And so from the breath, we move to the words it fuels. From the messages the body tells us to the things we need to say. This post is all about expression (in all it’s forms) and your body.

Picture this, a relative has asked you to attend a family engagement but it clashes with something you already decided you prefer to do. How do you handle it? Make an excuse? Say you’ll go, then cry off last minute? Ignore the request and hope it will go away? Go along and feel peeved that you missed the other thing? Or… Sensitively explain that you can’t make it, proudly stand your ground and feel no need to justify your choices for your life?

I would love to say I achieve the latter every time, but really 9 times out of 10 I find thinking about expressing myself in a difficult situation, a terrifying prospect. First of all I have to be sure of my position, ready to state it, fearless and ready to face the fallout but confident that what I have chosen to say is ok. Instead I feel scared that I wont be heard, will be misunderstood, judged or rejected so often I clam up, mumble or don’t express myself clearly at all, or worse…start to express my point… then backtrack to timidity.

But I know which feels better and there is good evidence to back up the importance of expressing yourself clearly. This awesome article talks about how lack of expression affects our bodies

So lets work on expression.

Thankfully it doesn’t have to involve us jumping up on a stage and professing our wisdom, position, innermost thoughts to an audience of thousands (although total props to those who can and do, do exactly that) like this lady…

7 Ways of expressing yourself
(easy to hard) and help with the hardest

1.  Journal: write write write, think it ink it (there is a whole bunch of evidence to show that journaling makes you healthy http://mic.com/articles/110662/science-shows-something-surprising-about-people-who-still-journal
2. Draw: not into words? Try drawing instead, painting, sculpting and creating. http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/12/how-i-freed-myself-through-vulnerability-sami-jankins/
3. Make noise: Any noise, sing, shout, growl just practice getting sound out of your body
4. Be quiet: …shhhh, don’t speak, don’t listen to music, don’t watch a video, just be quiet to help you listen to what you need
5. Listen: to others, it’s the highest form of communication. Listen, really listen to what others are saying as it might surprise you
6. Don’t ghost: (i.e. don’t end something like a relationship by not communicating at all, please)
7. Direct conversation with the person you need to talk to

Want some help with the hardest?

How to have that hard, direct conversation….

– Take a breath.
– Gently massage your neck, then gently place your hand on your throat (communication centre)
– Take a breath into the heart
– And as you breathe out picture the breath travelling up and out carrying your words with it.
– Breathe to get some flow behind the words and to ease them out.
– Breathe to be gentle with your words

Or book in for a reiki or amanae session to help ease through the communication blocks.

I promise if you speak from the heart you will be heard and if you are not, then maybe it’s time to walk away from those who don’t want to hear the real you.

Have some Madonna to get you inspired

Hope this helps,

See you soon

Cat Moyle
Holistic Body Worker and Wellbeing Adviser on the Island of Malta