…I was walking my doggies in the park today and received a beautiful lesson from a duck.  Yes, a duck!  As I was walking along, I noticed one lonely duck sitting in the grass.  He noticed us immediately and I saw him quickly sink down into the grass.  Lower and lower he crouched until his entire green head blended in and was covered by the long spring lawn.  Wow.  What a wonderful lesson.  And I thought… we can learn so much from nature… when we just slow down enough to notice…

…This duck was doing what animals do instinctively.  He was protecting himself.  To him we were this strange, gangly looking creature walking upright and two four legged beasts pouncing along the pavement.  How did he know we were just out for our morning exercise?  He had no idea that we meant him no harm and that in fact… my dogs did not even notice him at all!  The duck was doing what all animals do.  He was following his instincts and feeling the physical cues he was getting from his surroundings…

…Now as I was walking along and watching this happen, I was saying out loud in a friendly voice “It’s ok Mr. Duck.  We are not going to hurt you.”  I smiled to myself and was in awe of what had just occurred.  How beautiful.  How telling.  How wonderful.  A lesson for me so early in the day and a lesson from nature.  I reflected upon how this experience with the duck related to my own busy life…

…Animals instinctively protect themselves.  They follow their intuition.  They feel physical cues within the body.  They are mindful of their present moment.  Humans, while able to do this, often have lost this ability somewhere along the way of the busy shuffle.  A lot of times we make decisions from our minds.  We have to “think things through.”  And unfortunately, we often say “yes” when our entire body and being is feeling or trying to tell us to say “no.”…

…Have you ever noticed something happen to you like this?  A friend calls you up asking for a favor.  You had a relaxing night of reading, music, and a bubble bath already in mind.  You are exhausted and drained from your busy week.  All you want to do is rest.  But somehow, for some reason, you wind up hearing yourself squeaking out a “yes, I can be there.”  And I mean squeaking… when we say “yes” when we really mean “no” it changes our body structure so much that even our voice is at a different vibrational pitch…

…Ever remember a time where you said “yes” and really meant it?  Your voice is steady, strong, and deep.  It comes from the depths of your belly.  And when you say “yes” and mean it… what happens?  Your stomach relaxes, your heart rate slows, your breathing is deep and even, and you are comfortable and relaxed.  But what about the times you want to say “no?”  Tension fills the back, tightness comes into the jaw, fists may clench, and the stomach churns.  We are getting physical cues from our bodies… we are just ignoring them!…

…And why is this the case?  How come we cannot be like the duck I saw this morning?  Why can we not take example from our friends in nature?  Is it that difficult to touch base with instinct and live from feelings and intuition?…

…As a society we have developed so fast and far technologically.  We are trained in school to think, question, and research.  Our brains are running a mile a minute.  We get so much information… too much information that we are overloaded with material.  We have lost touch with our very nature of primal experience.  We have forgotten to live from and feel from our physical cues.  So what can we do to strengthen this part of our being?  How can we tap into our instinct and intuition?…

• First, we can slow down.  I write about this time and time again, but it is just that important.  We must avoid the rush, the hurry, and the non-stop action.  We must take a moment to just sit.  We must set aside time in our day to relax and just breathe.  We have to create our own practice of slowing down, becoming aware, and touching base with ourselves.
• Next we can breathe.  Make it your practice to touch base with your breathing from time to time throughout your day.  Set five minutes to just sit with your breath at the end of your day.  Inhale and exhale slowly in and out through your nose.
• Observe your body.  The next time you have to make a decision… before you make it cerebrally, check in with what is going on physically.  How fast is your heart beating?  Are you sweating?  How does your stomach feel?  What is going on with your breath?  Does your face, jaw, and fists feel tight?  Or are you relaxed?  Notice your physical sensations and then make your decision truly based on how you feel.
• Recognize your “yes’s” and “no’s”.  Which things do you enjoy doing so much you could do them all day?  What things do you avoid like the plague?  Bring more “yes” experiences into your life.  Protect yourself from the “no” situations.  Knowing what you enjoy and what makes you cringe will make a world of difference.

How do you make decisions?  Do you touch base with how you are physically feeling?  What subtle cues is your body trying to send you?