can truly serve us and humanity then yes we start to take great care of everything that passes through our bodies; through our eyes, ears, skin and mouth and how everything counts and how everything either harms or heals our bodies, and that is a choice we each make.
Well said jacqmcfadden04.
It is amazing when I look back and see that I have been reacting to messages from my body, in essence complaining that it doesn’t want to put up with my head’s unloving choices. More and more I listen and honour what my body says, because I now understand clearly the big messages a body sends, like a cancer or major illness, do often have many little messages over a long time that we may have chosen to ignore, until the big one comes. That’s the body’s only way of communicating; how we feel in our body, how tight we feel, how tired we feel. And we have perfected the ways in how not to listen to this, override it with putting more substances in, covering up what the body is trying to tell us clearly.
I love what you say here Jacqmcfadden04, we are given this body as a vehicle to serve ourselves and others, that alone is a very important awareness that changes everything. So then we understand the responsibility it brings and the care we should bring to it (our body).
The points you make Jacqmcfadden04 about how we use our bodies to dump things into and take it for granted, until which time it begins to tell us enough is enough. It is a shame that we have build up lifestyles where we are usually so disconnected from our bodies that it does take some sort of illness or disease before we are made to stop.
It is indeed a brilliant metaphor and you make such a good point Caroline. We accept the instability of the amount of energy we have throughout our days or even life and don’t take the time to consider how much we could accomplish if we would start treating ourselves like we would some of our dearest possessions. Crazy that WE DON’T REALIZE HOW PRECIOUS WE REALLY ARE.
We once knew and could feel the presciouness within but life turns people cold and rude and we chose to become unloving and sour. This is always there though because people are hurting and do not recognise the presciouness that lay within anymore.
very true Caroline, we treat our bodies as if it is not even part of ourselves, how crazy is that?
Totally does not make sense when we look at this logically. We think that we can give people quality and good service, yet abuse and trash our bodies when abusing and trashing our bodies is the very thing that is inhibiting a true and quality service being shared with others! After all what we do to ourselves is what we do to another. They are non-exclusive!
That is the absolute truth Joshua. And one we have not been willing to stand truly accountable for. ‘Crazy’ yes – yet also deeply revealing of how much we have been impacted upon by life to give up on it so, and how responsible every one of us is for how we are living?
Do we see societies founded upon true love and care for ourselves and our brothers equally? No we don’t. We have a long, long way to go, yet the true steps to initiate ourselves on such a way forward rest in what Joel’s blog has so beautifully delivered here, i.e. the buck stops with us, and are WE going to say that we – and everyone else – is worth it?
This is a message that should make humanity stop and consider where we are truly at as a human race. What you have shared here is so HUGE!
It’s true accountability, isn’t it Joshua. We all know it, and in that knowing, it’s our choice as to whether we are willing to live with a level of responsibility and integrity that makes our own lives about all, or not. Most certainly there is ‘no perfection’ here, for in such a choice – if we choose for all – we will all be undoubtedly learning and growing, immensely… Yet the Joy and Love inherent is undeniable. To share this – absolutely golden…
Accountability, responsibility, truth, honesty, love, brotherhood.. while to most may seem challenging and perhaps even an unfathomable reality that is often not associated with true health and well being. We need to look at how we are controlled and capped by the very definitions we hold to the words we use.
Joshua it really is about taking true responsibility and accountability what we so to yourselves we do to others, like you say the are non-exclusive. This is the message that we all need to understand. Only then we can give people true quality and service.
Love the practical nature of your example Josh. Customer service has to be compromised if we haven’t looked after our first customer ourselves.
Now this simple teaching would change everything if we first learnt this at school.. self-love and self-care is rare yet a very basic way of truly being well
You are right, it would change the world in so many ways…how could we hurt another if we learnt to connect to that loving, caring, delicate aspect of ourselves.
I agree Caroline, and that would surely get rid of the false belief that we can live life ignoring the body by practicing things like ‘mind over body’.
This is great Caroline and matches my experience as well, when you treat the body well it give you back a vitality that is amazing.
Love your sharing Caroline. It also made me contemplate how I had never ever considered really looking after my body in this way until I heard Serge Benhayon present this and then it was like ‘of course, it makes so much sense, why have I never thought of it in this way before’.
Poisoning, pushing and deceiving ourselves with such wanton irresponsibility that when encapsulated in an article like this seems farcical and unbelievable. A stark and inspiring wake up call.
Yes well said Matilda! It does indeed seem farcical
The problem in society and with the way we are living often is that we accept a way of living which is actually not truly supportive of our bodies. Then when we feel this it is painful and often the reaction is to ignore and override. What this blog really shows me is that we can live in a way if we choose to, that supports and honours the body and that from there we are able to do so much more because our body is truly looked after.
I like this Lieke, the fact that we can live in a way that we don’t like, then choose all kinds of behaviours, foods and drinks to override the core reality that something is not quite right.
Great point Lieke this is so often the reality so many choose, not truly honouring, but overriding what their body expresses, as to feel, acknowledge and choose differently is too raw, painful and confronting. Yet when we see it as Joel has expressed it exposes the true ridiculousness of the situation and shows that we can choose another way, it just begins with knowing we are so worth loving and looking after.
But like ripping a band-aid off, the raw, confronting and painful experience is momentary, it doesn’t last because it can’t last. It has no feet to stand on as it has no true source. What is left underneath when we do feel is who we truly are which does have a source and is sustainable.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” This is great Joel and so true. We have so much lived wisdom and experiences from our own bodies and yet we sometimes abuse or ignore what it shares. Its time to go through the companies books and make our next supportive move. Its an ever evolving company.
Totally agree Ariana… It’s so useful to pay attention to what’s actually going on in our minds and to question how true it is… when we start to listen – it’s pretty obvious how bogus it is!
I love your analogy’s Joel! This is yet another cracker. This week I was encouraged to go a little deeper with feeling into how I was running my body. What I was able to feel is that there is a delicateness there that I’ve been avoiding feeling. It’s a quality the world hasn’t supported me to stay in touch with, so there is almost a feeling of it being unacceptable. To avoid feeling all of this, I’ve played out the same patterns of behaviour over and over again, that harm my body… to protect the hurt. It’s craziness! Taking the time or making the choice to listen to our bodies is so very worth it.
At the end of the day I need to ask myself: Do I want to run my corporate (my body) with true health and care, or do I want to home in on one area or another in the hope that it will make it all look good and bring in some accolades? There is a big difference. Will I listen to what my body has to say and lovingly attend to what is required, or will I use my mind to target bits that bring short term satisfaction and distract me away from the issues.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate”.
This post is giving us all a lot to sit and ponder on. This quote is in bold for a reason and today it made me realise that YES this is true. We have a choice and if we choose to take the time to listen to our body, observe it and then respond to it then life is going to change and this is something I have experienced having met Serge Benhayon ten years ago. I have made the choice to apply the practical simple living ways that he presents and then got on with it my way. I don’t always get it right but staying open to learning has helped me and today I inspire many people that there is another way to live because I have discovered “a whole new body corporate”. It all comes down to choice.
Thank You Joel Levin, Thank You Serge Benhayon.
For much of my life, i lived in my head and was frequently at war with my body, looking around me this was the norm for most until I met a man named Serge Benhayon, in him I saw a harmony so sound, i realised that what i had been living was a indeed a lie.
Yes very well said lucindag, we live a lie when we do not listen to our bodies.
Dropping the drive is fundamental to being able to stop and feel what our bodies truly need. While I’m in drive I’m not aware of anything except where I want to get to. It is a total numbing that shuts down any awareness and totally takes over. Dropping the drive gives me the space to feel the truth.
Maybe because we know deep down that if this body fails we will get a replacement!
I agree Joel. Its fair enough to make a mistake or make a choice that does not support us but to continue to make it over and over again and on top of that justify it to ourselves as being ok it pure craziness. Thank goodness we have a body that constantly reflects back the truth, which constantly brings us back, reminding us of what we have walked away from.
This is such an innovative way of illustrating the way we treat out bodies and putting it into a relatable perspective.
Six years ago I should have fired myself as the CEO of my body. Thankfully, for the last five years I’ve been constantly improving as CEO. My reward? Not a bigger money packet – well, unless you count the money I’m not spending on health care and prescription medication. My reward is that I wake up every day feeling great and looking forward to what the day may bring. Joy is my reward.
It just shows how disconnected the mind can be from the actual body. There is an arrogance in this as the body is just dragged from place to place without any regard for its true welfare. Yes, totally crazy really!!
I agree Robyn, the mind is very arrogant and wants to look good and work hard to be seen as the one, or to not to be seen and hide under the table. There is no true play when the mind is in its crazy game.
This is spot on Joel. We need the throw out the current management team and bring in a new one. One governed by our soul and not by the whimsical part of us that thinks it can get away with abusing and treating our body so badly. My body is certainly under new management since I began realising the abuse I was dishing out to it.
You know those signs you see outside businesses ‘Under new management’. I am picturing a necklace pendant that says the same…a reminder that in every moment we have the choice to be governed by the CEO of abuse and disregard or guided, led and supported by a CEO with a big, sustainable, unifying picture for all.
And our current and forever reminder comes from our body, as it is our best indicator to who is actually running our body and in what energy – abuse or love.
I loved the analogy Joel within your blog – and yes, I can see the responsibility that we have to be ever vigilante as to how we view and treat our body – truly a vehicle of expression. Much to ponder on in the comments also – thank you.
Indeed a vehicle of expression and of truth as it is always expressing truthfully no matter wether we like and honour it or arrogantly ignore it. Sooner or later truth anyway is catching up with ignorance.
Love your summary here Joel- “The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” Yes and isn’t this our true wealth ?
I like how you dismantle the attitude of ‘everything in moderation’. Everything in moderation is something we use to excuse things that we do we know are not good for us, but we want it anyway and thus we are fooling ourselves by saying if we eat/drink/do of it not too much or too often it is okay. But the fact remains that it is not at all good for our bodies and what happens is that we get used to a body that is less vital and healthy. Step by step with every ‘everything in moderation’ we bring us deeper into illness and disease, physically and mentally, all the while thinking the way we are living is balanced.
Once we listen to our body’s we can do what CEO’s could never do… have endless gold within on the ledger.
How true Symatsonuk, endless gold within our ledger. How little do I truly feel I tape into the greatness within and then stay there, the endless gold.
Awesome response…and so true and this is an awesome question to start mining that gold within…”how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?”
This is a very interesting sharing Joel. Its funny how we use the word Company ,like it is another entity but in truth it is just a group of people, who on their own wouldn’t give poison to( or take it themselves) another but together that duty of care and responsibility goes out the window! What changes the perception for them (the Company) of course would be money! Thank you for the insights.
Great point Gemma …. it should be the FIRST item on the list for every occupational health and safety policy – how awesome would that be. It’s crazy that it isn’t there, everything starts with us first and the care that we show to ourselves, that carries through into everything else that we do and to all those we interact with.
In any company what we do on a day-to-day bases matters. This is the same with the body. It does not work to listen to what the body is telling us some days and not others. There needs to be a consistency built and it’s the consistency of care that works.
Thank you for the reminder Elizabeth. ‘Consistency’ is indeed a key element without which nothing else works including ‘care’, be it for self or others.
You know, as I read this again I have a deeper appreciation for how shocking it is that we actually abuse ourselves in a way that we would never accept from anyone else, let alone a corporation, but we do. Then slowly but surely the behaviour’s amplify as we numb ourselves to not feel the devastation we have put our bodies through. Alcohol is a great example of this, we drink to take the edge off a tricky day or to give ourselves a treat. If we had had a wonderful day why would we need a treat or to take the edge off the day? It would be fantastic and complete in itself and nothing like that would be necessary.
I agree, great analogy by Joel which really exposes our lack of intelligence and complete disregard we have for ourselves, our medical system is heaving under the pressure of our poor choices, all the while we complain about how poorly run the system is. Maybe it’s time we got real with ourselves and start to adhere to what our bodies are telling us.
Exactly Jeanette… why would we need a treat to take the edge off at the end of the day if that day was wonderfully filled with our own natural presence and beauty. Answer: We wouldn’t. Therefore something is happening during these days whereby we are losing ourselves in one way or another and need to have alcohol, coffee or chocolate to try to not feel what is really going on for us.
At the end of the day, is there really anything more important than listening to your body and responding to its true needs (i.e. not just the needs that are the result of trashing it for so long)?
Yes Dean, and the needs are to be tender and sensitive as this is what we naturally are. If we go in the abuse of drinking coffee or alcohol, eating sugar, and other abusive behaviour we harden our bodies and lock out this natural sensitivity we all are. While doing that we show to each other that this is normal but actually it is not as the rates of illness and diseases shows us the reality of our state of being.
Imagine if we were as ‘healthy body’ proud, as we are lawn proud as a nation? On my street people are more into keeping up appearances with their gardens than they are living with true vitality and inspiring others with the strength of their well being. We have to wake up at some point and ask ourselves what we might be influenced by if our front hedge is more important than our own health.
I agree Sarah, which might explain why we have an obsession with plastic surgery, to hide the fact of how we are truly living – but never really does.
Good point Kate. We keep falling for the trap of fixing things on the outside as the answer.
I can relate to this “How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking?” I know I used to do just enough short term to deal with any obvious symptoms of disharmony in my body, should they come up, such as exhaustion, over eating or a hang over. I would then get on with life and wait for next time I felt particularly unwell. And yet that has now changed, I am in for the long game, so to speak, the joy of self care and self love is now part of my everyday. When you feel this good it is not laborious, a chore, it is a blessing. How did this transformation occur? -small steps and consistent practice to feel what my body was telling and honouring it.
This is a great analogy Joel I love it and it really shows us what is going on and how things can be instead. Listening, respecting, loving and honouring our bodies is the only true way in life and the world needs a turnaround in its very culture and outlook to bring us back to this. Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine is the inspiration for this change and it is here with us all now and its time for a change in our livingness to the true way to be in oneness with God within us all. Definitely a new corporate body of love.
This certainly sums up what we all do, ‘ the thoughts that are running around are not even ours, but are fed to us by a source we are choosing – all to avoid being the powerful and glorious beings we are’. How crazy is that, and are we to keep allowing this?
This is very true for me still in ignoring my body and pushing it, expecting it to work but providing little care. We are generally much more understanding of and respectful towards our cars. It’s strange that we have a harmful relationship with our own body, that we don’t actually care for this our only vehicle. Instead of stopping the behaviour we accept ill health and we may even have an atititude that we can even get an organ transplant/plastic heart down the line. It’s astonishing really that we disregard our own body.
That makes Self Love the new occupational health and safety policy – and my inner heart the company officer to ensure all the care and nurturing is adhered to… thanks again Joel for your humour.
I love the new occupational health and safety office title. The name “Self Love’ carries with it the intention and depth of true purpose and responsibility. The former ticks a box saying no self responsibility or liability required.
love this Gemma, self love, the new OSH policy, the new sick leave policy, the new HR management policy…one policy to rule them all.
Wouldn’t be just a few countries bankrupt but the world from all the fines the body would issue!!
I am so glad I decided nearly thirty six years ago that I didn’t ever need to watch television again. Just think of the poison I have saved my body by not listening to it!
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” I can attest to this as for the past 9 years I have been doing this and my health, vitality and joie de vivre have all greatly increased.
What if as a business we looked at what supporting our staff truly requires? This would require really tuning into how people are feeling, their strengths, their weaknesses and their potential. By becoming aware of this, what is needed to support each person to grow and be the powerhouse they are could be supported and nurtured. This is absolutely no different to how we can treat ourselves and our body. Love the analogy Joel. In both cases it is about developing relationships – with ourselves and with the people within a business.
I agree Vicky. The truth is we can do this, we know the truth but live as if we don’t! We have the wisdom to live so awesome, with so much love and brotherhood but choose otherwise – crazy!
Thank you Vicky, you always say it in a solid beautiful welcoming way – it is about our relationship and our evolution.
Joel, you ask “as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” If the symptoms had been life threatening it often provides a ‘stop’ moment where one may re-evaluate what got them to this point. However even after having life threatening symptoms many continue in their old ways in total disregard of what their bodies are trying to tell them. Society would not accept a company which continued to abuse its employees, yet we treat our bodies this way – and we like to think that we are the intelligent species! How arrogant and ignorant is that?
We can have very selective memory at times, maybe this allows us to stay in a certain level of comfort. There have been times when I’ve done something …… say I’ve reacted badly to a situation, I can feel that there is truth in what is being shared, but I fight it instead. There is a stubbornness, an arrogance that doesn’t want to accept, let alone acknowledge that the other person may be right, even if their delivery was somewhat lacking. By refusing, in that moment, to acknowledge their may be some truth there, I’m allowing myself the opportunity to continue in the same pattern of behaviour. We can be too clever for our own good, the conniving way in which we deceive ourselves, or think we do.
Well said Anne.
I do feel that my emotional stability is very affected when I eat sugar, I was not aware of this as much as I am now, it is so evident that if I have sugar one day, the next day I wake up and cry, my emotional stability goes out the window if I let sugar in. It is not that sugar creates the problem, but my response to it changes so much, I cannot go deep and feel and observe, I go into reaction and negativity so easily. It is like a drug, the next day you have the downside or the downhill.
Like you, Julia, I have always reacted to sugar too; I’ve been aware of this most of my life but kept putting it into my body…and feeling foolish about it… With the support of Uni. Med. have I made the choice to go deeper and allow myself to feel, to develop self care and to begin letting go of issues and this process has removed my NEED for sugar (no more will power and falling off the wagon) as a harmful self-medication, not to feel ME, not to have to face how amazing I really am… no more emotional roller coaster!
