Episode Resources
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- Listen to”Ever Wondered”
- Ayurveda Series 1
- Ayurveda Series 2
When I was deep into my own journey of rebalancing my body, there were days where I just thought, “Really? Is this really my reality?” I grew up feeling invincible and that meant I thought I could do anything to my body with no consequences. I was never a big drinker and I don’t drink now, but when I was young I would call myself more of a binge drinker. I think a lot of it was me succumbing to peer pressure, to be honest.
When I got started I didn’t seem to have an off switch, so I knew that any sort of drugs or alcohol just were not for me. So my new form of binging was work. I found a new way to be obsessive, and that was by trying to be the biggest and best in everything I did. But I was doing this from a place of total fear. Fear of not having enough money. Fear of not paying the mortgage. Fear of looking bad. Fear of not measuring up against my friends.
And eventually, that feeling of being invincible was taken from me when my health just vanished overnight. But here’s the thing… the warning signs were always there. If we tune in and really listen, our bodies are always trying to help us.
Last week I found myself with a sore throat and achy body. Like gentle flu. In the past, I would have pushed on out of fear, because I know if I stop working out and let my body rest, I lose weight and muscle mass. So I would have sucked it up and pushed on. But now with an understanding of Ayurveda, I know my vata pitta body type is naturally more catabolic, which means when I stop working out it starts to break down faster than other body types.
There is nothing wrong with that, it’s just something I need to manage. If you want to learn about your body type, make sure you listen to my Ayurveda Series 1 which starts at episode 21 and Ayurveda Series 2 which starts at episode 77.
So now, what did I do? I took it easy. I gave my body what it needs, and now I feel fine. My body sent me the message to rest, and I did.
For example, feeling tired when you wake up could be a sign to get to bed earlier and give your body the rest it needs, or it may be the start of something deeper that if you don’t shift can grow into a much bigger hole that is hard to climb out of.
Feeling stiff and crackly when you wake may be telling you that you are out of balance and perhaps vata aggravated, and it’s time to slow down and get grounded. Rebuild your ojas. Your strength.
That lack of colour in your face, the bloating after your meals, the anger that seems to come out of nowhere, the urinary tract infections that pop up from time to time, the menstrual pain, the depression, the anxiety, the lack of energy, poor sleep, bad breath, accumulation of body fat in places you have never had it before, forgetfulness, rashes, yellow eyes, not getting your period, having low or no libido, acne, headaches, cracked lips, muscle loss, sluggish or hard, or slimy bowel movements, candida overgrowth, reflux, painful joints, fertility issues, twitching muscles, cold, flu, coughs, dry scalp, heart palpitations, receding gums, tooth cavities, brain fog, that little crease in your earlobe…
The body is an incredibly sophisticated communication system. Look at all the ways it’s trying to communicate with you? What an incredible messenger!
The mindset shift we can make is to be so grateful for every little niggle and pain we feel. Notice I didn’t mention any diseases in this list? That’s because we are all going to start listening to our beautiful body… aren’t we?
Even if you have found yourself in a state of dis-ease, now is the perfect time to say thank you for giving you the sign. And sorry for not hearing you sooner.
Can we all make a pledge from this day on to tune in and hear the body’s whispers? Give our bodies love, rest, meditation, relaxation, time in nature and nourishment.
No matter how full your life is, whether you are a mother with three kids under five who feels like she can never get on top of things, a father who runs a business and struggles to find any time for himself, a teenager who thinks they are invincible like I did… no matter who you are listening to this or what you have got going on, we all have the same messenger telling us what we need in each moment. No one can hear your body whispering to you. Only you can. The trick is to listen now before it becomes a scream.
I would love to hear from you, so please tag me @iamnickbroadhurst on social media. Please also leave me a comment below (I read every single one!). And if you could take a minute to leave me a review on iTunes I would be very grateful. Tell me what you want more of! I am at your service.
P.S. Always listen to your intuition (and your doctor or practitioner) before trying any new health or lifestyle practice.