Tuning in to Your YES and NO

Module 7.4

1. Sit comfortably and take three deep belly breaths to relax and be present in your body.

2. Imagine a person, animal, or thing that inspires unconditional love in you. It could be your child, a puppy or kitten, a beautiful sunset, or a majestic mountain. Something for which you feel uncomplicated, unconditional love. As you imagine this, notice what you sense in your body and where you sense it. You might feel warmth and opening in your chest, a tingling in your belly, or a softness around your eyes. As in the quality of sensation exercise in Module 2, observe the sensations in as much detail as you can. Note the type of sensation (tingling, airy, expansive) and its size, density, temperature, or color. Keep imagining your loved person or thing. What you feel in your body is the “YES” of your body intelligence. It’s the sensation of your body fully opening to that possibility.

3. Now, imagine an experience of shame or hatred that has happened to you. It could be a trauma from your past, a childhood incident, or a horror from your adult life. As you imagine this, notice what you sense in your body and where you sense it. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a "pit" in your stomach, shaking in your hands, coldness in your feet, or a lack of any sensation. Observe the sensations in as much detail as you can. Note the type of sensation (pressure, stabbing, aching) and its size, density, temperature, or color. Keep imagining this experience of shame or hatred. What you feel in your body is the “NO” of your body intelligence. It’s the sensation of your body reacting to and rejecting this experience.

4. Now, take a deep breath and let go of that imagined painful experience. Take two more belly breaths and focus on your heart, letting it soften and open.

5. Open your eyes and read one of the purpose possibilities that you are considering. Now close your eyes again, take a deep breath, and imagine that possibility. Notice what you feel in your body. Does it feel more like your “YES” or more like your “NO”? Or, is it unclear?

6. Try the exercise with another of your ideas. Note for each one, how your body responds. Let your body intelligence, along with your good thinking, inform your choices.