by Rosanna Bianchini, Gloucestershire, UK
A few years ago my body was much harder and more rigid than it is today. I had tightness in the muscles in my neck, shoulders and chest, which was causing both aches and a stiffness of movement in my upper body. My body felt hard and unyielding. As a result I could say that any movement took more effort than would naturally be needed, and the demands on my muscles and my energy were therefore greater.
I had begun to understand that if my body was as tight and as toughened as it was, how could I possibly feel or know what felt right for it and what did not? – just like calloused, leathery hands with their thickened skin cannot allow full sensitivity to feel what is there to be felt. I also noticed that with this hardened and stiffer state the sensitivity and movement-flow through the muscles was being affected, and it was more difficult to be gentle just doing simple everyday things because of this.
For many years I had also a feeling, somewhere inside, that something was very wrong on a deeply fundamental level – from a place more profound than the consistent aches and pains, and deeper than the history of past depression and illness. In very quiet moments, when I was doing yoga and focussed on the deliberate and slow movements in my body, I connected to a place where I could feel there had to be more, another way to live, that did not result in feeling as I did. In that connection lay both the inspiration and the answer, which I was to later discover.
However, the question remained; why had my body ended up in such a way? I wanted to find out what was really going on: what had I been doing for my body to be showing me now, so loudly and clearly, that it was not OK?
But where to start? It was becoming clear, simply through a process of elimination, that any lifestyle choices I was making during the day, like what to eat, when to sleep, how to exercise (or not), must be having a consequence that showed up sooner or later in the body… so how could I become more aware of this? And how could I begin to feel what was really going on in a body that had become stiff and hardened?
I began by paying attention to myself to learn what was happening – but I had to discover a way back to having a body that could feel, and so initially I took my clues from observing Serge Benhayon and others who I could clearly see were making responsible and loving choices for themselves. And it was from their consistent reflection of love, which came through in the way they lived their everyday lives, that the ‘more’ – which I had, deep inside, known there to be – was confirmed. It was confirmed as being love… and with this confirmation my trust in that loving way was re-kindled.
Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself.
I put a focus into bringing a deliberate gentleness to the body and making choices that I had observed were more loving and nurturing, choices that would support my body rather than choices that ignored the physical consequences of them. To build this discovery of what was more self-loving, I took feedback from the body itself. For example, I would experiment with food to feel how what I ate affected my physical state or the way I felt emotionally, I would take notice of all the signs my body could give me, like how ‘bunged up’ did my nose feel on waking? How stiff were my muscles? How runny did my eyes feel? What were my periods like? How creaky were my joints? Did I feel bloated in any way? What did my skin look like? How dry was my hair? How regularly was I going to the loo? Every part of me, both inside and out, had a story to tell. I listened and experimented consistently, checking back for what may have caused the change (good or bad), and adjusting accordingly what I ate, how I worked and how I interacted with people, based on what my body was feeding back to me.
Over this initial year or so, because I had been willing to give myself the time to listen to myself and my body, and in response make choices that were more loving, harmonious and supportive for me, I started to feel more harmony and balance within myself; my hardness and tightness eased and my body became softer and easier. Physically I began to feel more open across my chest and less restricted in my back and shoulders. I also noticed in my relationship with others, feeling less guarded and protective.
I can honestly say that feeling what my body has to say and bringing in more loving choices to live in a more loving way, has brought a profound, positive effect to the way I feel – in all senses of the word. With the self-proven understanding that every choice has its effect, it has been very lovely to explore the benefits and support we can bring to ourselves in such a simple way… I can also say that I am still enjoying this connection and a deepening of that honourable relationship with myself.
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
Thank you Rosanna, as it is amazing how we deepen our gentleness with the techniques that have been shared over the years by Serge Benhayon such as Walking Therapies and The Gentle Breath Meditation and thus “enjoying this connection and a deepening of that honourable relationship with myself.”
