If you’re a fan of The Godfather series like I am, this week’s title may sound familiar. It comes from Michael Corleone’s garden confession to a Vatican Cardinal following a diabetic attack. After hearing his array of sins, the Cardinal shakes his head and states, “The mind suffers, the body cries out.” Sounds like a perfect conversation for this month’s topic, Back to Basics.
Earlier this year, author Sonia Choquette casually mentioned at the Hay House Worldwide Summit that she uses chakras as a checklist whenever she’s feeling poorly. What a simple but powerful grounding technique. Instead of downplaying how you’re feeling or trying to intellectualize what’s happening, use the ideas below to quickly diagnose the root of the problem:
To some people, using the chakras is “too woo-woo” for daily life, but I’d point out the practical applications before you dismiss it. I can’t tell you how many meetings I’ve been in where I wished the other person had paid attention to their first chakra. If they had had some type of breakfast rather than 3 cups of coffee, we would concentrate and get things done. Or, have you had lunch with someone too distracted by the argument they had with their teenager or spouse to have a conversation? You can tell that something is eating at them.
Self-awareness may seem painful, but can you imagine making the same mistakes again and again without it? Instead of situations being a moment in time, they become cyclical hurts. All of us know people who get stuck repeatedly talking about the boss who fired them, or the guy who broke up with them years ago. Talking things out can be a necessary processing step. However, each time we relive an experience in our mind and through our vivid, emotion filled words, we relive it in our body. Our insecurity is triggered. Our stomach bothers us. Or our heart gets broken all over again.
As Summer begins to wind down, make a commitment to start using Sonia Choquette’s technique for the rest of the year. Learn how to check in with yourself in seconds and get back on track before “the body cries out”. As the Buddha reminds us, “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”