You hit the nail on the head here Jo, “I made the choice to go deeper and allow myself to feel”. Self medication with sugar or anything else is a way to not feel, it is a way to numb or relief, or sedate the pain, in my case the emotional pain. Only when I take the bull by its horns and decide to feel, to allow, to see and to let go, can i feel deeper into my true essence under the pain. This choice that Universal Medicine suggests, the choice to feel and deal with our issues, is actually more intelligent than the numbing, as numbing can only be temporary and only delays another day bottling up whatever is there, and also stops us from feeling what is underneath, all the beauty and clarity (LOVE) that we are.
Yes Jo I found that willpower doesn’t work and is exhausting not to mention the beating up on ourselves for inevitably falling off the wagon and you’re spot on – the only way to heal the need for sugar is to allow ourselves to feel our hurts and seek support if needed to let them go.
What a great awareness you have found for yourself what is your foundation and your truth you have come to, what is the best investment for your health. This helps with the next sugar cravings, to see the own choices and what has created the craving in the first place.
Yes monica2808, it is useful to stop when I have the next sugar craving, stop and see which choices have created the craving in the first place. Choosing to feel it, whatever it is. Breathe and don´t react to the need.
Joel, you are right – it is quite absurd. What we do to ourselves every evening in the way we eat and drink and are immobile just absorbing other people’s emotions on TV is an amazingly abusive way to live. Yet I did it for decades as I had no idea what else to do. Now I do and haven’t watched TV for a while.
Christophschnelle, I feel you’ve raised a really great point here – ‘I had no idea what else to do’. I’ve felt that too… I just fall into behaviours and patterns because I haven’t known what to do with my time. When we stop and connect, ‘what to do’ will come.
Yes, what was really new for me that there is something that could be called ‘connecting’ or ‘connecting to my inner heart’ or that there is such a thing as the inner heart and that it is easy to connect to through breathing gently and that this connection makes a vast change in my life. A few bits of understanding and a little bit of technique, easily available for anyone and it massively changed my life for the better.
So true Ariana, there is an arrogance we develop through our intellect that makes it ok to do the most horrendous things to our bodies and other people for that matter. It doesn’t seem to be that intelligent after all.
Agreed Joel, the arrogance is a killer! No true intelligence there whatsoever.
Wow. So needed to read this Right Now, as I have finally stopped to sit down and feel my body after a few days of ‘soldiering on’ despite feeling unwell. Thank You for the reminder to go gently…and I too love the analogy.
“Yet as owners of our bodies we eat foods every day that our bodies respond to like they are a poison, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. But we say to ourselves that we are only drinking or eating a little bit, or that we are giving ourselves a treat or reward.” We wouldn’t eat just a little bit of snake venom, for example, because we know that will make us ill. I saw a video yesterday of children tasting coffee for the first time. Most of them felt it was disgusting. So why have we pushed through our body’s natural response to such ‘poisons’ – to make coffee shops a worldwide explosion – all for profit, certainly not for people.
Sue, this is a great question and shows the absurdity of our society. I remember that I did not like coffee when I was about 20 years old. But all my colleagues were drinking it and I also wanted to be part of them and I wanted to belong to the ‘ adult world’ . The same with smoking. Fortunately I could let go of the smoking soon but the coffee I got addicted to and because of this I got very ill in my forties. I did not feel what kind of heavy imposition it had on my body only when I stopped it , my body recovered quickly.
‘All for profit, certainly not for people’ Thats nailed it Sue, the coffee shops are full of addicts trying to look cool and on trend, but what they are really doing funding company profit and investors dividend.
I am not sure it is all for profit, because if there wasn’t a benefit to the coffee drinker they wouldn’t buy it…so the real question is what do we get from it both good and bad.
I like to use the analogy of the car; every time when we get petrol, would we put a little extra sugar or alcohol into the tank, knowing that it is not good for the motor?
When put like this Joel, it make us all look pretty silly. Its like the analogy of how we treat our cars better than ourselves, we wouldn’t put the wrong oil or fuel in so why do we put in to our bodies things this wonderful machine of ours has to struggle to process. If we hear a disturbing noise coming from under the bonnet do we stop and get it checked out or do we speed up and crank up the volume on the stereo?
So true Kevinmchardy, sometimes we even reach under the dashboard and pull out the wire to the warning light, just so we can feel there is no problem.
Great questions, Kevin, exposing the absurdity of how we treat our precious bodies every day.
Exactly Kevin, if a warning light comes on on the dash, we get it investigated asap, and from there we or someone who is a specialist heals the problem. At the same do we check in and reflect what this may be showing us?
Running with irresponsibility, cranking up the volume and quick fix elaster plasting, indeed we have mastered how to get by.
Yes Lucindag we have mastered irresponsibility, distracting ourselves in so many ways to ignore the constant communication from our bodies.
Joel, this article should be in the Financial Review and the business magazines. If CEOs and Business Managers really understood what you were presenting here, they would quickly want to change the culture of how many businesses run and promote self-care and self-love as a priority at work.
I agree, Donna. The level of abuse and disregard in business today is enormous. It’s starts with the individuals themselves and spreads out from there. I would say that the majority of businesses do not truly value their staff as the wonderful individuals that they are, rather, they are a means to and end and very replaceable. It’s dog eat dog, everyone scrabbling for a bigger piece of the pie. It makes no sense, just looking at it from a business perspective, your staff are you most valuable asset, not that there should be a need for a reason to treat people with integrity and respect. However, how we treat others is a refection of how we treat ourselves …. change has to start with the relationship with ourselves first. This article would certainly be a very inspiring read and it is so needed, so people can understand that we do have the opportunity to make different choices.
Yes, and we see very little practices in workplaces that support good health. As someone who has made an effort to make healthier choices in my everyday I have found it noticeable in the many places I have worked how the offices are not set up to allow us to make choices supportive to our bodies. That is not to take away personal responsibility but it is interesting to note how most businesses are propped up on caffeine to mask the exhaustion that is constantly being felt. What is the quality of the output when we rely on a substance that chemically alters the brain to delver the output that runs our whole way of living.
True Stephen, there is a steady improvement but its pretty shocking to see whats on offer in most drinks/snacks machines – sugar dominates the majority.
Absolutely Donna. Everything would change. Imagine the productivity and quality of output…it would be phenomenal. But it requires a whole other level of responsibility…
This is the true meaning of body corporate. The lack of care and regard that we have for our body, to truly respond to what it needs, and to not abuse it with emotions or toxic food reflects completely into our work. If we are less regarding in our body we will naturally be less regarding in our body.
Reading this makes me reflect on how we can drive our bodies to the point of illness or exhaustion until there is no choice but to rest. At this point of surrender there is a choice about going forwards, whether that is to go back to the same way of living that again leads to the same result or to stop and consider how we ended up at that point and what could be done differently. The case of not changing anything and always ending up unwell is one way to live. The other way becomes a refinement in my experience, I can over do it and get myself into situations where my body can’t fulfill my responsibilities and there is an opportunity to look at what choices contributed to this. As this refines it can also be about being present and lack of this contributing to tiredness, illness or feeling out of sorts.
Deanne the same goes with any company that we run. We can keep running it at a loss and depleting it till we need to close shop. We question this productivity at work yet turn a blind eye when the same question is posed with how we run our bodies.
We run our bodies down while we spend so much time at work being ‘efficient’. I wonder what would happen if we spent more time developing a loving relationship with our bodies, would we be more efficient? My experience is we do become more efficient and it is done in a much more respectful way to ourselves and others.
CEO’s of our own company… I like it, take full responsibility.
Another great blog Joel Levin and what a great analogy for all of us to just stop and feel. What if our body was a company?
I have asked myself this question and in the past my answer would be No – because the driven, exhausted past me was not giving out any dividends to shareholders.
The current me can say YES I would most definitely invest in shares if my body was a company on the FTSE 100 index. Why? because it is continually growing and developing and has gone from strength to strength. It no longer has any abuse being allowed that would drop the share prices and the vitality levels are consistent which seem to come from the deep level of self care and self dedication every day. The shareholders can see clearly from evaluation surveys that their investment is safe in the knowing that the commitment is unwavering and Responsibility is at the heart of each choice made with the understanding that it does affect everyone and not just the company which is my body.
Knowing you Bina, I can see the difference in the consistency of loving investment you make every day and the all too common ‘get through the day’ attitude…which does not seem a wise or stable situation to invest in at all.
Thank you for showing us what this looks like.
Bina, it is great how you have expanded on Joel’s amazing blog with the analogy of investments and FTSE100 index. A true investment for sure.
“The shareholders can see clearly from evaluation surveys that their investment is safe in the knowing that the commitment is unwavering and Responsibility is at the heart of each choice made with the understanding that it does affect everyone and not just the company which is my body”.
This is gold Bina! I would love to be a shareholder of this company you describe.
We literally run our business into the ground, time and time again. We just need to look at the statistics of health or simply watch the evening news and get a taste of the crazy things that are going on or doing to each other and ourselves.
And we don’t as a society seem to learn from our poor choices or mistakes.
It is a great irony, and all with the so-called might of the mind! Which is a dodgy CEO at best.
My body is the most powerful and loving CEO I will ever find.
Sara the truth we all need to become aware and understand is that we are the CEO’s of our body, there is no one else to look after this body but us, when humanity starts to understand this, the world will be a very diifferent place. Thanks to Serge Benyahon a lot of us have already started to understand this and our lives have changed, as we live this and reflect this to others it gives humanity a chance to choose too.
Hear hear. Well said.
Nailed it Sara, the body is the CEO not the mind, even our own mind will put the body at risk and in harms way.
Great!
Fabulous blog Joel and one I will be sure to share a lot. Re-learning to listen, feel, trust and honour my own body (without mastery but nevertheless) has shown me this is where and how change happens. We all know that saying that goes something like be the change you want to see in the world – well this is one way to leap forwards.
I love this Joel – “We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.” It seems we have lost touch with how beautiful and delicate our body is and in the process we have forgotten how to respect, value and honour ourselves.
True Marcia. We seem to have lost sight of the fact that our body is with us everyday, with every thought and with every action- therefore bears the brunt of all the poor choices we make in our lives just as it reflects any supportive choices.
For many the body is not considered at all in regards to how we are with it and what it will end up like and be like as we age.
Yes Johanna, it is often not until it is too late through fate of an illness or major stop such as an accident that we can become humbled by the body who then makes us accountable to a way of being that supports and not abuses it.
I agree, Marcia and Johanna08smith. Actually our body is our most dedicated and commited friend in the world….
Indeed, Marcia. When we take the time to reconnect to that delicateness and that beauty it becomes so clear how hard we are on ourselves!
I agree Marcia. I have had a cold the last few days and its been a great reminder of how delicate my body is and how I have pushed it to get things done.
This is great Jinya, I love how our body can bring us to a stop so that we take heed to the delicateness of our body and of ourselves.
How sweet is it when we take our time and nurturing our bodies with extra time to feel yummy inside and nourishing with soups and hot water bottles all over, we don’t have to wait until we are sick for this kind of self treatments.
Very true Marcia. I also wonder if it’s that we haven’t been supported to be beautiful and delicate, and the driving and pushing is a knee-jerk reaction to not being allowed to be what we naturally are.
Indeed ladies the body has become a punch bag for our choices, a bowlful of salad, an hour at the gym, an early night, what is any of this without first honouring and appreciating the delicateness and wisdom of our divine bodies.
“Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? This is so common in our society that many people suffer under exhaustion. I work in a clinic for people with burn out and depression and can see so many bodies which are just pushed for so many years that their developing all sorts of symptoms (illnesses) to say “stop”.
We certainly wouldn’t make any money ignoring the management in a business. Isn’t it interesting that we think we can get away with it in our bodies. How bountiful would our bodies be if we actually listened to them and then followed through on the directives they gave us?
Indeed Robynjones, our bodies need to be the CEO guiding and directing us through life.
Great way to look at our bodies Joel, it puts all our actions into perspective, it make one stop, take heed and reflect. We are the CEO’s and how are we running our company?
Company guide could be: Stop – connect – feel – before you do.
I love this analogy. Right now I am needing to re-evaluate my whole company.
Vicky I was going to say something similar. What I’ve noticed is a lot of great qualities which just require loving guidance.
I agree Vicky this is an awesome analogy and so pertinent to us all. Re-evaluation time.
Me too Vicky. Something to always refine!
Excellent way of choosing a deeper level of awareness Vicky – re-evaluating the whole body.
I agree! Mine needs a restructure 🙂 Looking beyond the body’s signs but actually responding to them is key.
Joel, I love the analogy – makes you look at the body in a whole new way!
INTERVIEW WITH MY BODY AFTER READING JOELS BLOG
INTERVIEWER Q: Describe to us your career over the past ten years?
BODY A: I had the worst boss for the majority of my life, I was seriously thinking of quitting my job as the abuse was so bad. I was forced to work in a toxic environment, I was used like a lab rat and made to ingest poison and chemicals that did not allow me to sleep for days on end. I was driven and pushed 24/7, unable to rest or have any breaks, unless I got deadly ill and even then I was not given a break. That was only the tip of the iceberg of how things were and what I had to go through on a daily basis. I was at my wits end and I had told my boss how I felt through messages and signals that started off small, as I didn’t want to ruffle too many feathers and ended up having to be over the top obvious.
My boss must have got the hints as I remember not long after she started going to these self development presentations by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, man did things start to change around the office and my work place conditions improved dramatically. I was so stoked with this guy Serge, as he changed my life, my boss took me along and I got to be totally pampered. I was allowed to rest for the first time in my job, I was provided proper lunch breaks with actual food that helped me work rather than the junk that was on offer before. No more chemicals, poisons or strange missions that I had to do in the middle of the night. I was given a promotion and a voice and I didn’t have to communicate in code and then be ignored. I want to thank Universal Medicine and my boss as I was honestly about to walk out and now I have the dream job and it keeps getting better everyday!
Thanks Joel, loved the blog it gave me a chance to have my say publicly,
Yours Sincerely
Sarah’s body.
Wow Sarah, that’s very powerful! I was skimming through these comments and was reading the response to your question and was horrified…I thought to myself ‘Oh my goodness, how did this happen to Sarah? How did she allow that from her boss for so long?’…until I realised it was your body talking. Then I got the full power of Joel’s blog. It’s so interesting that I was horrified when I thought someone else was treating you like that but then I was kind of relieved when I realised it was you and your body. There is a normalness of abuse that we accept from ourselves and this is commonly understood because we all do it to varying degrees yet we would never accept that same level of abuse from another. So much to ponder on here. Thank you Sarah & Joel
Yes Sara so much to ponder on, why it is more normalised to accept the most appalling conditions and abuse at the hands of ourselves, yet be up in arms and shocked if anyone else demanded and abused us in the same way. Recently I was punched in the shoulder hard, and I was shocked that someone would do that, I said not to ever do that to me again and that I would never allow someone to treat me like that. After reading Sarah’s interview with her body, I’m questioning how true is it that I would never allow anyone to treat me disrespectfully, especially when I look at all the times I hit my shoulders or knees or hurt myself racing to get something done. It’s time for a meeting with my boss 🙂
Yes Sara, this is what my comment was designed to do and what I felt Joel’s blog achieved. It was constructed in a fun way to get us to really ponder on the extent of the horrible things we do to ourselves and how absolutely outraged we would be if our employers were pushing us into these kinds of activities. I agree with you that self abuse has become so ‘normalised’ and socially acceptable but also championed in our culture. On the other hand, if anybody dares do anything to ‘us’, or that affects our possessions or home (like someone builds a house that blocks our view) litigation is the first thing on the cards. We should be taking legal action against ourselves for the abusive way we treat our bodies – we are all killing ourselves with our own lifestyle choices!
Type 2 Diabetes is the leading killer in Australia at the moment and at least 57% of all cases could have been prevented though lifestyle choices, do we want this as our normal… or a we prepared to work at a new normal?
The Way of the Livingness and Universal Medicine has introduced how to actually listen to your body and we all have the opportunity to change the future for the next generation.
I LOVE this Sarahraynebaldwin! Thank goodness I’ve been working on developing a relationship with soul and am becoming a much better director of my own body corporate …
If there is one thing Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine has really brought home for me is to not to strive for perfection (impossible), which helps me enormously to recognise what I need to work on without blame, shame and judgement.
I get a great sense of this in your interview
Thanks Helen, I think you nailed it, no judgment is the key, the ability to have a laugh and to soak up the appreciation for the changes we have made and really confirm when we do honour by our bodies. I love my interview so much I had to re read my own comment as it warmed my heart.
Love your blog Joel and Love your blog reply Sarah! This really gives a perspective that allows us to listen to the body in a different way. As a practicing naturopath, I recall a few years back I had a client come to see me who had multiple issues going on with their body – they were also very deeply involved in working hard helping to run a big company. So to help them understand how important it is that we begin to develop a relationship with our bodies, I explained to them that they had just been hired on for the most fulfilling of all positions: CEO of their own company which is their own body. They are the boss, and they are the one making all the decisions that would either support or not support their body (or staff)! This is a great analogy that really brings home how we treat our body and what pressures and expectations we place upon ourselves that may not always be realistic nor in line with our own health.
Thanks Henrietta, I loved replying to this blog and what a great example you used with your client.
It’s funny, we all want that big promotion and to show our boss how well organized and/or how responsible we are. We sell ourselves, abilities, skills and attributes when seeking a job. We insist on more responsibility in the work place, but when it comes to us taking more responsibility in our own back yard (body) it can be a very different story.
Hahaha! I too am overjoyed that I can have my say.