Our body’s inner wisdom is our true support guiding us back to who we are in truth.
Honouring our body is worth it. Everything and everyone gets enriched by this choice.
Our body is so wise, it therefor makes sense to listen to it and honour its’ wisdom.
I enjoy and get inspired by reading experiences like this. My body recognises the gentleness, the love you shared from and say ‘yes, this is the way to be’. Thank you Rosanna
This morning I made the choice to honestly listen to what my body was clearly communicating to me without hiding or overlooking the truth that was there. This simple stop moment has given to me a great realisation about the energy I was in and thanks to that, I’ve made the changes I needed to come back to love again. This kind of adjustment makes a great difference throughout the day, as it sets the standard of how I want to live and relate with others, which consequently establishes a new order in my life that effortlessly discards what is not from love.
When we listen to our body with love we can playfully make adjustments to how we move rather than trying to bully it into submission.
I like that Mary, listening to our body with love then allows us to, ‘we can playfully make adjustments to how we move rather than trying to bully it into submission.’
It has amazed me just how much we take our bodies for granted for most of us we don’t really stop to take notice unless we have a stop moment such as an accident, illness or disease that brings us to a halt. Some people use these moments to reevaluate their lives and some people expect the health service to make them better so that they can carry on with life where they left off. I have noticed with elder women in particular that when they get a stop moment it is very hard for them to actually stop at first as their bodies are still racing but over time they are more accepting than they need to slow down and come to an understanding that they don’t have to do everything for everyone that there can be a time in their life when they can allow others to take care of them. For many elderly women, this is a new concept.
‘I had been willing to give myself the time to listen to myself and my body”. This is so important, we allow such little time for reflection, we are ‘so busy’ as they say, and even when relaxing we are engaging in TV, screens, or worrying, and thinking. We don’t give ourselves the space to just feel, to be with ourselves, our body and our being, and allow what’s there to be communicated and felt.
It is key to be with our body, to feel our body, and to give ourselves the space to allow this connection.
Thanks Rosanna, this is a very foundational way to live sourcing our choices from the feedback of the body. “Every part of me, both inside and out, had a story to tell.” I love this line, and it makes sense to me to observe everything the body communicates and what it is offering back to us in terms of the choices we make, from our hair and skin, to joints and muscles and the inner systems of the body, it has a lot to say. It is a deeply honouring way of life to be so dedicated to ourselves.
Even just reading the details you share here, Rosanna, took me to a little journey of observing my own body and I am feeling so much more connected and supported by myself. I am getting a sense that, really, the body is not asking for a lot, it has the ability to magnify even just a simplest inward looking to a profound realization.
Thank you Rosanna, it’s almost like you were a detective examining every clue provided by your body to continually adjust your lifestyle and the way you were with yourself and others. It’s truly amazing to know the profound changes we can make with the support of our body at any stage of life, and begin the healing process back to living from our loving selves.
Our body is such a wise and loving friend.
Listening to our bodies is so simple when we start to understand that it has been telling us simple things all the time, and it has been up to us to listen and discern for ourselves what we are learning and if it is beneficial or evolutionary.
Our bodies continually speak to us, how much do we listen and honour what they say?
Thank you Lorraine, and a great way to start listening to our bodies is through the stillness that is connected to when we have used The Gentle Breath Meditation as presented through the Ageless Wisdom Presentations, and the innate nature of the connect we feel through and after these connections.
So true Richard yet in general so many people have numbed themselves so much with alcohol, drugs, TV, pornography, abuse, war, etc. etc. – in fact the whole set-up of society – that, that ‘… feeling, somewhere inside …’ is so buried they are longer aware of feeling it.
And those who have realised this; to live expressing that love so that by reflection those who have not, are shown that there is something different to the ‘norm’ of society.
“With the self-proven understanding that every choice has its effect, it has been very lovely to explore the benefits and support we can bring to ourselves in such a simple way” Making the truth that ‘ that every choice has its effect’ the reality of the way one lives is deeply empowering and life enhancing.
“Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself.” A way of living that is always helpful and very natural to us.
When we become willing to listen to the constant communication from our bodies and honour the relationship we are building with ourselves, we build a strong foundation to support us as we move through life. For me this has transformed my experience of constantly feeling a victim of circumstance, to appreciating the support that my body offers me on our journey though this life.
Inspiring Rosanna. You make listening to your body – something that we in the West have not learned, or better said have unlearned – feel so normal. When somebody says “I feel good” It has to be a body that feels good and yummy first. Not the job I have, the house I own or the partner I have. That’s is a bonus but can never ever be the foundation of our lives. Quite a change for me!
Our bodies speak and as they do we are offered an opportunity to listen, to hear what they say and decide what is needed – it’s an amazing feedback mechanism which never stops speaking; the question for all of us is do we listen and do we honour what the body is telling us.
Universal Medicine teaches that to love the body it is not to love it’s outer appearance, it is to live in the appreciation of the wisdom that every cell holds. This is my understanding and developing relationship with my body, in that I feel more beautiful, sexy and vital than ever before.
When we live in a way that takes more effort to move and do things than it naturally should, is it any wonder that we are, or that we get exhausted.
Thanks Rosanna for that inspiration. I will try this out for myself, observing how my body feels. I thought I did that but after reading this I realise there is a deeper level I can go to, a more dedicated way.
Your blog says a lot about musculoskeletal conditions worldwide and how we might alleviate much of the aches, pains, stiffness, etc, we experience by listening to and responding to our bodies.
Absolutely so many live with chronic debilitating pain that means they do not feel productive members of society and struggle to have a sense of purpose. Introducing the simplicity of listening to what our bodies are saying would save a lot of heartache and money if they were willing to give it a try.
We tend to get satisfied when we get to a given point and find our way around it. There is always more because we are more than any single point we can get to.
“Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself.” So true and yet as adults we forget this important and natural way of being and learning about life.
It is very simple, connect with and feel our bodies, listen to and honour what the body is telling us.
I love this … to be our own science experiments, to stop and see and feel how our bodies are and from there to get to a deeper understanding of who we are, how we live and how that impacts on us and others, a study for us all.
Slowing down movement is a bit like putting on a magnifying glass – we see more, and there’s perfectly designed beauty to be marveled at.
That we have a body is a fact, but even then I have lived in the past with little to no awareness of how important my body is in everything. And how it is the marker of all truth. Saying that our body can not lie and if we don’t want to hear our body communicating to us, it is not the body who is resistant but we are not obedient to it. We can only tell that by becoming aware of things – life can truly change.
Yes.. getting feedback is one thing, what we do with it is quite another. While changing our choices does depend on how much we appreciate and accept ourselves, it’s also a cycle: the more we value ourselves, the more we want to make self-loving choices, and the more we make those choices, the more we value ourselves. Every time I make a choice that is self-loving, I’m basically giving myself a message that says ‘yes, you’re worth loving’… and this inspires more of those same flavoured choices. And it can be as simple as starting to observe one thing, consistently.
I so appreciated reading this today. I haven’t wanted to build a connection with my body at times because it’s felt like an arduous thing to do, but really, what I haven’t wanted to connect to and feel was the hardness and disconnection. Faced with a choice between feeling numbness or feeling stimulated by something outside of us, I think most people would probably choose the stimulation, because the whole world is set up for us to choose that, first. But in my experience, the stimulation is only ever temporary, and it’s insatiable. It doesn’t ever fulfil the deep dissatisfaction of knowing there must be more to life, and more to feel. A deeper level to live our lives, and a fuller way to feel. The steadiness, consistency and deeper knowing of myself feels amazing and is what I get when I make choices that help me to stay connected to what I can feel.
Observing the body and it’s feedback in regard to my lifestyle choices has changed my life. In fact for many decisions I consult my body before acting. Never steers me wrong.
