Coaching for Creatives | Move Your Body

While I was in life coach training with Martha Beck I learned something that has forever changed how I move through life and it was this:

Emotions live in the body.

It seems really simple and perhaps obvious. But think about it – when you’re scared, stressed, worried, excited, anxious, in love, happy – how do you experience those emotions in your body? I find that most of my feelings live in my gut – but sometimes I feel them down in my tailbone or up in my shoulders. And I’ve found that if I don’t move them through my body they can get stuck – which usually results in long-term funks or some sort of meltdown that involves sobbing into my pillow. Now, crying is a legitimate release of emotions* but I’ve found a less traumatic way to move emotions through my body is simply by moving my body, on the daily.

A pattern I’ve uncovered with all the creatives I’ve done one-on-one creative coaching with is that they all want more time to move their body – whether that’s at the gym, a walk in the park, or spending some quality time on the yoga mat. It can be hard to justify the time it takes to move your body when you have important deadlines to meet and emails to answer but I think making time to move your body daily is the most important thing you can do for your creativity. You’re not only moving unproductive emotions out of your body, moving your body allows creativity to move through you.

I’d like to invite you for the next week to tune-in and notice where in your body you feel your emotions. And then I challenge you to spend just one hour a day, every day, moving your body. Make it a non-negotiable priority. Schedule it on your calendar (during work hours is even better!) and make it happen. Take note of how it changes your attitude, productivity, and creativity.

What is your favorite way to move your body? Have you noticed an impact on how it affects your mood or creativity? The mind/body connection is one I’m going to continue to explore over the next few months – so I’d love to hear your thoughts.

*P.S. I love what Tonya Leigh writes about the beauty of crying here.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

P.P.S. If you like this post you might like my DIY Coaching for Creatives Email Sessions. It’s 4 emails x 4 weeks (16 emails total) for just $40. Complete with worksheets, exercises, mantras, meditations, and to-dos for time management, decision-making, and strategies for living more of what you love – in work and life. You can learn more about what you’ll get and purchase anytime here.