Hi Sarah’s body, I can totally relate, I was worked under similar abusive conditions for decades. . . yes you heard me . . .correctly for decades. . . 4 and 1/2 to be precise before conditions changed. My boss would flood me with so many poisonous chemicals and heavy emotions that it needed for me to end up under a car to bring it to her attention that perhaps this was not the best way to run this company. Her response was to produce children, one after the other without any break or recovery time until I was so exhausted I also wanted to quit my job and head elsewhere. Her response to that was to starve me with fasting and indigestible raw food and high emotions and then she wonder why I was even more lethargic and unable to do her bidding. I could go on boring you with the decades of abuse but lets skip to the thanks and gratitude I am also feeling for Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, who gave me a voice, well I always had a voice so more precisely gave my boss the means to hear the protests that she had refused to hear previously. Thanks also Joel for being our union leader.
With great appreciation for the better hours and conditions not to forget to mention the love that is building back in the office,
Kathleen’s body
Yeah Joel is an awesome union leader!
Hey Kathleen’s body, I can’t believe you stuck around after being treated so poorly for that huge period of time , that is some impressive stuff. Its sounds like it was worth the wait as it seem like a pretty sweet gig now, who would have thought your boss would have done such a 360 and turned out to be such a keeper. Now you have the dream job just like me, what a legend this Benhayon dude is.
Exactly Sarah’s body, a high five is in order! And yes that Benhayon dude rocks.
I had at least 5 decades of abusing my body corporate in very much the same manner as you Kathleen. I remember one period where I fasted on juices for over 90 days, yes, 3 months on juices! I looked like a scarecrow! Thank You Joel and Kathleen, I still have a lot to heal.
Lucky we are on to it now Greg ,before our bodies throw in the towel with disgust at how they have been treated all these years.
Absolutely kathleenbaldwin it is never too late!
Wow sarahraynebaldwin, what a great decision to let go of that ‘old abusive’ job and take up this new one! What an amazing, understanding and loving boss you now have. Great choice to go to presentations by Serge Benhayon…. I’ve seen many body’s “given a promotion and a voice” over the years. Love your interview!
Thanks Aimee, yes I agree with you , I have also seen so many ‘bodies’ being promoted and just generally being seen and fulfilled with long prosperous careers ahead of them!
Sarah, you have successfully painted the ludicrous picture of how we treat our body, coming from the arrogance of the mind as boss. It is crazy and great that we see the absurdity so that we may begin to listen carefully to its cues once again.
For sure Emma, I had so much fun writing these comments, as it is so crazy but this is the truth of how we treat ourselves.
Loving that Benhayon dude. Who would have thought that one man could be the inspiration of change for so many? And not only inspire, but to see the changes actually taking place by our own choices. Super cool.
Totally Emma, gets you thinking that if one man that reconnects to who he truly is can achieve all the amazing things that Serge has, then imagine if we all followed suit?
Thank you Joel and Sarah, I too would allow my mind to take me on a three day bender of drugs and alcohol, what energy was I in? It gradually got more abusive as I got older – the all-nighters, benders, parties, binges and out of control behaviors becoming normal. I lived in a ski village and every night during the ski season was a party. The ‘body corporate’ that ran my body had no regard for my body, so where did that energy come from? I can feel these energies now, as because of the presentations of Serge Benhayon, I understand that the true energy or fiery energy comes from our soul and the false energy comes from our spirit. More can be read on the subject of energy in an ‘Open Letter to Humanity’ by Serge Benhayon.
Thank you Joel, and yes indeed it seems we are only living and using a small percentage of the true potential of our bodies, all that needs to be done by us is to be honest of how we have made choices in life at the expense of the body and that it is not it and simply choose to connect and honour what our bodies are constantly communicating to us.
Very true Joel, if our body would be our company we would look more after it I guess.
Way too often we ignore the little signs of our body and think it will go away,but they keep coming back and from there we have developed a way or I better say many ways to deal with the hurts.
Yes Joel, there is always something that needs to be done and we take that as an excuse to abuse our body. “I had to do something tonight so I will have take away for dinner instead of a proper meal” or “I am tired and I have so much work to do, I need a coffee to get me through” these are just excuses. There is nothing that will help you through a busy time like a healthy lifestyle.
“There is nothing that will help you through a busy time like a healthy lifestyle”. This is true Bernard, but then if one has a ‘healthy lifestyle’ meaning a life lived in love and connection, one would never feel ‘busy’ as life would flow as it is impulsed to be!
Pushing through to meet deadlines. This is so ingrained in me. I am still looking at this one. It’s like a script enters my head the moment I engage with my day that says ‘you will feel great about yourself if you finish everything on that list by 4pm today’. So really I am saying that I am not enough already and that by completing an unrealistic to do list, I will then be enough. And so, the nervous energy begins and so too do the cravings for something to take it away and not to feel it – eating something comforting and sweet, some activity or distraction.
Bringing my steadiness to my day, being present to every moment and getting on with what needs to be done is all that is required. Being vigilant to when that script enters and replacing it with ‘I will remain present to what is required, including taking a break to be with my body if I need to, and see where I get to by 4pm today. And that will be enough.’
Great analogy Joel. It puts our choices into perspective seeing it in this light.
I am reminded of the power of Esoteric Healing and all the amazing Esoteric modalities because they bring the body into the energy of fire. Once this energy is felt and we then look at the way we are driving the body, slowly the choice becomes very clear and we stop overriding it. Trying to make the change from a logical understanding doesn’t work. For me, it is only when I feel the fire in my body do I then have what it takes to change.
So many of us live like we have another body to go to when this one wears out. It doesn’t seem very wise.
Another awesome blog, Joel. I wince when you describe the all too common tendency to ‘push through’ regardless of what the body is screaming to us. The serious effects of abusing our bodies to such a degree is something we need to be reminded of again and again until we get it, as this would change the world as we know it.
Every day I am understanding more and more just how important the relationship with my body actually is. I am becoming a great CEO of me day by day!
Joel Levine, you are simply divine, just you introducing the analogy of the body being like a corporate it said it all about how we treat our bodies, some of us treat objects much better than our bodies, our homes, how we build our homes, furnish, what we allow, our cars, our clothes etc…but it is through our bodies we achieve these objects in our lives and more so, it is our bodies that determine our quality of life..one of wellbeing and vitality or one of illness, disease, discomfort, and the list goes on.
Great blog Joel. Could what we do to our bodies be (another) the definition of insanity?
I love the way you have presented this Joel and have really sent home the message of not ignoring the body but respecting how the body loves and cares for itself and responding accordingly.
Joel Levin, I love everything you write. This analogy is super-powerful as the ridiculous way we run our bodies needs to be illustrated again and again. We cry out against all sorts of things, but often do not stop to listen to what our body is crying out to us. It sends us messages all the time, before it gets to the crying stage, so learning to listen is therefore wise.
So true Joel,- ‘It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look. We seem to abuse, push, and or suppress the wealth of information that our body provides day in day out. We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.’ – we give our body and ourselves a hard time when we ignore and override the messages it gives.
Many of us take for granted our bodies and do not consider the extra load we often put on it during the course of a day. We then wonder why we are tired and reach for sugar or coffee to keep us going, thus causing more harm to our bodies. We need to learn to listen to our body and take care of it accordingly. Our body will appreciate this heaps and in return will give us great health and well-being.
Simple and beautiful Marylouisemyers, much like Joel’s writing.
I agree Mary-louise, and it isn’t always what we take on physically that can be exhausting, it can also be all the drama we have in our lives, or when we get upset or angry on a daily basis. This emotional drain can be just as exhausting.
It’s amazing when we consider exactly how much and how often we ‘do’ take our bodies for granted, that it actually often continues to function in the way it does… This is of course no excuse to be irresponsible with our choices, but does to me highlight the amazing science the body is, always in wanting to return to optimum health, and with illness and disease being the body’s natural way of clearing the body of what does not naturally belong.
“Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?” I so know this one and see it around me every day. People perceive needing to take a rest as a weakness and instead drive themselves on, consuming large amounts of caffeine and sugary substances to enable them to get through their day. “If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” I agree.
You have started a great conversation about the crazy way we treat our bodies. I was just thinking yesterday as our students received chocolates and sweets to celebrate the end of year, how crazy it is to celebrate by poisoning our delicate systems. Same goes for celebrating with champagne, gorging ourselves at Christmas time etc. The ‘only a little bit of poison’ argument also just doesn’t make sense. I feel the ‘everything in moderation’ belief goes hand in hand with this, which allows us to justify eating and drinking things we know harm us.
It is crazy – we don’t poison our cars because we need them to perform, why then do we poison our body and being in the way we do and then wonder why it fails us?
It sure is crazy Helen. It’s like we value the things that have greater monetary value and yet our bodies are priceless and irreplaceable … and we are quite willing to go to town on them!
Joel I love your writing, it really gets you to feel. It is so true if we just stopped and listened to our body we would get to know so much more about ourselves. We have been caught up in ignoring the signs and signals our body is giving us, hence the increase in ill health in the world. Bringing it back to simplicity and just stopping and listening to what our body is saying, is the start to self healing and responsibility.
Absolutely agree Amita. Taking the time to actually stop and listen to the messages that our body is giving us will actually save us a lot of time in the future; time full of illness, disease and injury. Surely then the well being and health of our bodies is worth stopping for?
I love this analogy Joel. It makes me realise how many reflections we have – all giving us the same message: listen to, look after and love your body!
It hurts when I observe another abuse their body but it hurts even more when I abuse mine even if it appears not a big deal to many.
I feel the same Caroline, as I started living a more loving life, I felt, and do sometimes feel hurt by others disregard. And I see how what may seem small to others is abuse to me.
It does hurt to see another in abuse of their body. I live near a popular place to exercise outdoors and go to a nearby gym, here I often see ways of walking, running, weight lifting and general movements that are abrasive, jarring, strenuous and can cause injury. Sometimes I can observe and other times it hurts so much to see this I have to look away.
It is so true; we are the first to complain about our workplace, the first to blame another for our misfortune yet when it comes to how we treat our bodies, we simply don’t want to know. We are so in denial of the way we treat our bodies.
It’s a good point Caroline – we can be quick to bemoan others for how they treat us whilst denying how we are with ourselves and the impact this has on everything we do!
Love it Joel… so true! It makes me realise that if we were actually responsible for the cost of repairing the untold damage we cause to our own bodies, we would also receive the same wake-up call you are suggesting is in order. The Medicare system currently carries that responsibility for us, allowing the reckless abuse of ourselves to continue unabated.
How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing? This question alone is a whole new blog…. I have done this, not once, not twice, but hundreds of times, as I am sure others have too….why do we repeat the same abusive behaviours? It is really simple, when the ingrained pattern is to self abuse, it becomes normal, and thus I kept choosing the same old – going round and round in circles… thankfully I got off that merry go round (not so merry) when I met Serge Benhayon who presented truth which my body felt immediately. And I am stil clearing that old behaviour and abuse from my body, and the more I clear, the deeper my connection is with my body, and the more love I return too.
I too have seen and have had personal experience of being totally focused on a deadline that I have forfeited my normal routine and have often missed other important things like once I forgot to eat because I had become so entranced in the work.
As always Joel, I love your way of seeing things and found this piece of business news make perfect sense :0)
I agree Joel, there are situations in workplaces that are poisoning its staff. Yet the responsibility of each person is required, like you mentioned. Is it not that the choices taken on a daily level are representing how our life, our emotional and physical wellbeing is in general ?
And so the question that I ask myself is how could I have done everything that I once did to my body? And the answer that comes back is avoidance. Constant avoidance of feeling the muck (all the emotions/beliefs/ideals and hurts I have taken on) that I had buried deep within my body. It feels that once the muck gets buried then I go into automatic pilot to not feel it. Surely then a preventative measure is to not to take on or bury the muck in the first place ? The solution then is education and awareness to support me to know that muck is coming my way, recognise it, and know that in that moment I have a choice to either see the muck as separate from myself – and therefore it can only come in if I choose to allow it. Once I’ve allowed it in, then I need to get it out straight away or it can fester inside me and lead to all manner of ways in order for me to not feel it’s heaviness in my body. Choice, choice, choice.
It is true that Humanity has been robbed of much needed awareness about the Truth of Energy – thank God for Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for bringing to us great wisdom, revelation and simple tools for us to heal our ill patterns and momentums.
Indeed Deborah…thank God for Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine who make life all about people, and who are so willing to share Truth equally with everyone.
So true Joel, there is no match for the intricate and refined intelligence that the body offers us
Yes I agree with what you wrote at the end Joel that our bodies have a high level of productivity and in fact we are made to work and can be vital for long hours. The issue is the fuel we put in our bodies – like trying to drive a car on coca cola – wouldn’t go very far. We poison our bodies not only with what we ingest, but also with emotions and the choice of energy we operate under. This is of course a reflection of how we run our lives across the board so it also applies in the workplace and in our relationships. We just don’t always notice because we judge things in a comparative way so we say we are well when we are little less sick than others.
a great insight Nicola. We really do exhaust and drain ourselves when we take on emotions and other people’s stuff, which is something I’m still learning not to do. I’ve also been realising how much something that is unresolved in our bodies, a hurt from the past, something that is not actually us, also drains us of our energy.
Along the same lines Katerina, is starting to notice how much we are feeling all of the time as well as noticing what is ours and what is not. It shows me two things – that if I am not fully present I can absorb and take on but also that we really do live in a sea of energy, we are all inter-connected with each other, impacting and influencing each other far more than we realise. For example this morning I was lying in bed when someone turned on the car ignition across the street, I felt this ripple down through my body and my stomach. I am not sure that I could have stopped myself from feeling this energy – or perhaps it did not have to move through my body, I am not sure – but I could have not noticed it all, or I could have been so fully present that I could have described the energy that the car had been turned on in and who knows what else.
Absolutely Nicola, your appraisal of how we live is spot on. Judgment of any kind keeps us in the mind, which is the ultimate receiver of our poisonous thoughts! On the merry-go-round of ‘see the trees from the forest’, our thoughts poison us long before the coca cola has a chance to take hold!
Thank you Joel, this is incredible. It is a great analogy for everyone to connect to, to expose exactly what we do and the ridiculousness of how we treat our bodies at times… (Or all the time). What a way to question whether what we are doing is supporting the function, vitality and true productivity of our bodies (and our business). Thank you yet again!
Once again another fantastic analogy from you Joel. Your ability to make truth so relevant to our lives and expose the crazy way in which we live in our bodies is superb. How cold anyone not sit up and take notice of their bodies after reading this?!
Very true Penny – our bodies hold all the wisdom and intelligence we will ever need and despite that I have seen the devastating ways in which people violate their own bodies. Its like slowly poisoning the body over many years. There is no match to the LOVE that the body holds within when we connect to it.
‘Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.’ What a great opening line Joel. Really made me ponder on how ridiculous it is to continually knowingly poison ourselves with foods we know are bad for us.
I agree Jane – that opening line was a cracker! It really made me stop and contemplate what we do to ourselves – it feels like it should be illegal!
Yes, the opening line of this blog is a cracker!! It really brought me to a complete stop too Donna and consider the body from a deeper perspective.
Thank you Joel and Jane, I agree, what a great opening line, maybe we could sack all the companies that let us live with such a system? The truth as presented by Serge Benhayon, provides the space for humanity to feel into why this type of energy is allowed to persist not only persist but also flourish. Could it be that the way we live and eat is supporting the poisoning of our mind allowing our bodies to be then poisoned in the way we eat? Taking responsibility for all our choices started with my food has been my way forward to stop the poisoning thoughts without any sackings, just a gradual refinement. Allowing my body to feel the poisonous foods and their interaction with my body were the first baby steps in changing the way I treated myself. My body being less polluted then allows me to have thoughts that can start to be more self-loving and self-nurturing as presented by Serge Benhayon, thus I am reversing the global trend towards mass destruction caused by being run by a company that poisons the body!
Your blog has been SO provocative, Joel, I just love it. It’s given me the opportunity to look at how I am treating my body on a whole new level, there is nowhere to hide. My CEO seems to feel like she can ‘get away’ with a little bit of abuse here and there because the consequences aren’t severe enough, she gives herself a pretty harsh talking to and feels repentant for a while, then continues on her merry way. That’s not an inspiring reflection of my relationship with myself. Not only that, whilst I’m allowing any abuse in my body, I am not only feeling that myself, but bringing it to everyone else I come into contact with, I hadn’t allowed myself to consider this, quite so clearly, before.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful for every person doing their MBA to study a chapter or do a project with this as the subject matter?
Wow, what a great way to look at it. The different parts of my body’s are the staff, who I ignore and continue to treat the same way. Personal abuse seems so acceptable but we react strongly to the abuse of others, yet to truly eliminate all forms of abuse we must start by eradicating it from ourselves. Thanks for the support to see it in a new way.
I totally agree Melinda – for some bizarre reason we can so easily turn a blind eye to the abuse we inflict on ourselves – of course it makes sense that we cannot truly address the abuse around us UNTIL we address the abuse we inflict on ourselves – as you so succinctly put it – “…to truly eliminate all forms of abuse we must start by eradicating it from ourselves.”
This is an awesome blog Joel – you have cut straight through the ridiculousness of how we treat our bodies, and the senselessness of this. Our bodies live with the consequences of our every choice and they are so tolerant of this behaviour – always finding a way to compensate for our lack of loving care until there comes a point where the body says ‘you haven’t been listening all these years so here is a stop!’ and it is only then we listen. How much simpler and easier would our lives be if we weren’t constantly over-riding our bodies but listening and taking notice of every little message our body offers.
Brilliant Joel. We certainly have as a society accepted a level of abuse of bodies that is deemed as OK or ’normal’. However through being honest with myself, which was initially quiet challenging, I have indeed discovered what a gift our bodies are. When we choose to pay attention to what is being presented we can discover that our bodies are always reflecting how we are living. And with this always offering us the opportunity to re-tune and refine our way of living, so that we can live with more truth and harmony in our lives and with others.
