Are you listening to your heart (and gut)?
I’m sure you get those feelings in your gut that say “Yes, do it!” or “This is a bad idea”. And sometimes, against all logic, your heart leaps and takes you somewhere your cephalic (head) brain is telling you strongly not to go! I would say that the best decisions are those where our three brains give us a connected feedback and we do not just follow what one of them is saying.
We have three brains: cephalic, cardiac (heart) and enteric (gut). “All three of these brains share similarities in that they are able to independently process, store and access information when needed.”[1]
Whether we are interested in the scientific side or just in how an awareness of the three brains can help us, it is worth reminding ourselves that this understanding is ancient. It is in our language. “I have a gut feeling”. “My heart tells me one thing, my brain another”. We have always known that there are three areas of the body that guide us.
When I am considering a big decision, I meditate, think on it all, go for walks and let it rumble around in my brains…..when I have the answer I can feel it in my body, like a big “YES!”. I started the British Fascia Symposium and The Fascia Hub based on this feeling. It didn’t mean it was going to be a bed of roses, but it was the right thing for me to do. If I had just listened to my cephalic brain, its logic would have told me not to take such a huge risk, but the passion for what I was doing provided balance and I started something that led to what I do now; something I love and which works for me on so many levels. I would never have imagined this would be my life…..it is even better than anything I could have thought of!
The process I have described involves all three decision makers, taking into account the different aspects of me, of who I am. It is a joined-up decision and I can feel it throughout my body when it happens.
So, listen to your heart and gut. If you are forced into a decision but can’t eat, or feel dread and nausea, or you fall ‘in love’ but your brain and gut are saying “No”, at least take time out to walk, meditate, feel the truth of what your body and mind are saying. It may not stop you making mistakes, but over time you will start to trust it, and listen to it more confidently.
[1] The 3 Connected Brains of Human Nature – The Fascia Hub Daren Knight for The Fascia Hub.