Before Universal Medicine I would have thought I was relatively gentle as I wasn’t rough or tough. However, boy did I then feel otherwise once I started to feel my body. If there was something that I wanted done I would put my body under such intensity to complete. For example, moving large pieces of furniture or cleaning the house until late at night running constantly on nervous energy. It was very awkward and quite mechanical when I first started to be consciously aware of how I closed a drawer or carried groceries from the car or washed my face and put moisturiser on. I was inspired to start making changes when I first saw the quality in which Natalie Benhayon, Miranda Benhayon and Deborah Benhayon moved, spoke and held themselves some 10 years ago.
Lovely appreciation of the body and everything we can learn from it when we truly pay attention. Thank you Rosanna.
Making loving choices has a powerful effect on our health and wellbeing, but much more is the power of reflection that is offered to another, as it is through this that they too know that there is much more to their being-ness as sons of God.
Absolutely, making loving choices has a powerful effect on our health and wellbeing,
You make what it feels like to make it more about the body really tangible and practical Rosanna. For a person like me, who also had, and still has, a body that is not supple and lived in his head for a very long time, the things you share make it really practical to know how to change the way I relate to my body.
Body-awareness supports us to create a new marker of gentleness in our bodies through which we can get to know who we truly are.
Roseanne, what a gorgeous blog, it is like gentle breathing in and gentle breathing out with a natural appreciation for the body with simplicity as the key ‘Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself.’
The consistent commitment and dedication spoken of here is so supportive and great to read and get an understanding of this in hearing how another has applied this. Right now I’m listening more clearly to what my body offers and beginning to be more open to it, rather than looking at any pain or stiffness I have as something to fix, looking more widely at how I might be moving and being in my day to day life which may in fact compound this, in other words observing without expectation what my body is saying and being willing to hear it.
Our body is very responsive to our choices, as this blog illustrates. When we listen to our body it speaks wisdom on loving ourselves deeply which not only supports ourselves but everyone else too.
The greater we build our awareness and connection to our body, the easier it is to feel what the body needs to support it and at the same time the things that don’t.
Very true Sally, the stronger our connection is with our body, the easier it is to feel the body’s many messages.
Rosanna, what a simple and very dedicated way of working with your body and building a deepening relationship with it. You listened and the more you listened the more you heard.
’Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself’. I love this quote because it brings it back to the beginning when there were no influences
‘I took feedback from the body itself’ – this is gold. How often have we overridden what the body has been signalling for years and its only communicating to us what didn’t serve it – simple.
What a great relationship you are forming with you and your body Rosanna.
This article brings things simply to an almost common sense. If you treat yourself in a way that almost deliberately prevents you from what is very natural, feeling then this would make sense on some many things. Like the example of your hands as the article gives us, it just made so much sense. We desensitise ourselves which then makes it appear we are less sensitive and yet just like the hand this is only the top level. In other words you can’t obviously feel it on the surface of your skin but that doesn’t mean you aren’t feeling it, it just means part of you can’t feel it. As we are seeing and as I know we can always feel things and we can only try and stop and perceive that this isn’t the case.
A beautiful reminder Rosanna of how life changes when we live in connection with our body and listen to the wisdom we are constant receiving.
Living with connection to our body is an essential foundation to build.
“Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself” . . . this is a beautiful way to learn as we then become our very own scientific experiment and our learning gets registered in our body so it is not just knowledge from the head.
A honourable relationship with yourself is so key, so needed, as we are so precious, so it is time to realize it again – claim that fact, and walk our life in a way that honours every cell of our being – without perfection, but true commitment.
We are very clever. We manage to shape and create a body that supports us moving in a way that guarantees not feeling it, hence not being discerning about life. So, everything is fine, while in truth it isn’t.
“Just as a child would learn – I observed, I listened, I noticed and then I experimented for myself.” Our own body is a true scientific laboratory for life where we can observe the cause and effect of all we do.