Joel, I love the way you write! I know in the past I used to get frustrated at my body when it became ill. I would take all sorts of medication to fix it so I could go back to how I was living until I became ill again. In the last few years, with Universal Medicine, I have learnt that my body is amazing and is giving me the most awesome messages everyday. Now if I get sick (which happens very rarely these days) I take the opportunity to listen to what my body is telling me and appreciate the lesson. It is then my choice and responsibility to make changes in my life to support me and my body to not have to tell me again.
Joel, you have just taken our connection to our bodies to a whole other level of commitment, self responsibility, truth and honesty and it makes me feel quite exposed!
I am really appreciating your very deeply connecting and often exposing sharings on this blog site-thank you.
Yes Anne, i agree, ‘….you have just taken our connection to our bodies to a whole other level of commitment….responsibility’ This responsibility to how we live with our bodies is a game changer, just like walking into a company and taking responsibility for its function but more so the quality of the company, which brings so much more.
I know I ignored my body for many years, and it was speaking very clearly and I still managed to ignore it “…how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us?” Why did I ignore it? I did not feel enough love fro myself, I would sabotage my self and yet all the time my body was sharing information that if I listened to it would have been deeply supportive. I listen to my body now, I work with what it shares, do I have a sore neck, tired eyes, bruises, sore stomach, these all tell me something about how I have been living and how I can offer myself more care and support.
I too have ignored my body big time. As I reflect I realise my body was constantly communicating with me and I kept ignoring it until there came a time when I had to stop and listen to it. It took me some time to accept the choices that I had made up until that point was my own doing. Today I am much more aware of my body. I have a lot more respect for my body than I have ever done and as I pay more attention to it and how it is feeling, my body responds in many ways especially in my increased energy levels.
Today this line struck me “often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us”. That is so true, I often hear people (and myself) getting angry/annoyed when the body is not doing what we/I tell it. Yet we can treat it with such disregard is it no wonder that it says at some point – enough! I’ve sent you enough signals but you did not listen so here’s a big one (accident, illness etc…). I was tired the other day and found myself getting annoyed at my body that it was tired and not performing how I wanted it to but really I did not want to take responsibility as to how I had been living that had made it tired…easier to resent the body and not the driver. Great article Joel. Thank you.
Very true sarahflenley, if we don’t want to take responsibility it is much “easier to resent the body and not the driver”.
I’m feeling there has been too much ‘comfort’ taking the easy option, quick fixes …. time to start taking more responsibility and question what is really going on for me when I’m feeling tired and am reaching for something sweet. That is a big stop moment for me to feel into what will truly support me, not what will make me feel better for a second, but then a lot worse for hours later.
We often hear people talking about the state of the world and how we need to change. Joel it seems that you have given us an answer as to where to start with that and that is that it begins with listening to our own bodies and acting upon what they are telling us. One small step for us, one giant step for humanity.
Elizabeth, I love this – ‘One small step for us, one giant step for humanity.’
Brilliant analogy Joel. If my body was a company first of all I would sack my mind for all those wayward choices it had made to disregard my body! And then I would give my body a day off to celebrate the fact that it has continued to support me despite me taking it for granted. It’s a wonder I still have a company left. I am just beginning to realise just HOW amazing my body truly is and to all those little particles, I say thank you.
Sacking the mind is a great start, its like those employee owned companies that become the workers and the shareholders…everyone wins.
Joel, after reading your blog I have put my personal ‘body corporate’ on notice. I cannot vote it out, but I can support it to continue to deepen the level of self-love and self-care it is willing to accept and no longer ignore the messages my body is giving me.
Anne my ‘body corporate’ is on notice also, there are a few things to weed out to also deepen the level of love. To have an amazing clear body to allow more love in, some changes need to be made.
‘I have put my personal ‘body corporate’ on notice.’ I like it Anne, we need to stay aware of what the body corporate is doing, and guide it in the loving direction, like everything in life, awareness is the key.
Looking outside of us for mistakes, injustice, corruption, abuse and betrayal and feeling as victims of such ill behaviours and then expecting and demanding of the person responsible to change and make improvements seems to come easy to us, but to be honest with ourselves and impose the same standards to our personal choices and lifestyle is a totally different number – it shakes our dearly beloved comfort.
Great point Alex, the changes we seek on the macro level begin with the micro- our daily choices right in front of us for which only we are responsible. Once we start to see the part we play in these seemingly small daily choices contributing to the greater whole – as well as our own quality of life – then we have game change.
I love your analogy with the coporate world Joel, and what you have claimed is true. If we were to listen to, and honour our body rather than abuse it, we would find it “… has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any coporate CEO’s output.”
‘If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble! Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.’ It is ridiculous and true, the way we treat our bodies is very far from how we should treat it by listening and treating the body with utmost respect, care and love. And we call ourselves intelligent? Our cars get the right fuel, do we?
Our body is such a support, showing us so clearly where we are truly at.
It is Michael, our bodies are an absolute marker of truth, a culmination of all of our choices. When I think of the love and care given to babies, the focus on not allowing them to have anything that will cause them any harm, it’s interesting how when we are older and we know there are things we’re doing or ingesting which are harmful to our bodies, yet we do them anyway, because we think we can get away with it. In fact, how often have there been things that we’ve asked other people to do, or not to do, that we’ve failed to do ourselves? No wonder they don’t listen.
“How often have there been things that we’ve asked other people to do, or not to do, that we’ve failed to do ourselves?” So true Alison, and I have been guilty of that – we sometimes find it easier to focus on telling others what to do and neglect to do the same for ourselves. How much more loving would it be to focus on our self first so that others get the reflection of our loving choices?
There are some great reflections to be had here. When I pull my business (me) apart, there is a little work to be done, time for another spring clean.
Joel this is a brilliant blog and something for everyone to deeply contemplate. If a company had been treating their staff the way most people consistently treat their bodies, the company would no doubt have been shut down by the authorities.
I agree, Eva, not only closed down, but ridiculed and held in great judgment for it’s appalling and inhumane behaviour. Very humbling to consider this when, and if, we are feeling any judgment towards things that are going on around us.
I suspect many companies do treat their staff the same way they treat their bodies as you cannot separate one area of your life and companies are run by people. If you do not treat yourself well, you can’t treat others well and so the way we treat our bodies is a reflection of how we are in all areas of life including how we treat the planet. This abuse has become so normal that most people would not call it abusive to their bodies to be emotional or eat sugar just as we are not clocking how much corruption and abuse goes on in the workplace and other parts of our one life with both ourselves and others.
Thank you Nicola, I could not agree more – this is a constant merrygoround in all areas of life, no area can be separated. The corruption is thick and deep and most people are part of it. My point was however that if a company was openly bullying and criticising all their empolyees the way we consistently do to ourselves, they may be in severe trouble according to the society’s regulations.
Yes excellent point Eva. One of the ways we get away with abusing, criticising and bullying ourselves is by doing it deceptively under the name of being good or right or because everyone else does or because we call it “normal” or for a myriad of such reasons. If people were honest and called things for what they truly are it would be a very different matter and yes imagine if we said out loud to other people some of the things we say to ourselves- what sort of reaction we would get?
The message is very simple — “Listen to your Body”.
Yes it is. Take the keys from the mind and hand them back to the body!
Great Helen! When the body is in charge, with keys and all, the mind is much more productive anyway:)
That is so true Joel, We seem to care for our bodies when we are sick and go back to the old ways when we feel better. Our bodies are like a high performance car that can only operate properly and efficiently with high performance fuel. If we owned a car like this we would only use the best fuel, why don’t we do this constantly with our bodies?
Oh yes Joel, your Blog let’s me ask myself “who am I feeding?”. And what do I allow to be in the first line of life – possibly with a deadline? How good do I know my “colleagues”? How is our relationship in regards to the bigger purpose of the company? Who is the boss? And with which agenda does he act? Very interesting picture to ponder on. Thank you.
Nailed it Joel Levin, the body in my case is still shoved and pushed through the inevitable recognition mill to get things done – to get ahead…Doesn’t ever work – and my body dutifully does what it’s told until it can handle no more. Then splat. It hurts; I am irritable and cranky. When I change this and choose taking care of me over anything else – it flows my body talks clearly I listen and we work together – no body corporate tyrants anywhere to be seen.
When we say yes to honouring the truth of who we are our bodies can clear what is not and be open to housing it’s own and inherent universal wisdom.
Gosh, it’s so true Joel. I am actually amazed with how much poison our body puts up with and ‘tolerates’ before the big warning sirens start to blare. Of course there are the more subtle messages of caution before this, but do we listen to those and change how we are living based on the subtleties?
I love this analogy Joel – my body corporate has a foundation of harmony and if I make a choice to disrupt the status quo within the body corp, it goes bonkers! We are all learning to work in union together.
Thanks Joel a great analogy and a great wake up call.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” I’ve yet to live this way, but I can feel that it isn’t far off. The rhythm has to be committed to fully. Not 99%, but 100%
My my body speaks to me loudly every single day. Do I always listen? No I don’t. But if there is one thing I intend on mastering in my life it is that, to listen to my body and act on it as my first response, and not as an afterthought.
Making light of a dead serious situation is definitely your natural expression Joel. You have captured amazingly the absurdity of how we use and abuse our bodies, when our body is our greatest intelligence.
I just felt my factory Joel.. and gave my staff a free day… ok, half a one… 🙂
How we interfere with our own body’s intelligence and disregard its message and make abusive choices, and how we keep doing it – is just astounding. Very poor performance as a company, and I would certainly want to walk out if I was a member of staff, but none of my body parts does that: they just keep speaking to me in various ways and volumes until I get it. Feeling into my sore right arm, I am filled with deep appreciation and remorse.
I laughed out loud at the first 2 lines of this Joel – funny yes, but also so revealing and exposing that the absolute insanity in the way we treat our bodies is impossible to ignore. Your analogy is powerful and relatable – you do us all a great service. Your line, ‘It would seem that we as humans have body issues beyond how we look.’ is very poignant and is a fact that we would all do well to ponder on deeply. I have been a hard driver of my body, putting the demands and needs of others before myself often to the point of complete exhaustion. If I was CEO of a company I was running like that I would probably have been fired for abusing my team. It’s a sobering thought and a very big wake up call. Thank you Joel.
A great message and reminder Joel beautifully written and expressed.
It is a powerful analogy that you have used highlighting the importance of self responsibility.
“Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us”? Indeed how often do we ignore the messages; less so now Joel after reading your blog.
Indeed Joel there would be a lot more stake at hand if we were to treat our bodies with the same level of what we consider acceptable if we were to model it on what we expect companies to have for there employees. That level of responsibility that we know we are worth and are happy to ask this of others but not ourselves. This does show just how far way we are from living with the Self-Worth and Self-Love that we all know is possible but allow ourselves to run a race so very far away from the truth.
Very well said, I have often thought the same thing, that if the human race was a company we would be in a very bad way, with the levels of illness and disease, exhaustion and disharmony between people – one department can’t get along with another, people within the same department won’t talk to each other – and yet as a society we seem to consider that its okay for people to live like this.
What a great blog Joel – again! You write in such a way that makes such sense and leaves no where to hide. It starts with us. Overloading and disregarding and pushing ourselves too hard – a tyrant of a CEO we can be. I just was overeating reading this blog. Step away from the macadamias!
Joel, another fantastic piece of writing. It has instantly made me stop, as I know even sometimes seemingly small things make these dramatic differences that in truth are not acceptable. Put to company accountability tests, they would fail….and yet I accept this for myself. Shows me again, how important to step out of self and see the bigger picture.
There are so many things in this blog that highlight the way we treat our bodies and how it doesn’t make sense at all if we were to look at our bodies as if they were a company. “How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking? Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” this is great, the whole blog is fantastic really.
Totally Inspirational Joel. Our body is indeed like a company and its made of many cells, which are like workers. We don’t like to be abused at work, and those cells are us! So living in the way that our body best works is going to be very harmonious and productive.
A company has rebels that stand up for their rights. There are unions where they formate together to speak up. So does the body. In pain, illness or any kind of “talking” to us. It is on us to listen to the “workers” and face the synergy of the all needed to work together.
Joel, you wrote: ‘There is often outcry over the way some companies ignore the concerns and wishes of the people who work for them and the place they operate.’ Is this, I wonder simply a reflection of how we are treating ourselves and that, when we create a more loving relationship with ourselves, listening to and honouring our own needs, we will feel more love within the organisations we work for? I have certainly found that – colleagues may complain about being ignored, or not listened to, and yet I find that, as I listen more to my own body, so my bosses listen to me, and try to fit in with what I need – it’s an interesting parallel.
I love this Carmel. More confirmation that what we bring to ourselves, reflects back at us in everything we do. I see you also meeting your bosses as an equal, speaking with clarity and they, feeling your truth and authenticity, respond in kind.
Looking back at a time when I heavily abused my body, it is to feel how much my body could actually handle. Long nights without sleep, alcohol, heavy sports. It never “broke down”. And when it started to yell and told me to stop, I didn’t listen. And then I was stopped by a heavy car accident where I nearly died. Looking at it today I can only say how important it is to listen to my body. It is the most precious gift I have.
“The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.” So true Joel, something we yet need to tap into.
I love this line “The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output”. A few years ago I simply would not have believed that was possible but the more I listen to my body and also witness others doing it the more I know how true it is.
I agree, Elizabeth. I have found that the more I commit to my livingness, time expands around me. I had all these perceptions about how much time I could work in a day, not being able to get up too early as I would be too tired at the end of the day. It was all just an illusion to keep me small and contracted. We are so much more capable than we give ourselves credit for and our bodies hold the key to us sharing this amazingness, within us all, if we choose to listen.
What a brilliant analogy once again Joel Levin. How crazy is it, that we deny our bodies, that serve us so well, a respectful and loving treatment. All of that we then bring to our families, our schools, our work, our companies and clubs. We are the foundation of everything in this life, we should really pay attention to the quality WE are in before doing or saying anything.
Funny how we can get very worked up if our employers don’t treat us fairly and with respect while we ourselves are so often not giving that same respect and quality of care to ourselves.
This is a great analogy Joel, and when you put it like that, it’s crazy that we live, work and enjoy life at the expense of our bodies. A CEO would never poison their staff, so why do we poison our bodies? It makes absolutely no sense, yet it is considered totally normal in society.
‘As owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?’ Great reflection, Joel and one I know well. Thank you for inspiring me to look at myself more deeply. For sure this CEO is a little inconsistent, doesn’t always look after her staff or walk the talk. Very exposing.
I see and hear this all the time Joel, it is very common, ‘How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’ I did this for many years, I used to push my body to stay up late to complete work ignoring the obvious signs of disharmony from my body, such as; red bloodshot eyes, aching back and shoulders. I would be in pain but would have the work in on time, this felt awful and would take a long time to recover from and so I am learning to ask my work for extra time so that I will not have to cram work in and I’m also learning to listen to my body and to stop when it is in pain.
If we were a company we would have to adhere to the heath and safety procedure so maybe if we had the same in place for our own ‘company’ (body) the health of humanity would change and the end of year accounts (rates of illness and disease) would reflect this !! 🙂
We desperately need to be honest with our selves and each other about what we are doing to our bodies, especially that treat factor, that is actually poisoning our body -just a little bit – however, these 3 examples – caffeine, alcohol and sugar, and generally everyday treats for a lot of people, so how does that little bit of poison play out after 10, 20, 30, 60 years of consumption? Looking around at the state of our health and wellbeing today, how clever is that little treat?
Great analogy Joel and perhaps the reason we have larger scale corruption and exploitation on a company, country or world scale is because the foundation of our relationship with our own bodies is already one of corruption and exploitation? If we do not choose how to look after ourselves properly then how can we fully look after others?
That’s a significant point to make Andrew; how we are with ourselves affects everyone and everything in the world.
It is truly remarkable how much we abuse our bodies and yet how amazing it is to withstand this abuse for as long as it does. In some ways its resourcefulness is our undoing as it enables us to take it for granted until it is often too late to address the harm we have done to it. The need then to take notice before that occurs is vital and this blog is a great wake up call.
For years I gave myself so called treats that were clearly bad for me, like on my birthday getting even more drunk and wasted than I usually did. Waking up the day after my birthday now with a clear head and feeling great is the new treat. Thanks Joel, like always this is a beauty.
Well said Kevmchardy, the true test of a ‘treat’ is how, in truth, we feel afterwards. If it has left us feeling less of who we are, it is most certainly not a treat, rather a poison.
Love the analogy Joel and it really hit home how often I have complained in the past that management weren’t listening to the workforce when they tried to communicate sensible suggestions to improve productivity but how often have I ignored the messages from my body until it has forced me stop and how often I have repeated the same patterns of abuse and resented my body for not complying without complaint. Greater level of self responsibility being called for – am I up to the job?
So very true Joel. For me it feels like everything is feeding (pun intended) the next unhealthy choice. The work load and momentum people are choosing to operate under feeds into the exhaustion that feeds into the caffeine/food choices that then feeds into many unloving choices and so on. While everything is a choice, life has been set up for the quick fix or the quick unhealthy meal. Every corner has a fast food place built on it or a bottle shop and where ever we go shopping or fill up with fuel there is a constant temptation to consume food and drink that isn’t good for our bodies. Students I teach are constantly consuming junk food as their complete lunch or eating a block of chocolate each break time. This is seen as the norm and when I suggest to them that those foods aren’t healthy they are aware of this but because its ‘yummy’ and they feel they only live once, they say they don’t care. This attitude to not respect and nurture the body we are in is going to have grave consequences on people’s mental health, self esteem, physical health and plethora of impacts from choosing to poison the body.
Great blog Joel. You provide a refreshing take on the body. Many of us listen to gossip, the media, advertising and lots of things out there, but not our own bodies which delivers much more truth. I can relate to poisoning me at times with foods or quantities of food that don’t support me and this is a sad fact but one that I can thankfully choose what will run my body (corporate).
