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28 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 1 9 SAVVY SELF-CARE best practices Growing Your Body Intelligence What Does Your Yes and No Feel Like? By Heath and Nicole Reed Have you ever had the experience of a full-body Yes or a full- body No? When we can recognize and respond to the body sensations associated with our inner Yes and No, we cut through the fog of competing thoughts and feelings to reveal our core truth. Our mental, emotional, social, and body intelligences all express truths that shape a whole picture and a whole story so we are able to create more of what we want and let go of the things that don't add value. Accessing and including as many pathways to our truth allows for more possibilities, more joy, and more vitality. Learning our full-body Yeses and Nos is a revolutionary act of self-care. It adds a new dimension to how you care for your family, friends, clients, and, most importantly, yourself. WHAT IS BODY INTELLIGENCE? If you're like us, you probably laugh when your clients or others ask in amazement,"You can really feel that knot?" Our ability to sense what's happening in the fascia and respond to it improves our therapeutic results and also provides a glimpse into some of the heightened body intelligence (BQ) skills touch therapists already possess. Accessing and activating your BQ is as simple as using your body sensations to know what is true for you and what best supports your well-being. Practicing bodywork is an active form of growing our BQ because touch therapies invite us to regularly interact with disorganized fascia, muscle memory, or held breath. But, we can expand our BQ skill set even further, both at the table and in all areas of our life. Especially when we reliably practice following our inner Yes and No. DISCOVERING YOUR FULL-BODY YES First connect with your BQ by taking three deep breaths and performing a body scan, noticing the sensations that are currently being expressed. Once you feel present in your body, begin to list aloud or silently as many Yes moments and Yes choices that come to mind. For example: Yes to that cup of tea. Yes to spending time chatting with a friend. Yes to hugging my child. Yes to that color. Yes to that car. Yes to that smell. And so on … (To get the most value out of these exercises, you may want to write down or record your responses to review later.) As you allow your Yeses to roll through you, notice how you experience Yes in your body. What body sensations come alive or become awakened? How does your breath respond? What happens to your shoulders, low back, or neck when you say