Sue Choi When Things Stick

Who This Book Is For This book is for people who have tried multiple mind-body paths already and still feel frustrated that they can't see the changes they seek. It's not a beginner's book! It assumes you have practice paying attention to subtle signals from your body. It also assumes a baseline of physical capacity--that you can move in and out of a chair without assistance and that you can walk for 30 minutes outside without getting out of breath. If the exercise in the excerpt below speaks to you, you'll benefit from this practical guide. What's Your Body Saying to You? The entire organization of the body broadcasts messages internally that you can't ignore, whether you're conscious of them or not. Physical sensations feed how you think and feel. You know this already-you're not a beginner. You do yoga, meditation, tai chi-you know how much returning to your body calms your mind. Or, maybe you've heard this is true but just don't know how to get there. Once you understand the signals, you'll discover that your body is as powerful as your brain when it comes to solving problems. When you understand the signals you can: ¿ feel more physical comfort ¿ find more emotional calm ¿ get more clarity for action In this book you'll learn how to make sense of body messages so you can feel whole and empowered and to be connected within yourself so you can connect with others and move forward in your life with clear intention. This approach uses a deep dive into your posture and walking to make that happen. Self-Control vs. Self-Regulation When you learn how to find your sensing posture, you learn to distinguish between self-control and self-regulation. Self-control is suppression to stop or prevent the body from doing what it's doing. It's a hierarchical approach that says: "top controls bottom." Self-regulation is giving the body what it needs so it can do things better. It's a relational approach that says: "bottom informs top, and the conversation goes both ways." You learn self-regulation by understanding and responding to the body's needs. And you communicate with your own body through your sensing posture. Before you read any further, let's try an example of how this might work in your body... Stand with your feet 2-3 inches apart. Now, do the following: move internally and imagine you are doing it so no one can notice it. Position your pelvis as if you are about to take a seat and send your shins forward at the same time. Remember, it's an internal shift, imperceptible to observers. Take at least 30 seconds to notice what happens. Take longer if you wish. What changed for you? How did you feel in the whole of your body? If you feel more grounded and settled, more spacious and open in the chest, or more relaxed in your shoulders, that's a good sign. If not, try it with your eyes closed. It's such a minor change to stand this way, yet the change in your whole body experience can be significant. Now position your head to listen to the sounds around you and keep doing what you did above. Imagine you are waiting in line somewhere. Imagine people around you are impatient and stressed about waiting in line. How do you feel? What has changed now? Our perception of our environment and the people in it can disturb our inner sense of calm. That's the conflict that many methods don't address - how do you get back to internal calm, power, and ease when you need it most? This book sets out to answer that question. Written in a casual style by a somatic movement expert, thousands have already benefitted from using this simple and elegant approach.