Great blog Joel…and the irony is we treat our bodies in this unloving way and then take that lack of love and care to our workplace and to our job, inevitably affecting all those around us. It only takes one person to take responsibility and to stand up and say, ‘hey this isn’t ok – lets do this differently’ for positive change to start filtering through all levels of the body corporate! And one such person is Serge Benhayon…
Fabulous blog Joel. This powerful analogy sure shows that we live in a compartmentalised fashion. We demand one thing from a corporation and then do exactly what we object to on our own bodies. That is very clear. It is an extremely irresponsible way to live and we are gradually coming to know this, and the extent to which we have fallen into this ill way of living and treating our bodies. ‘Feel our body and live, care for our body and listen to its feedback’ has turned out to be the true way of living. If we attend to our body’s true needs first then our body corporates will also look like and be run somewhat differently.
Love what you say Lyndy Summerhaze – “We demand one thing from a corporation and then do exactly what we object to on our own bodies”, I would also add to this that for many of us ‘We demand one thing from a corporation that we are not prepared to first give ourselves’ – in other words we have an expectation (as in, employee benefits) that corporations are to cover our wellbeing and health costs…and yet how far are we prepared to look after our bodies through wise choice to make a ‘deep care’ central to our lifestyle, and thus how we work.
When I read this blog, I really feel deeply, how many excuses and justifications we have for our abusive and disregarding behavior. “just a little bit”, “tomorrow I will eat much less”, “it’s half past ten and I am still awake but I HAD TO DO this today”, “I can’t focus on everything”, “I know, BUT…”, “it doesn’t matter”… but it DOES MATTER. Everything matters! But we want to stay in comfort and let this poison our body…
Would anyone of us put loads of dirt and mud into his/her car?
Or the wrong type of gas?
No, because we want to go somewhere with this car!
But with the body we can do that…. no problem…(?!?!)
Sorry for getting sarcastic here but it seems as if we keep our cars cleaner than our bodies…
I agree Evamariafoertsch, the excuses and justifications are a dishonest way to look at our lifestyle. As soon as we compromise what we know is true for us it is easy to make another unloving choice and it leads to a familiar downward spiral. Conversely if we stand firm, and bring more love into our lifestyle, it is easier to continue to do so, this way for me I am much more productive.
I agree Evamaria, it does not make sense that we can choose to abuse our bodies just because we know we can get it fixed if it starts to break down, only until something can no longer be repaired.
Yes, until something can no longer be repaired… I made this hard experience already in the age of 16 when I had a bad accident as the end result of being in absolute disregard of my body. And after this big teaching I went into disregard again because I was so angry and depressive about being disabled that my body did not matter to me anymore. It took me many years to accept this big teaching in my life and to let go of my patterns of self abuse.
Wow Joel what a powerful analogy to expose how in fact we can choose day in day out to run our bodies. We would be up in arms and completely quitting our jobs if our workplaces treated us the way we treat ourselves at times. I could just imagine the workplace gossip now – ‘did you hear what she asked her to do?!’… ‘Work none stop, don’t eat a nutritious lunch, sit hunched in your chair and drink or eat whatever you need to, to keep going!’. Wholly molly this Body Corporate needs some loving. Thanks Joel, much to ponder on.
I agree Aimee, being treated that way would be completely not okay for most people if someone else was to do it to them, but to do it to themselves is completely fine – but why is that? Why are we happy to abuse ourselves to such a point where many people are killing themselves with what they chose to eat and drink.
The way you describe this issue is truly fabulous Joel and there is a relation between the two, that is for sure. Why would we allow ourselves to be abused in a company when we would not allow that in our own lives. It feels that we just bring our abusive behaviours to our workplaces where it then magnifies because of the numbers. But what an opportunity for all of us if we start choosing to make loving choices for our bodies and take that with us into the companies we work in. That would be amazing and then this loveliness will be magnified and result in a new way of running a business. Awesome perspective.
And can you imagine how successful that business may well become? Not success in making lots of money, but a success that sees its’ employees loving their work, turning up in time, being focused, playful and loving to themselves and each other both at work and at home.
Absolutely Suzanne, enriched all ways, with an amazing ripple effect.
It is amazing what this brings Suzanne, feels like working in brotherhood will be our future.
What a great link you’ve made here Nico ‘if we start choosing to make loving choices for our bodies and take that with us into the companies we work in. That would be amazing and then this loveliness will be magnified and result in a new way of running a business’.
It’s lovely what you have written here Kehinde2012 and Nico. I see and feel more and more how are bodies hold the key.
I love how the level of abuse we level at ourselves so carelessly has been outed in this blog. As suggested there would be an outcry in a company if management were to purposely and explicitly operate within the realms of what we do to ourselves making it part of its mandate, and yet when we abuse ourselves by pushing too hard, indulging in foods and substances that are bad for us we do not think twice about it.
That is the only true way, obviously. So time to take personal responsibility for our own and in consequence the wellbeing of all. We have an impact on everyone around us anyway, either a loving or a harming, so not a big-brainer what choice to make. Nevertheless, we need to leave behind the comfort we oh so hang on to.
Indeed Alex, there is the comfort again, as in many aspects of our lives. the comfort we are applying in all area’s of our lives in order to stay irresponsible and ignorant about the role we have to play in the world. we as the Student of Universal Medicine we have the ability and the responsibility to share that what we live with the world. Ignoring this natural call is the abuse to ourselves and everybody that is affected by our choices.
This is a great way to expose the abuse we put our bodies through that would absolutely cause an uproar if done elsewhere. The fact is overriding and ignoring our bodies and the harm we do to it is the norm and only when the body is too loud to ignore do we attempt to listen and treat it well. As a result the world health is not looking good, except for those who are honouring what they feel and the wisdom their bodies are constantly reflecting to them in how to live and feel truly well.
Everything is everything Joel. Body or body corporate there is no difference and your sharing here has magnified the truth of this fact. We either reflect the truth or we don’t. The truth being everything that honours that love comes before function – in everything! Simple and the level of responsibility I am prepared to take this to reveals my commitment. Thank you.
I loved reading this and can so relate to poisoning my own company (my body). I would never dream of poisoning a company I worked for (my workplace) which highlights the absurdity of this whole set up.
Absolutely well put Sally, it does highlight the absurdity when considered in this way. I can’t imagine staying employed in any job if we brought these antics to our workplaces.
That’s right Sally. We would never poison a company or others, but we tend to poison ourselves quite easily at times. I say to my students would you poison a pet? They all say absolutely no. Then I ask them so why don’t you feel the same way about your own body. I’m often met with…but chocolate tastes yummy. If only we truly knew the harm some foods cause the body we would make more loving choices.
Very true Sally. When I consider how I used to poison my body with the copious amount of drugs and alcohol and food laden with sugar, I can’t believe I didn’t get sick. However the natural joy was not present, so for me there was a dis-ease if I’m totally honest. The obvious poisoning may have stopped but there is still a poison that I allow from time to time, whether it be taking on other people’s issues, over eating, holding back, being over emotional, holding myself less. The subtleties of not living who I truly am in a way has the same effect.
I agree Sally, it is absolutely absurd when we look with honesty and dig a bit deeper on what is truly going on.
Sally this is very true for me too. The care I’ve placed outside of myself is much higher than the care I’ve given myself. It’s a real game of playing “good” and of capping because without the true care of myself I’m always limited in any care I can offer the world as well.
I know; we’d never actually eat something that says poison on the label, yet we’ve all (most, perhaps not all) had a big night on the booze or enjoyed a “Happy Meal” and Coke…
Yes Sally it does ‘…highlight the absurdity of this whole set up.’ I see the obvious impact drug and alcohol abuse has on our bodies, the stress we put ourselves under, the foods we eat, not to give this body fuel, but for satisfying the taste buds, that never cease to be satisfied but crave for more stimulation…and on it goes…i’ve felt the impact this way of living has had on my own body…and on many, many others…its even in our statistics. However since i have been committing to treating my body as a company, the attention and care, my whole relationship with my body, is changing. It’s not perfect but it continues to develop and from this i have not just a well functioning company, but one with more love, there is a love that comes into the equation and this is supported to be lived, in taking care of the body this brings in the quality of love, and that comes into all areas of my life…changing my life.
I agree Sally – I would have said I would always work super hard for the company and place I work and wouldn’t dream of poisoning it, but with scant regard to blatant disregard for my own. And yet now I see that the disregard cannot be contained in my own body and it poisons not just myself, but everything I do, produce, and everyone I interact with, so my workplace and home all get affected. Understanding this brings a greater level of responsibility that I am stepping up to.
This analogy gives total responsibility back to the individual 100%. There is no room for blaming someone else here. We are the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), the CFO (Chief Financial Officer), senior manager, manager and ground floor worker wrapped up in one.
Agreed Matthew, any time there is no room to blame another or play the victim role for what is happening in our own lives, I’m pleased. We call so much of life just bad luck, or random and don’t know that there actually is a major part we all play in our own fitness for life, or company success or failure to be relevant here. Joel has given us food for thought, and this might just be the prefect article to go into our regular health and fitness newsletter at work.
Yes exactly Matthew – we make up every job role in our company, and what we forget is that the company’s task is to take care of our body, not damage or poison it!
So true Matthew, Joel has given us a great analogy and a clear understanding of how we have chosen to live our lives with so little responsibility for our choices and actions. It is time to reclaim our health, begin taking responsibility for the choices we make and listen to our body.
that’s right Matthew, and if we stop to appreciate the incredible power of the body to continue to restore and heal itself even when we put it through so much abuse, then we could begin also to support it through treating it a little more kindly. It is our responsibility alone how we treat ourselves and let ourselves be treated. So if we step up and take the job of CEO firmly in our hands, we can give a hundred percent support to the body to work its magic.
Having it summed up like that matthew brown, sure makes it very clear where the responsibility lies. It is no doubt that if we claim these positions in our lives and apply a loving authority and consistency to them, we will start to see change in our lives, very naturally so.
I recently attended an Esoteric Massage course with Universal Medicine and felt deeply honoured to work with the preciousness and delicacy of other people’s bodies with strict integrity and deep care. What I came to ponder on deeply for myself was the question of how on earth we could treat our bodies as anything less than the natural intelligence that they are. The more I experience myself and my own body ‘feeling everything’ that occurs to and around me, the more I deeply value this body that I have and the natural leadership it always holds for me.
What a beautiful relationship with your body cheriseholt – “The more I experience myself and my own body ‘feeling everything’ that occurs to and around me, the more I deeply value this body that I have and the natural leadership it always holds for me.” This is a great reminder of how our bodies can naturally lead the way, by making it very clear what supports us at any given time. It’s when we allow our minds to run the show that the natural leadership of the body is thwarted.
The mechanism and the amount of ignorance and then arrogance needed to override the very distinct and most sensitive knowing of the body is actually unfathomable but very normal for the way we live as a society. No wonder that for most of us it takes a crisis, illness or accident to be shaken in our ignorance and to stop the mind overriding the body – at least we get a moment to consider our choices. Re-connecting to and trusting our body is a choice, from there we can come back to the natural and very wise leadership of the body.
I so agree and Universal Medicine is providing a service that we as a human race have yet to deeply understand and appreciate. It is great that you are leading the way in this regard cheriseholt.
wow Cherise, that is totally powerful. “how on earth we could treat our bodies as anything less than the natural intelligence that they are” this makes us take a whole new approach to how we touch bodies and cary our own around. Anything thing that is not honouring of how precious the body is will cause harm.
I laughed out loud when I read this line Joel -“Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.” Laughed because it is so ridiculous, it would cause a huge outcry. And yet I know I have behaved in that way towards my body. When you put it like that, it stopped me in my tracks. This CEO needs to review its policies and put some better health regulations in place.
And there is absolutely no denying “If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.”
Joel, I enjoyed reading your great blog, and what sprang to mind was an interesting little scenario I experienced not long ago, when entering a newly opened ‘Health Food Shop’ in a large refurbished shopping mall, there was a large sign welcoming all the newcomers into this ‘Healthy Living’ shop “FREE COFFEE AVAILABLE” –
I had to chuckle (there’s that word ‘chuckle’) – and as I was greeted by a lovely young staff member offering same, I declined but lightly said that I didn’t know that coffee was a healthy food. “Aah yes!” she delightfully responded,..” coffee is healthy if taken in moderation.” “Is that so” I replied – “yes, coffee is actually good for you” …I chose to end the conversation there and continued to browse through the lentils, nuts and beans.
That’s funny Roberta – the dishonesty we run with to make something ‘healthy’ is ridiculous. Just like a glass of red is good for you. Much easier to believe what you are told or read than to seriously consider how it makes the body feel.
Even your title is awesome Joel – it speaks volumes so loud and clear! I want to sack my CEO right now – if only it were that simple! Just kidding – I know my CEO has huge potential and just requires my full support, commitment and love. Thank you for another very inspiring tool to add to my ‘way of the livingness’ toolbox.
‘Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?’ Great question, Joel. Seems we miss an opportunity to reflect on the true cause of illness and disease by being in a rush to return to our familiar lifestyle and comfortable way of being. Such stops are just that – a time to rethink the way we’ve been living and make adjustments in line with the body’s needs and preferences – and that can mean lifestyle changes too.
I agree Cathy – it is indeed interesting how ‘normal’ it is to go back to the same behaviour and do it all over again. Why is it that when we get bloated or get tummy ache from a certain food, we still make the choice to eat it again? Or to take to the more extreme, how many people have experienced a hangover and said that they would never drink again… only to find themselves repeating it the next weekend.
The comfort has deep roots as it cushions the undealt with issues and emotional pain we carry. A moment of regret for overeating, being bloated or having a hangover usually doesn´t match the inner turmoil we seek to bury, hence it is the unresolved issues that make us stick to the ‘habit’, i.e. the mechanism to distract from the root cause. And so the cycle goes.
The first 2 sentences say it all …. ‘If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.’
If we take that a little further, imagine a company that is trying to poison it’s clients or customers. Now that would seem ridiculous, but that is exactly what we do when we don’t look after ourselves – we poison ourselves and others all at the same time.
These are very high quality questions on the back of a great analogy: “Yet as owners of our bodies, how often do we ignore the messages our bodies are giving us? How often do we keep pushing our body to the point of ill health? How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?”
The irresponsibility with which people commonly treat their bodies is stupendous. The analogy of poisoning themselves little by little with bouts of binge poisoning is no exaggeration. People often say a little bit of what you like doesn’t do any harm, but this does not add up over time, if we look at the growing trends in the need for medication and in cancer, diabetes and other lifestyle related illness. There is surely a huge indictment in our current way of life, when people choose what they like, by what numbs them and reduces their sensitivity and intelligence to make loving choices in their lives.
Brilliant blog Joel, and again your writing is an undeniable reflection for everyone who reads it. There were some “ouch” moments while reading your blog, because I recognize how I still can push my body to just finishing this or doing something that needs to be done now even though I really feel tired and there will be no harm in doing it tomorrow. From now on I will have regular staff meetings with the workers of my body to see how we can improve their working environment.
I can relate as well Diane as I can still push my body, what a great idea to have a staff meeting to improve the work environment.
I like that Diana, having regular staff meetings with my organs, connective tissue, muscles, joints and let’s not forget my eyes, my ears, my nose and my lips. I am very sure that all of these parts would like to be treated with the utmost respect, gentleness and tenderness.
Absolutely and this is also a great way to appreciate each individual organ (staff member :)) for their contribution to the whole.
“…because I recognize how I still can push my body to just finishing this or doing something that needs to be done ….” I’ve just noticed I am doing this right now even though I am reading a blog about it! I am very thirsty but have been putting off going and getting some water because of wanting to finish writing this…….. OK, water now drunk! As I was doing that I reflected on Joel’s analogy and could feel how abusive it would be to deny a thirsty person water until they had finished the task they were doing. Thanks again Joel. Seeing my body as a corporation is a powerful tool to support me in developing deeper self-care and self-love.
Awesome Lucy how you have immediately put this understanding into action. Your staff members will be very pleased 🙂
love the playfulness of this ‘staff meetings with the workers of my body’ with only the soul as the CEO no corporate takes overs from loveless minds allowed a look in. My staff meeting is ready for a meeting right now which is a memo “if you can’t feel the expanse emanating from your heart, stop and feel it then continue”.
With the Soul as the CEO Vanessa, you got yourself an enterprise!
Fabulous blog Joel – and so true. What an analogy – amazing to see how one scenario we are in outcry and the other is entirely accepted and ignored, yet it is the foundation for everything.
‘The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’ – so why don’t we embrace this whole heartedly? Why do we hold back on living this in our fullness and feeling the glory of living heaven on earth? Have I become too comfortable in my life? Am I choosing to harbour my ‘hurts’ rather than deal with them? So many questions for me to now deeply ponder on.
What a big ouch Joel, realising the abuse we are willing to choose towards ourselves and yet, rightly so, we would not accept that abuse from our place of work. How ridiculous and very hypocritical this is.
Completely ridiculous Deidre and Joel has exposed it all beautifully.
The hypocrisy shows that when there is an individual need involved we are willing to poison ourselves. Perhaps this level of abuse towards ourselves is why abuse can seem to flourish around the world without being truly called out.
Exactly Tracy, for how can we truly call for an end to abuse we see around us when we continue to inflict our own “private” abuses upon ourselves?
Also showing how much we are focused on everything around us but how less we are connected to ourselves. Looking outside of us for salvation, happiness, love, distraction…, hence looking outside of us for trouble, problems, solutions, who is responsible, improvement…
Yes deidremedbury – what Joel’s blog exposes is that we are our own worst enemy, however most people live their lives completely disconnected from this fact, I certainly have been one of them myself.
I find my mind very cunning, and clever when it comes to foods that I shouldn’t eat that make me feel tied or very bloated, I eat the exact amount of these foods that make me only a little bloated and I justify it that I deserve to be able to eat what I choose to, or I have worked hard so I deserve a reward.
I’m also guilty of this Thomas.
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate” – sound counsel for any leadership training/course, be that by job title, position or leader of life. Which is all of us.
Great comparison between a body corporate work situation and our physical body, and how in the work place abuse is not tolerated between staff, and yet self abuse in the form of how the staff actually treat themselves is accepted if not expected, that staff use coffee and sugar to push themselves to get the job done.
Because we have lost touch with our bodies for so long, to rebuild the connection with ourselves, we have to start from the foundation. Hearing what foods are good or not good and taking this information on board without truly feeling how it affects the body, is still an imposition from the mind, it is still a poison and a form of bullying. What if, we truly allow our bodies to tell us eveything, and not hold back this trust? What if, we gave our bodies another chance to allow it to tell us everything without us dismissing and numbing from its messages?
It is a beautiful point you make here diningwithoneandwithlove, it is only by rebuilding the connection with ourselves and our ability to listen to and trust our bodies that we can make a true change. Simply replacing what we think is “bad” with what we are told or read somewhere is “good” is simply perpetuating the same cycle and keeping us separate from the wealth of knowing our bodies can share with us.
The connection we have with ourselves is there to begin with, we just have to give ourselves the permission to live it again. The Love we are is always there too, and before we decide even what to put in our mouths, how much and so on, we have already chosen whether it is Love or not we permit ourselves to express.
Very true diningwithoneandwithlove.
I agree with you, lists of what foods are good and bad are another imposition and a far cry from testing it ourselves and observing how it then feels. For years I used to think that gluten free was nothing but a crazy fad until I tried it myself for a few weeks and all I can say is that the difference has been phenomenal.
That is the amazing thing about listening to the body, we are not dependent on what someone else says or thinks, we can simply ask our own body and apply its wisdom.
I get this and it is exactly how I have let go of very damaging things like alcohol and cigarettes and coffee but there are some that are lingering and even though I know it hurts me I still chose the same game. I know it is only when I am truly willing to really feel what I am doing to myself AND LOVE myself enough to say no more doing that harm to myself it is super easy to let go of things I have been very addicted to with no fuss. So the antidote is up the love and connection to the body. Only way to feel!
Putting love on top of our list of ‘good foods’ would make the whole difference.
I still need to push the comfort one off the list that likes to linger around in the most seducing ways.
Very true Joel, I we often clean up our act when we are sick about how we treat our bodies and what we eat etc. and when well again go back to the old destructive and harmful behaviours, it seems difficult to hold a consistency of self care.
We have learned to trust the mind over the body, when what the mind decides is first impulsed by the body. But the mind wants to make its own decisions, so it overrides what the body feels until gradually we lose the innate trust we have with our bodies. Every time our body feels an impulse, our mind steps in to impose, telling it what it feels is not to be trusted. Our mind is a bully to our body, and many choices we have with food and eating is a form of bullying imposed onto this sacred and kingly body we are born with.
To call out the way we treat ourselves through food and eating as bullying diningwithoneandwithlove, is very powerful. I hadn’t ever thought of it in this way before, but it’s so true. If I were behaving to anyone else the way I often behave towards myself, it would be major bullying. With Joel’s blog and your comment, lightbulbs are going on all over the place!
That is so interesting I should read what you have written here about our mind being a bully, i was reading case notes today of a client I worked with years ago and in that was mentioned how they realised they were being bullying to themselves and chose to stop it. Incredible, clearly I am being shown that its not ok to allow any thoughts that are bullying including the ones that say “just have that its fine” as its not fine it actually hurts my body and that enhouses my soul! if I so choose.
Wow Vanessa when it’s put that clearly it’s confronting, I would always say I adhor bullying yet I’ve allowed my mind to be the ultimate bully.
Very true diningwithoneandwithlove, the norm in society and what most people choose to live by, is set up so that we gradually lose the ability to feel what the body is telling us and the mind becomes the boss of all choices. How quickly do we learn to override what we innately all know and live by as babies and young children, sooner or later most people get conformed into what is being expected of us and we bury our natural way of being.
Your article has allowed me to reflect a little and I find it shocking that it’s a lot easier for me to speak up when I see things going on around me that aren’t ok, than to take full responsibility for how I’m treating my own body. That’s a pretty big pill to swallow.
Thanks Alison, this idea that it is easy to notice and ‘protect’ other injustices lies at the heart of the trick we have all fallen for. We absolutely need to do this but for ourselves as equally as for others.
What comes to mind is that speaking up for whatever wrong goes on around us, we will not have the strength, authority and consistency to make TRUE change without living the change already with ourselves.
That might be the reason why we prefer to look outside and engage in outside activities instead of turning inwards and take responsibility to live the change and hence the quality we like to see around us – we can distract ourselves away from the problem or disharmony we carry inside in the illusion we would do everything possible. The big pills bring awareness to that absurd behaviour and are proof of the willingness to become honest and finally introduce the change.
Beautifully put, Alex …. so it’s like trying to drive a car without any petrol, it looks like we’re doing the ‘right’ thing, speaking up, but it’s not really effective as we haven’t committed in full to ourselves first. If we leave no stone unturned in the way we are living, we bring the absolute fullness of that livingness in everything we do and say, that is powerful.
Very cool blog Joel, you make silly examples actually real examples of how things are in life. Like this body corporate , how we can see our body as our company, and ask the question how we would treat it then is brilliant! Thank you.
Simple and true message Joel. We need to sharpen up our director skills by simply listening to what our body is constantly communicating with us. Our body is the most loyal member on the board and when treated with love, care and respect naturally flourishes.
I do one hundred percent agree. Thank you Joel for another beautiful analogy to “understand” life on a philosophical level. The body calls out loud and thankful.
Joel, fantastic analogy, and timing is perfect, I’ve just looking at work at how we treat staff and push everyone, but as you say we do that to our bodies with the expectation that they will deliver, emphasis on will, yet we (I do) can deplore how companies treat their staff but ignore how we treat our bodies. Thanks Joel, your linking of this makes it so much more obvious for me and is a serious wake-up to take deeper care of my body.
Isn’t this true. We are quick to see the ill and disharmony in how others are treated yet how do we treat our own bodies? What is the quality of body we are taking to work and living our day?
I absolutely love this blog – it paints a picture which will stay with me for a long time. A company would never poison its staff but it is true we poison our body with foods and drinks it cannot tolerate and has to work hard to digest and eliminate and then we complain we don’t feel too good! Utter madness.
Love it Joel, what a great article. Absolutely, you are really exposing the truth of what we allow to happen, the abuse we covertly give our bodies. Maybe we feel we can ‘get away’ with it, no one will know …. however, our body knows and suffers the consequences time and time again. We are only really brought to accountability when our body starts to take dramatic action with an illness, only after we’ve ignored all the other warnings along the way. Unless, we choose to be accountable ourselves and take full responsibility for how we are living, like a body corporate, just love that expression!
The message for me here is that it all starts at home, at the beginning with, our own bodies. The truth is, Companies do treat their staff like work horses, they do place enormous expectations on them and push them till they break. But if everyone built a beter body coprorate for their individual selves, more people would have enough self love to say no to the abuse and it would minimise if not erradicate the current state of the workforce, and certainly put a stop the ridiculous turnover staff.
You’re right Elodie and a large proportion of the workforce at large is exhausted, but which came first? The unrealistic expectations of the companies towards their staff or the abuses we mete out to ourselves? If we hadn’t as individuals treated ourselves with such self-disregard there is no way we would have been complicit in the ‘work horse’ way of working. We have created the reality we now live in but we are absolutely able to change it too.
Awesome point Elodie, I agree 100%. If we treated ourselves with the love and care we long for, rather than ignoring our bodies and pushing ourselves to the max in the hope we will receive the recognition and love we are craving from outside of ourselves, I honestly believe we would see a massive shift in the how people are at work – and indeed in all aspects of their lives.
And possibly HR managers would be out of a job as if everyone was taking responsibility for themselves, not only would there be more cohesion in the workplace but people would not be looking to lay the blame on others or to look to others to fix their issues.
Great blog and yet shocking to see the state of our own affairs. To contrast it with a corporation really brings home the crazy ways we treat ourselves.
If our bodies were companies, given Joels clear presentation of how we treat them, no one would invest in them, or want to work for them. Just goes to show the sheer craziness of many of our food and drinks habits.
Joel – have you considered writing a book? I’d read it !!- and I’m not much of a reader!
Yet another awesome post by you! Thank you!
Yes Elodie when will Joel publish a book, your writing joel is so playful and wise I love it.
I love how you talk about our ‘body issues’ in a whole new way here Joel. I can feel that I am in a relationship with my body … and truth be told, this relatisonhip has been an abusive one. It is clear that a loving relationship with my body would unleash limitless potential yet I fight so hard to deny and avoid this…. Definitely time to do an audit…
I love that Leonne – How awesome would that be if every corporation did regular audits on its members checking to see how they are feeling in themselves and there bodies? Asking to be aware of causes and concerns and looking at support changes that can be made. A wonderfull relationship – you’d make a great CEO
Thank you Joel, your blog has inspired me to listen more carefully to what my body is telling me. To be more observant as to when and why I get food cravings, to really take a moment to feel why I feel to eat certain foods. I have noticed when I come back from an amazing Esoteric Healing course I feel more energised and I don’t feel as hungry as before. So, when I am being loving and feeling joyful, I simply feel more energised and full in my body.
You make a funny yet quite serious point here Joel – humanity certainly has body issues beyond how we look. There are so many distractions to keep us in the illusion of what is a healthy fit body but are we the truly the beholders of a body that is fit for life?
This is true- even those society think are fit and healthy are actually quite hardened in their bodies and run with quite an overdrive. This is also another way to not feel what our bodies are communicating and I feel further kept in an illusion compared to an overweight person for example, as heavy exercise and drive is seen as ok.
The point you make here Joel is revealing the extent of the senselessness of our choices. Our body is designed to sense the exact food or fluid it requires how ever as we grow we are constantly bombarded by the impositions of ill created ideals and beliefs we give up on what our body is telling us and learn to follow suit and ignore our own senses. It’s ludicrous that we deeply know and feel the effects our choices have on our body yet most of us pretend we are okay and that it’s not really effecting us – even tho we can all see it in ourselves and each other that we are not really okay and that our state of health is loudly showing this. Thank you for raising the sensable questions we all need to be asking.
Great point Suzanne – so many are striving for a healthy fit body ideal rather than dealing with what is truly going on for them and how they feel on the inside every single day. The question is who’s life are we trying to be fit for?
That’s such a great analogy to use Joel; it really brings home the ridiculousness of how we can treat our body!
Similiar to a corporation we are constantly refining and developing our unique strategies to deliver optimum wellbeing but like a corporation we can have a level of corruption or if our principle foundation is not considering the whole body, we would be questioned by the ‘member’, if it continued a review would be held, as there are guidelines put in place by the body corporation to ensure that the infrastructure is maintained and we live harmoniously in a consistent way. If we continue to mismanage the feed back from the ‘member’ it results in diminished optimum performance and returns.
Love the analogy Joel and the bottom line is ‘self love’
I remember when I was pregnant and thinking about what I would do about my child not eating bread and biscuits and pasta like every other kid, and I very clearly thought if I knew arsenic was in bread there is no way I would feed it to them, wouldn’t matter if the whole world was eating it but I knew there was arsenic in it nothing could persuade me to give it to her willingly just in order to be part of the normal. From that I never had a problem with the fact our diets went against the grain (pun intended : ) of societies normal. I won’t poison my body or my families with those things I know are no good for my body. But like you share Joel I sure take a long time before I will let that little bit of poison go, that little bit of what ever it is, gossip, chocolate, anger we like to run things to the end. I for one need a corporate take over putting my soul as CEO!
Vanessa… yes that little bit of poison that little bit of what ever it is has also been for me a challenge to let go of. I love what you have written about needing the Soul to be a corporate take over… I am up for that!
I love this Vanessa… “I for one need a corporate take over putting my soul as CEO!” So well said and I can so relate to that. It’s crazy that we can continue to override what our body is feeling and asking for, just so that we can satisfy those little bits of comfort that we love to indulgence in. As you say they are a poison in our body, and its often not until we get some sort of physical complaint that we will start to take notice.
I love that Vanessa, our Soul as CEO! What I got from your comment about letting those small things go that only seem to poison us a little bit …ie what we can get away with without the obvious damage, becomes the level we also set for our family as being an acceptable degree of poison. Hmmm, I need to look at my Policy and Procedures document again.
Love it Vanessa, “I for one need a corporate take over putting my soul as CEO!”. I so know what you mean, it feels like bludgeoning my body or an insult to my senses when I choose to partake in an activity or eat something that is the opposite to what supports my body. It reminds me of pushing and squeezing the last bits of toothpaste out of the tube.
Thanks for writing this Joel, its like putting the wrong fuel into your car.. you would go wild at the service station attendant if he would dare to fill your car with diesel if it only runs on petrol. But we seems to be okay to poison ourselves, over and over again all because it tastes good???
So true Rosie – except in the UK we rarely have a service station attendant these days but I remember them from years ago! You are right, we take care of our cars making sure it has the correct fuel so why not the same consideration for our bodies?
Totally Rosie I am definitely putting in the wrong fuel because it tastes nice or crunches, I find it excruciating that I wilfully hurt my body for momentary pleasure.
Growing up, I heard the words ‘your body is a temple’, but what was reflected to me was that our body was there to be ignored and abused until something made it stop. As soon as possible though, the aim was to get back up and continue in the same pattern. I love what you share, Joel, about comparing our bodies to a company – there would be all sorts of complications if we were held responsible for the way we treated it.
It seems to me that this central abuse of overriding the messages from our bodies is what fuels the abuse we can at times give to each other and accept from each other.
This ignoring of rules, guidelines, procedures and principles simply would not be tolerated by a company. So why do we ask our bodies to tolerate such abuse.
So true Joel A whole new BODY corporate indeed. One to be respected and listened to in every way. 🙂
Joel what you’ve written here is so true! ‘How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking?’ It wouldn’t so why do we?
It makes us realise and question just how much we put ourselves through and how much we ask our bodies to tolerate – really it is crazy when it is presented in the way it has been in this blog.
Yes Joel this is very true. This would be seen as abuse in a company and would not be tolerated. Yet we allow the mistreatment of our own precious bodies continually, it just seems so silly. We wouldn’t accept it at work but we allow it for our own bodies.
Hi Joel, the symbolism of a ‘Company’ makes it so obvious that the way we live and how we treat our body is abusive. It makes me question our habit of taking our body for granted and how, if we choose, our body is the perfect and the most successful template of a ‘Company’ available to man. The body with it’s amazing wisdom co-ordinates, supports and nurtures each and every working part no matter what it’s job is, big or small, every element is valued and without just one fully committed part, the integrity of our body is lost. What we take into our bodies affects the output. We are here to be of service and it is up to us to take responsibility to care for the foundation and ‘delivery’.
Brilliant blog Joel. This is so true, what most of us do to our body is insane. It seems whatever is played out in life, in our work place or family situations, i.e being disregarding and abusive towards others is reflected also in how we behave and treat our body as you’ve shared. It is an intriguing correlation you’ve so beautifully pointed out here Joel, very inspiring. For me, it highlights that in order for us to bring harmony to the world we must first take responsibility and bring harmony to our body by listening and retreating it with the highest regard.
Your words sum up this disconnection between our ideas and our actual actions. Inspired by you Joel this is one company who’s CEO is now conducting an internal review, to make harmony, stillness and truth the KPI of each and every day.
Thanks Joel for a brilliant way of summing up the nonsense we tell ourselves to justify our behaviour and disregard the impact on our bodies. I could see as I was reading where there are still a few pockets where I am overriding the messages from my body in favour of pushing myself to meet my own and others’ expectations. It is a timely reminder to me to slow down and adjust my rhythm to meet my body’s needs and trust that the rest will take care of itself.
I love the way you share the truth of life Joel. I can feel the time when not only do we demand huge productivity, we get annoyed or worse, when dividends aren’t payed that match our expectations. Perhaps we want to sell-up or quit because we are so disgruntled.
If we don’t put in the work that truly supports then what sort of reasonable result can we get back in return?
Thank you Joel, another simple but insightful blog with an important message. When looking at our body as a company you are spot on, the way we treat our bodies would not be acceptable were we a company! If a company continued to over-ride its shareholders it would not last long yet we constantly over-ride the feed-back from our own body – and we consider ourselves the ‘intelligent’ species. How ignorant and arrogant is that!
Joel this is an awesome way of looking at this and points out something very important for us to consider- personal responsibility. We can be quick to pull large bodies up if we see an injustice or abuse yet do we bring the same level of accountability to ourselves. If we as a human race did, then this would be the very thing that would call greater corruption and abuse to account. It wouldn’t be able to fly as their would be a strong foundation & level of personal accountability that would easily register and call to account whatever wasn’t in line with this. Often we will put up with things because it doesn’t rattle our comfort.
This is a true wake-up call, Joel. Thank you for your writing as always!
HI Joel, you are absolutely correct in what you are saying. Although many companies do cut corners and have many issues and problems within their very walls .. poison would not ever be acceptable. It would be called to account and have very severe consequences for the actions of the company. There would be a massive outcry. I have listen to the audio of “The Way of the Livingness 19” and remember how much Serge Benhayon talks about the absolute poison that occurs when we ingest something that is not loving for the body.. like sugar, or dairy, or chocolate. Alarming as these things are ingested on a daily basis with so many people world wide.
Well Joel, that certainly puts a new light on the thinking, just a little won’t hurt. Last night I had an experiment myself, I took some pre cooked food from the freezer to eat for tea, on defrosting it I could see there were some foods in it that I have not been eating of late. So I thought to myself, I will eat it a check out how my body goes with these foods. It was very interesting. Within half an hour of eating it I could feel my body become racey and fidgety and on waking this morning there is a feeling of tension from this and I am not feeling as clear as on waking yesterday morning. This makes it very clear to me that my body no longer requires these particular foods, and I also feel such beauty in this experience, for it is showing me the amount of fine tuning that my body has been doing and that to support it now it requires a whole new level of loving discipline.
I had a ‘company’ once, the staff were treated poorly, pushed too hard or allowed to sit around getting fat and lethargic, angry outbursts, horrific dynamics, sweet rewards were offered and eagerly accepted….. alas, I guess it was always going to fold and it did, oh well. So now I am a sole trader, handled with care, rarely pushed too hard, output is better than ever, staff are listened to, the input is appreciated and acted upon mostly, this is still an area that could improve, there has been much success, but the forecast is for more growth and expansion.
I know the kind of company you describe Mark, I ran a very similar one. It was on the point of collapse but I managed to pull it back over the edge and these days it is flourishing, because the ‘staff’ have finally been listened to and treated properly. It is amazing what can be achieved when we nourish our companies rather than drive them into the ground. Success, expansion and growth become a natural expression of the nurture, care and respect invested rather than an exception to the rule.
Love this Mark – that the forecast is for more growth and expansion!
That which we do to our bodies is indeed crazy, we ask a lot of it, don’t care for it and be surprised when it fails us; who we are is to be cared for, and as you say, our bodies can be amazingly productive when truly cared for and listened to.
Interesting concept to think of our bodies as a corporation and what we would accept if we were an employee. Most likely we would not accept the working conditions and abuse we often inflict on ourselves. Since attending presentations by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, I have developed a very deep understanding of my body and the depth of love and self care required to support it. These days, I would love to work for my body!!
Great point Lee that we would not tolerate the level of abuse from others that we often inflict on ourselves. I would add to that that often we treat other people with more gentleness and care than we do ourselves. I have frequently even observed people caring more for their pets than they do their own bodies! Something is not quite right about this and we need to re-define what care actually is and look closer at the true quality of that care.
I agree Andrewmooney and not only pets, I’ve noted how some care for their cars far better than they care for themselves. We wouldn’t put the wrong petrol in our vehicles or they wouldn’t work properly, yet we eat foods that makes us feel racy, numb and heavy after, drink fuel that makes us feel buzzed up and then headachy, grumpy or even sick the following day. We repair our cars when they breakdown or we simply can’t get around, yet when we get sick some medicate to numb how they feel and carry on regardless only stopping when they literally cannot. Some clean their cars weekly yet do we as humans take stock each week and look at how we’re feeling, and a annual car service is imperative or we wouldn’t get insurance, yet are the moments off from working or parenting taken to recoup and restore or to indulge and checkout? Taking a closer look at how we care for ourselves has got to be a great start.
Joel, what a great analogy being the CEO of our own body corporate. Yes, how do I run my body corporate? Do I value my workers – my cells? Do I value the systems put in place – digestive, respiration, circulation, etc.? Do I have any idea of the balance sheet – input vs. output – energy coming in and energy going out? The questions could be endless if I really delved into every aspect of my body corporate.
Hello Joel Levin and love the analogy. Why do we commonly only listen to our bodies when there is something really wrong? I remember being hung over after a big night and saying that I would never drink again, only to repeat the same process over and over again. How can that be? What is it that places more importance on something else as a posed to what our bodies are clearly saying. I no longer drink alcohol and so no longer have to endure the hang over but for many, many years I was stuck in a cycle, even though it was clearly ‘bad’ for me. For me there was a different way for me to live that Universal Medicine supporting. It was one I always knew but never honoured. As you say so very well Joel, “If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.”
Love it Joel, another jewel of an article. I agree we would be in uproar if we head of a company that insisted its workers consumed poison in the guise of a ‘treat’ or worked them way over their physical capacity, yet it is exactly what we do to our bodies. My body did protest very loudly but I chose to ignore the flashing lights and warning signs in favour of the short term ‘treats’, until my body could no longer continue. Having cleaned up my act quite considerably I can now see just how sensitive my body is and what a huge poison alcohol, caffeine, diary, sugar and gluten is to my body. No more Tiramisu for me! Having cut out all these products from my diet my body feels a million dollars and can as you say offer me far more quality productivity than ever dreamed of. Sleep right, eat right, live right and our bodies love us for it.
Another amazing blog, Joel. I love the way you express something so profound in such a light-hearted and common sense way. Thank you.
Wow, after reading your blog Joel, I have fallen even deeper in love with my body.
You are so right Joel. When the symptoms disappear we so often return to the same behaviours again. I have done this myself in the past and continue to see others do it, rather than listening to their body and honouring what it is communicating to them.
Wow, I love it! What a great idea to compare how we treat our body with running a company. Yes, indeed, our bodies are in great trouble. We only have to look at the rising numbers of sick, depressed and exhausted people. All the things we don’t like about our work and blame our managers and directors for, we are doing to ourselves, to our bodies.
Thank you for this simple and strong blog. You said it all:
“How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking? Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?”
I love it Joel, another great way of looking at how life really is. ‘The truth is our body, when we listen to it, has a level of productivity and rhythm of living that can outdo any corporate CEO’s output.’ Absolutely. Problem is people are a little attached to their comforts, treats and rewards, their investments in ideals and beliefs over what just is and therefore live in a fog of this, forgetting how innately precious and amazing we are and our bodies can naturally be if we listen to them, love and honour them by simply following the cues given to us by them.
Thank you Joel this is makes it very clear how we treat our body and it shows that we can’t separate one thing from the other. Our body is super important, it carries us through life it deserves the first and utmost attention in all things life. I am time and again amazed how much my body is able to do and how truly fit and vital it is the more I pay attention and live to my body’s rhythm.
This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever that we can be in obvious outcry in a company for treating us with no respect and care yet, never do we do that same thing with ourselves! How can a company truly meet us in our fullness if the directors and staff are not living that same understanding and care with themselves?
There is certainly a double standard in the behaviour we expect of others that we do not often heed ourselves. We live in a very critical society yet how often is the criticism raised constructively and how little of it involves self evaluation of the role we play in our own lives? It is always much easier to look to blame outside of ourselves, yet if we honestly look at our own lives we can see we are masters of all our circumstances, and it is particularly easy to see how we completely affect our own health and wellbeing.
I have just witnessed a corporate H&S Audit – amazing detail and consideration to make sure every one is taken care of and harm is avoided. As a society we seem to have logged that responsibility, accountability and looking after one another is important. Yet it seems to me most of the time in daily life we take everything for granted, push things to the limits, and it is usually not until we are faced with a mishap, pain or loss of that thing that we snap out of it, start to appreciate and take care. Could we get away with saying as an employer we are ‘only’ poisoning our employees ‘some of the time’? And could we keep driving our personnel hard without listening to their objections or requirements? Points well made. This article is a great reminder to not wait for a mishap before we listen to, appreciate and take care of our body.
A great perspective – to consider our bodies as a company. It is a great reflection of how often we take care of other things first leaving ourselves until last often neglecting all the signs and symptoms.
What a delicate body corporate this would be!
Our body runs a pristine operation – smooth, flowing and rhythmic and phenomenally productive and alive. It is interesting that we choose to dull, poison, slow down and retard the very vehicle that serves us daily on our way.
Beautiful comment Deborah! The body is such an amazing operation and its productivity is phenomenal as you say. We can learn a lot from our bodies.
Great blog Joel. It is interesting indeed that we may give our power away to consumerism to our own peril … yet fail to listen to our body’s CEO.
Thank you Joel for this gorgeous blog. Yes, our body can have a level of productivity that is beyond limits – if only we listen to it and act accordingly. Simple as that.
What a great analogy Joel, to bring to our attention the ways in which we abuse and override our bodies. As I age I realise all my past choices are catching up with me, and I am now making much wiser choices by listening to my body. I did have a pattern of feeling frustrated when my body felt tired, now I am much more understanding and accepting of the messages I receive.
Joel, this is such another awesome analogy. I am currently looking at trying to honour what my body is saying to me – to start to arrest the drive I push myself with – and allow myself to honour my preciousness and fragility. I am finding the momentum is a hard one to stop – there is always a reasoned voice in my head, saying that it is a busy time and it just has to be done. But it is the quality in which it is done which is key. I am working on this quality as I observe the internal dialogue battling it out and hearing my body talking very loudly as it is currently unwell and craving foods to give me more energy. A great article for me to read right now. Thank you Joel.
This was so good and such a good point Joel. Often we do not look at our bodies this way. Yet just like a business we are running our bodies, often to meet a daily quota or a deadline. I am sure that most of our body’s businesses would not pass a workplace health and safety check (too much poison just laying about the place) and the HR department would be running rampant. It would be great if we treated our bodies as an asset instead of a commodity and took care and listened to it. Grammar piece of writing Joel.
I agree Joel “..once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” and “…often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.” This process of irresponsibility is what plays out within our current health system on a daily basis…people wanting a quick fix and eventually blaming their body and or western medicine for failing them, when in fact they have failed their body by not listening to it and not taking responsibility for their own health.
It is actually quite ridiculous to me that we as an intelligent species need blogs like this one to understand that our disregarding way towards our body doesn´t make sense. I am a fan of your blogs Joel- they are simple and so absolutely full of wisdom.Thank you for another one 🙂
Hi Joel, this blog certainly exposes how ridiculous it is to over ride what our bodies are so obviously telling us and treat them with the contempt and disregard many of us do.
A new body corporate is a great call for responsibility we all have towards our bodies and with this towards society. It is no only irresponsible towards oneself to poison the body, but also towards everybody else as consistently poisoning our bodies means medical care dependency on the health system and therefore a burden for society in general. “El Pais” just published the latest health report and exposes that in Spain 80% of the health budget is used to cover chronic diseases (diabetes, hard and lung conditions, etc.) most of them having their origin in long-term lifestyle choices. We are making ourselves sick and don’t want to look at it. The addiction to comfort is a self-chosen plague even if this means having a leg amputated or needing to inject insulin on a daily basis. It is time to recognize that comfort creates misery and not prosperity, health and wellbeing.
Great point Rachelandras, which clearly shows how important it is that we all take more responsibility for our heath and well-being as we do effect everybody if we don’t.
Absolutely Judith, we are so focused on our individual comfort and to get on with life that we resign from our broader responsibility and think that it is ok to settle for less and waste our individual life, but we have to come to understand the momentum we are building up with this not only for ourselves but for humanity as a whole. It is not only irresponsible for ones physical body, but for the body of God we are living in.
Love the analogy Joel, and it is so true how we can disregard our bodies to such an extreme level and think that it is ok to do this, and yet we would not accept that degree of abuse from our boss! What makes us treat ourselves so unkindly in this way?
Yikes – how have I been running my very own company all this time? Certainly not listening enough to the unpaid workforce that tirelessly carry out my every bidding. This is a FABULOUS analogy Joel!
You had me with the first line Joel…brilliant. I smiled and then winced as I kept reading – smiling because of the light-heartedness, and wincing because of the truth of what you’ve written here. If our bodies were companies, we’d have shareholders to answer to … what kind of return would they be getting on their investment?
Great analogy Joel – you make it so clear and understandable – its mindboggling why we do it to ourselves.
Wow Joel, this blog sure does pack a punch and there is no denying the truth in what you write. I found it incredibly exposing to read this as, while I have made so many changes in how I take care of myself, there is still a tendency to push through and ignore the messages from my body. I’m super-inspired to “turn up the volume” and listen closer for it really does make no sense to work against the wisdom that is there to be shared.
Ha! I love this analogy. “If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” Especially the example of what it would look like if a company was poisoning its staff just a little bit. This would not be tolerated, though I know I sometimes do something or eat something I know is ill affecting my body, but I do it because it is just a little bit. I can now see how that does actually not make sense.
Great analogy Joel – it really puts into perspective the impact of the disregarding way we treat our bodies with our seemingly small choices ‘to have a little bit’ of things that we know do not serve the health of the whole.
I would say the entire world poisons it’s body daily, Joel, the choice being only to what extent the poisoning is done: a little or a lot. As for the push and the drive: completely normalised with an arrogance that asserts the supremacy of the mind over the body: the body is the slave to do its master’s bidding with little or no recourse to being listened to or accepted.
Yet when we do value our bodies, they respond instantly and with such loving warmth…
Very interesting use of words coleen24. We often run our bodies as slaves to the mind – if we follow Joel’s analogy, what would it look like if our bodies were actually employees of the mind, rather than slaves, and had the ability to choose their employer? Would our mind actually have any employees with the way we treat our bodies? I have found that truly listening to my body offers amazing support in my life.
Right on Joel, we as humans do certainly have body issues and as you say, the main one is lack of connection to our body and deep appreciation for it. It seems it is a world wide disease and one that anyone from another planet who landed here and observed us would find very strange. And it is strange that it takes quite some loving discipline to actually be with our bodies in all that we do. To start to take note of their subtler messages opens a whole new world, which takes trust and letting go of needing to be in control.
Great point Josephine, it is quite bazaar and as you say very strange when you look at it in this way. The fact that we have got to the point that we have to make a concerted effort to even be with our bodies! Despite the very obvious fact that we have been born into the human body and need to express in and through our body. So where on earth are we?
The word ‘corporation’ has its roots in Latin, meaning to embody, to unify in one body. Going by these definitions, it’s quite clear that many of the world’s businesses that claim to be corporations are clearly just using the label. They are usually very fractious, finding difficulty in agreeing on many things. My body was not a corporation for a long time. My mind would be doing one thing while using my body for something else with not much consideration for its welfare. This has changed a lot and continues to.
Great blog Joel, I was brought up in the fifties, just after the second world war, we were brought up to harden up, don’t be a whinger, just get on with it, don’t care. Our father’s wanted us to be hard men. No wonder we lived a life of total disregard, we brought our own boys up the same way.
What if our bodies were a company? I love this analogy Joel. We can either run it to the ground, let it go or push it so hard all in the interest of the big $ or develop and nurture everything about the company so that it nurtures you in return, which then in turn supports, develops and nurtures others.
I love this Joel. Given the state of global health statistics our bodies are suffering big time. If we saw the wellbeing of our bodies as a commodity I am sure we would take better care of ourselves. Interestingly though a healthy, vitality and balanced body is a commodity. I know people who live with an immense level of vitality such as Serge Benhayon who are able to work the equivalent of 2-3 full time jobs, whilst having the space to build a loving home environment.. easily so. I may even be understating here. If more of us were truly well like Serge, absenteeism would decline, a huge burden would be alleviated from our healthcare system and our social security systems. Our poor health is absorbing a lot of the tax we pay.
Wow Joel, what a simple but very clear way to expose the justification of the lies we tell ourselves day in day out, we too often make decisions that effect us and don’t want to be honest with the result or how this effects our world we live in.
Awesome blog and very very clever analogy that many can relate to Joel. Thank you for making the what we do to harm ourselves so obviously harmful. It is interesting how we put up with this self abuse yet we would be the first to speak up if this abuse was actually coming to us and a company we worked for.
So true johanna08smith. We accept the abuse from ourselves and don’t even see it for what it is. When you frame it in a corporate sense as Joel has we know that there is no way we would stand for it. It is time to hold our “body” corporate to a higher standard.
Joel another very inspirational blog! The analogy you use is incredibly effective at highlighting the irony of how we abuse our bodies without thinking twice about it. From seeing our bodies as the enemy getting in the way of all that has to be done, to seeing what it can deliver when we listen to it, is a true game changer. Thank you for pointing this out so well!
I like the analogy here. What instantly came to me is the actual importance of taking the best care that we can of our Bodies would also mean that the quality of the actual corparate businesses would have a very different quality than they have now. If we would start a corporate business from a healthy business, everyone entering that business would benefit from it. Personally I am also realising the importance of consistency in taking care of the body. That’s something I still need to choose. As if I am competing with myself. If I’m doing well, I can be a little more loose. And than obviously I’m less well and than start to take really good care of me again. I can feel how I am indentifying with the competition. Rather than seeing it for what it is – a very separative force – and let it go.
Wow Joel – so true, and I so love your analogy of the body as a company: “How long would the world accept a company’s apology and affirmation that they “will do better,” if they returned to the same old behaviours once people stopped looking? Yet as owners of our own bodies, once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours that caused the issues in the first place?” yes we all would be fired if we did that in a company – so it just goes to show how loving our body is giving us a chance time and time again – certainly time for me to listen even more. Thank you for a great blog.
Another awesome blog Joel. The opening line “If our bodies were a company we would be in all sorts of trouble!” is a strong and bold statement. I’ve never heard anyone else ever say this yet it is so true. It leads me to ask the question, why do we self abuse with substances that we know aren’t good for us, that make us feel racy, anxious, checked out or ill? What is it that we are not wanting to feel? I have found that my life has completely changed since making self-loving choices that support my body.
Great blog Joel, it is true but in fact the way we behave with our body is the way that many corporations or politicals run their business. They do their own stuff until they get noticed and then rectify when somebody address the issue (not always) and back to business again. As human being, it would be more beneficial for us to observe and not absorbe. But strictly speaking, if corporations were putting antifreeze in the staff food during winter, I don’t think it would go down too well!
Joel this is a very important point you make ‘once the ‘symptoms’ have gone how often do we return to the same behaviours’. Once the pain, discomfort and/or fear has gone we arrogantly go back to our old life style. It’s something that happens to everyone, we get sick then we get healthy, it’s a part of life. If a company got caught for harming the environment they would be heavily fined, they would lose the public’s trust and their share price would fall. No-one blinks an eye when we harm ourselves with sugar, alcohol, dairy or drugs because the public doesn’t see it as self harm, so if you know no different where is your inspiration to change? Thankfully we have Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon who are presenting a different way.
This is brilliant Joel, as is the wisdom of our body; a body that is with us in every minute of the day keeping up a running commentary of how it is feeling. So why is it that so many of us have developed an arrogance that says, I know better than this amazing vehicle, or simply ignore it and then suffer the consequences for a while, get better and then go and ignore it all over again. This was me until I attended my first presentation by Serge Benhayon and had the arrogance that I carried challenged, lovingly so. These days I listen intently to the messages, and even though at times it is hard to hear that I have not been as loving as I could have been to my body, I do not ignore it any longer for now I know that it is way too precious to me and its care is my responsibility.
Very interesting view Joel and I am intrigued to hear more of what inspired you to write this from the audio. I am often astounded at my ability to override the messages my body gives. To consider now that if this was someone in a company talking about abuse and being dismissed it would indeed be an outrage and a change would be called for. So consider it heard and a process put in place to rectify the abuse, the offending behaviour has been given notice to fall in line with a more loving rhythms or to find another host!
I love your analogy Joel – it is so true the way we treat our bodies would be unacceptable if it were a company under scrutiny. And we are the drivers of our own bodies! They are amazingly resilient in most cases, but eventually, if we do not develop true self awareness, we will end up with a body racked with illness and disease. We know the body is incredibly intelligent, far outweighing anything that science can teach us – we just have to remember how to listen, and how to lovingly respond.
“We seem to accept that our body is something to be driven, often responding with resentment when it ‘fails’ us, not taking note of what we have put it through.” If we drove our cars like we drive our bodies we’d be constantly pulled up for reckless driving and amassing lots of speeding tickets. Not only that, if we filled the tank in the way, and with the fuel we fill ourselves, we’d be lucky to get it out of the garage. When your car is cared for, treated right and in tune you can hear and feel the motor purr.
Our bodies never LIE. It really is about listening, understanding and heeding the messages we are given. Time is also a great healer in that regard as we can often see, if we’re willing to look, whether we have returned to destructive behavioural patterns and how we’ve allowed these to creep in. I definitely get what you’re saying Joel – when symptoms cease we can get very complacent and slip back into old ways, without acknowledging and acceptanting that the changes we made need to be for life.
Brilliant comparison Joel. We are very quick to cry foul when corruption is revealed on the world stage – when companies or governments do us wrong – but we are not so quick to see the all that happens on the large scale only happens because it is already happening on our own personal stage first. We may not like to think that there is no difference between the way we abuse ourselves and the way an organisation may abuse its staff, but what does size matter when the principle is the same? If people understood their own self worth first, the world at large would not be capable of tolerating the large scale abuse that we have come to accept as normal.
Thanks Adam for showing the bigger picture of what is at play and Joel has inspired us to look at here. We do have the power to change the world, every single one of us, we just need to start where it is most uncomfortable – with ourselves.
It is so true Joel how do we manage to ignore our body so much when it tells us such simple and loving messages. I love your analogy, so often companies are run on profit, greed and a need to grow instead of focusing on the people and the real service they can bring….no different to how we run our bodies, greed, disregard and no true service to humanity.
Great analogy Joel. We tend to forget how hard the body needs to work to set the balance right again after we have treated it in an unloving and unsupportive way. We have crated a very short memory in what the body tells us. The ‘i’ll never drink again or eat that much again” disappears together with the symptoms and we are ignorantly repeating the same behaviour and then arrogantly blaming our body when it breaks down.
I LOVE this analogy Joel. It really makes you stop and consider – do you treat yourself how you would publicly treat others? For a long time I had some pretty awful self loathing thoughts that would go through my head really regularly, and I really had to ask myself – would you say this to other people? Would you ACCEPT this from other people? Would you say this about yourself out loud? It’s the secretive or less obvious behaviours like overeating, overworking, living in stress etc. that can be particularly harming.
When listening to my body there has become a stronger sense of who I am deep down. So when these abusive behaviours do play out it’s like I can see more clearly how that behaviour/thought is not actually me. Bringing self-responsibility into the mix has brought great understanding into my life as I know that I am the one who can choose to be the me that is true and loving or the ‘me’ that pretends to be the real deal but falls so short of the mark flat on it’s face everytime. Trying again and again doesn’t stop the failing, it only makes matters worse, trying is one of those plagues in the world that is not spoken about.
Our bodies indeed do outperform any CEO corporate output, and they are already talking to us and supporting us, giving us constant messages on a daily basis which never stops or rests in the consistency of their delivery… However, to perform in the optimal way they can, we need to be willing to do our part, 1. to be aware of the messages, 2. to listen to the messages and then 3. to take responsibility for our choices that result in the messages being given in the first place.
I’ve had a tendency toward the mute button to the very clear voice of my body many a time, problem with that is the messages aren’t muted simply my attention to them, until such time that the volume overrides any silencing I may endeavour to carry out. The more I am listening the less is the noise, and the volume becomes sweeter and sweeter.
Thank you Joel for another wonderful and thought provoking blog. It is amazing how we can keep choosing to reward ourselves with poisons when all along the loveliest reward if we stop to feel it, is simply being ourselves.
Thank you Joel, this is a practical example of how we can see and live with the body.
Such a great analogy Joel. This really shows how we easily we dissociate ourselves from the feedback from our body and override it’s signals but more importantly it also shows the lack of responsibility we are prepared to take for ourselves in doing so. In companies and public organisations people’s welfare and health and safety regulations are often paramount and as you show, on the whole obvious harmful behaviour is not permitted. Very interesting that we have not been applying the same level of consideration to ourselves as individuals and we accept the harmful behaviour. We seem to think it is necessary without questioning whether it is really required or indeed what is driving the choices behind the harmful actions themselves. Ironically as you suggest, acting in this way makes us less productive and is very unhealthy when the alternative of making choices according to how our bodies feel allows us to be super productive whilst developing vitality and health in the process.
Joel these following words are powerfully strung together “Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff. Imagine the global response if the company tried to tell the world that what they are giving staff is a treat for all the hard work they’ve put in, or that they are only poisoning people a little bit.” This paragraph offers a real stop moment to look at the choices and practises we have come to see as acceptable in our own lives with regard to our own bodies. You are so right we would have an outcry from the world if we heard of a company treating it’s staff as we do our bodies.
Very true Joel.
The point is that there will always be an excuse when it covers the comforts, that are our unhealthy choices.
The end goal is not to have bad health but to numb and not feel our issues.
The truth is that many people are struggling, if that be with exhaustion, stress or overwhelm.
We need to start looking at our personal choices if we truly want to change our health.
Joel it’s fascinating to stop and ponder on the fact that we as owners of our body take so little care for them yet how if our body was a corporation there would be outrage. Somehow because our body is ours in this life there is the arrogance that we can do what we want and it’s no-one else’s business. No corporation would get away with slowly killing its staff yet we seem to think we can with ourselves every day.
Great blog Joel- Our body contains a wealth of knowledge that is untapped, and energy levels that are sustainable if we take the time to listen to it and honour our own natural rhythm re sleep times, dietary needs that truly nourish it . Then we will indeed discover ‘ a new body corporate’.
‘How often do we put a deadline ahead of our own wellbeing?’ These words stopped me in my tracks – that’s what I do – putting jobs before body – there’s a drive, a ‘gotta do this’ attitude that stops me feeling what my body needs in each moment – go to the toilet/go to sleep/rest/eat/dont’eat. At night is the worst – if I stay up late then I sleep in longer and waste the early hours when I could have achieved so much more. Working at a project when we’re tired is not productive. Waking after a refreshing sleep, and paying attention to our care routine sets a great rhythm for the day and we can be far more productive.
I can relate to this Carmel and how often I repeat this pattern. Memo to self: ‘Waking after a refreshing sleep, and paying attention to our care routine sets a great rhythm for the day and we can be far more productive.’
Thank you Joel for the analogy of our bodies and a corporate business model. It is true that there is too much we take for granted in our bodies. Yesterday I was on a first aid course, and we learnt about some of the things our body does in response to being injured. We are absolutely amazing. The way our pipes work, the way our organs all support each other – it is just fascinating and it made me realise how much I take for granted, treating my body in ways that don’t truly appreciate the wisdom it holds. To eat what we like and behave how we like is almost insulting to the intelligence our body holds. And if an employee behaved like that in a business, no doubt they would receive a written warning or two.
Joel, I love the angle of your blog, and describing our bodies to that of the corporate world. Yes as owners of our bodies, we often do ignore the messages our bodies are giving us! If our bodies were a company we would be in dire trouble. From the angle you write in there would be an international outcry and demands for better working conditions.
what this also makes me think about is how often we take care of other things more than our body, it may be our car, a bike, golf clubs … whatever – why is this? Why do we spend more money, time and commitment on looking after an object rather than the one thing we spend every single day and night with – ourselves?
Thank you Joel, great blog on self- responsibility / responsibility to read. From experience I know the ill affect of pushing through and resenting my body, my feeling is this stems from a lack of self worth. I’m still learning with this.
Brilliant analogy Joel , what an amazing way to so clearly see what we are doing to our bodies by the treats of poison we give it all the time. Why we as humanity are getting sicker and living on things to get us by instead of simply honouring our bodies like we feel to honour our selves in business and at the work place and do not want to put up with abuse anymore.’Taking time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.’I love all you say Joel and how you say it.
This makes so much sense to me. Is it any wonder that when we treat our bodies in this way, that we get the reflection back from our places of work to push even more and then we complain that the company doesn’t care about it’s staff.
A great blog Joel. I love the analogy between the body and a company. Companies appear so powerful and all knowing and have employees focus not only at work but often taken home as well in the form of extra paperwork, worrying, sleepless nights etc. As we begin to listen to the body wisdom, everything changes –
“If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate”.
How true this is Joel. There would definitely be outrage if a company treated its staff the way that we often treat our own bodies. It’s totally crazy that we choose this for ourselves.
What a great blog Joel and some simple reflections. Why would we choose to put food Into our body when we know our body does not like it, why do we ignore the signs from our body and force food and drink down. You are right to say we wouldn’t accept abuse in the corporate world so why accept it in our body
It is fascinating how we can abuse ourselves yet if someone else does it to us we would never accept it, nor would we ever dream of it doing it to another. Our body can teach us so much if only we choose to listen to it.
I find in the corporate world most of us do tolerate a certain degree of abuse and often let it pass. It is in extreme and excessive cases that something is more likely to be done about it. There are often rules and guidelines as to what is acceptable and what is not in a workplace and when abuse occurs it is from another person and they can then be accountable for their actions. But when we are the ones abusing our own body no one else can really step in to assist to change our abusive behaviours and choices except ourselves. Self abuse can go unseen and continuously reoccurs because the victim and abuser is the same person. By building our awareness and self-love, by listening to and love our body, self-abuse then cannot exist.
That is an awesome revelation Joel. We abuse our bodies so much and then get frustrated when it does not perform as we would like it to. We have solutions and quick fixes for when things inevitably go wrong. Yet more often than not we continue in the same ill cycle of abuse rather than stopping, changing our behaviours and making more loving choices.
The new number one addiction – abusing our bodies.
Another fabulous blog Joel – thankyou. “If we take the time to listen, observe and respond to what our sleep, our cravings, our energy levels, and our emotional stability is showing us, we will begin to discover a whole new body corporate.” Since listening to my body – and staying present with it – there have been so many changes not only to my body but to my life. Deep appreciation to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for showing me the way.
Do more with less. How many times have we heard that at work? Is that why we have spare body parts? We are a lot like cars! We can get spare good used parts from other cars that have had major breakdowns and run fine with just one of the duel parts we are running on. But there is a reason we are built the way we are and all the bits that make us the amazing vehicle we are. When it is listened too there in nothing we are not capable.
A great insight Joel. It’s crazy to consider how much we dismiss our bodies and literally treat ourselves with so much disrespect — and then blame things outside of us for the inevitable challenges and issues we can face.
An awesome sharing Joel – Yes many are more concerned with their cars functioning properly rather than feeling into how they could ‘fuel’ (honour) and listen to their own bodies. I still overrule what my body tells me at times yes work in progress – but I know full well when I do it and my body never lies with the results of that behaviour. “The truth is our body”
This is brilliant Joel, reading your article it makes it clear how much we do push and abuse our bodies over and over again and not learn from what our bodies are telling us, which is; take care of me, nurture me, don’t abuse me. No company would get away with the way we treat ourselves, with such disrespect and dishonouring.
We need a ‘love’ button here, not just a like button! I read the first line and knew this was by you Joel Levin. I love your observations, they always bring me to a halt and a deeper understanding on life. Awesome. I agree, if listened to we can develop a whole new body corporate, one which co-operates fully in all ways, the CEO (mind) and the body working together as one = super supported body and super productiveness then.
Love it Jeanette – the CEO (mind) and the body working together as one = super supported body and super productiveness.
A super delightful blog Joel, really bringing home the message how easily we abuse our own bodies… through pushing and driving our bodies to do more even when they are telling us clearly we need to stop and rest… then when we become ill, because we did not listen, we often respond with resentment, shock and disbelief if it is cancer or diabetes etc…. If feels the time is ‘now’ to start truly listening and respecting our bodies.
I like your metaphor of imagining our body is a company. And it is unbelievable, how long it often takes until we are willing to read the signals of our body or the signals within a company. Very often an illness or an incident has to occur before we are willing to wake up. Why are we so resistant to see the truth in front of our eyes? For sure, ignorance and arrogance spoil everything, only truth and our love to our body and to other people can lead the way.
I feels like we are all able to read the signals coming from our body, telling us that something is not quite right or, depending on how long it has been going on for, even very, very wrong. But to heed those signals would then mean to take responsibility for personal choices and that is when we quite often wait and wait and wait until it is too late and then feign surprise and disbelief and pin our hopes on the medical system to fix us up again. Quite crazy, really.
And that is one of the key things that is missing from within the medical system, responsibility for our choices, without any blame.
This blog inspired me to ask myself: how would it be to honour my body? Now.
And I felt a tension in parts of my body because of the way I sat. I adjusted.
And do you know what? I feel like a King/Queen in my body now. There is a grace and authority radiating from me and a solidness which is very much reliable. I feel stronger.
My body these days is quick to respond to anything that is not right for it and yet as you put down Joel I repeatedly return to what it doesn’t like once the symptoms have gone and let my mind take the CEO’s position whereas my body should always have that position.
Joel this is wonderful and so true. If we were a company we would be looking at being closed down or hefty fines for the treatment of the staff – this is for sure. There would be a public outcry. This is clearly showing us the abuse that we have chosen.
Another gem from you Joel. I am asking myself, what sort of CEO am I of my own corporation? In the past 2 years I would say the report would not be so good.
My body has called for an audit. It has requested that I stop listening to the external shareholders, and pay attention to it. I am responding.
I love this playful response Dr Rachel Mascord.
Love it.
Joel, you have presented another insightful blog that probes deeper into the relationship we have with our bodies. It’s often easier to see abusive behaviour in other people and contexts, than see it in our own back yards. Yesterday, I heard a UK trade Union General Secretary speak passionately about unfair working practices and the abuse of workers by bosses. I wonder if this same man could relate corporate abuse of workers with his ownership and treatment of his body.
Yes Kehinde2012, Joel has written a great blog, and a wonderful reminder that it makes sense to walk our talk, meaning that if we are out there arguing for human rights, and fair treatment we should be looking closer to home and make sure we are looking after our bodies first.
This is so true, Joel. I love your analogy with a company! Our body can give us many messages -it is up to us whether we choose to listen to those messages and then respond by changing our behaviour(s)…or not.
It is time perhaps to change the consciousness of resenting our body when it becomes ill, to thanking it for bringing us to a stop, so that healing can begin.
Yes Anne Scott, your words here remind me to be more appreciative of my body when it becomes ill, as that is the stop that I needed to come back to a truer me. That frustration with my body is just another thing that gets in the way of me going deeper with understanding why I am being called to stop. The thing is, love will get me there in the end but just needs my support to get me there sooner rather than later and with far less impact on my body.
I agree Anne. How do we regard ourselves and our bodies when we become sick? One of the things that comes up here for me to is how have we been living before we get sick? It’s no wonder the we can become resentful, sad, angry etc because being ill presents this to us, which is why the stop is so important, so that we can re look at how we have been living. Which is, of course, our choice.
When we treat our body like a machine and expect it to keep running smoothly without engine failure or damage to the framework regardless of the quality of fuel we put into it and how we drive it and treat it, it is little surprise that the union body goes on strike to demand better conditions. Treat our body with true care, respect and responsibility and it is a pleasure to be part of the body corporate.
Mary Adler, your comment is written in a playful way, but has a very real message, because to me it describes the truth about our health conditions. A body that gets sick, is for me the body that says, I am going on a strike and get rid of everything that is not helping me function in a way that is natural and healthy for me.
I’d like to be a part of the pleasurable body corporate model!
I agree Mary. The last 6 years I have worked for large government organizations. These places are always under resourced with complicated policies and procedures. Then they create amazing processes that keep the productivity up. When management greed and power is exposed the political stand is used: “I’ll look after you if you back me”. The system is often manipulated like law can be, with its constant corruption and status quo being fed to it, squashing anyone who dares speaks up.
Love your analogy here Joel and this line made me sit up and take note “Imagine a company that was trying to poison its staff.” Learning to listen to my body and begin the much needed change to more self-loving choices has opened my eyes to all the excuses I had for the disregard I accepted as my ‘norm’ – I have learnt that I can only care for others when I first truly care for myself.