I have recently returned from the enchanted wild beaches of South Mexico where the ocean is wild and wise and furious– and it has sent me home with a great teaching.
On an offshore boat trip in the Pacific, we followed a radio signal that there were whales traveling through, and headed full-speed toward the location, all ten of us passengers brought to the edge of our seats for the possible encounter with the massive ocean dwellers! Our bodies, bursting with exhilaration and animated with spontaneous movement, came fully still the moment we spotted the giant tales of humpbacks splitting the waters with stunning, slow-motion synchronism. Just as we were reaching an intimidating proximity, one of the whales leaped out of the water and spun a breathtaking pirouette in the air, followed instantly by another whale's jump, in a remarkable response to our electrified presence.
And as if the waves of human-animal connectedness had quickly radiated around the ocean, we soon came into another enchanted ocean "garden" where literally hundreds of dolphins surrounded us on all sides, traveling and leaping together, in and out of the water, in a dreamlike spectacle of joy and freedom, for as far as the eye could see.
A knowing emerged then, not in my head, not through conclusion, but in my deepest felt sense, in the most internal landscape of emotion and sensation: The greatest level of intelligence is not the one measured by the intellectual capacity we humans pride ourselves with, but by the capacity to feel, sense, synchronize and connect beyond the verbal, tuned to the intelligent pulse of the planet. The kind of intelligence that connects whales and dolphins to sunlight, fish, humans, and water, to an inner clock and a compass guiding them for thousands of miles on their journey at sea.
This is the intelligence of nature, and it lives in the body, it breathes in the pause between thoughts, it pulses in the sensual awareness of muscles and tissue, it connects all bodies to the base frequency of interconnectedness.
In us humans, it is the intelligence stirred to aliveness and purpose by bringing the blazing potency of the mind to soften just enough as to notice the subtle play of the senses, the myriad signals that our body is sending to the mind, informing our experience of self, world, and other, a living compass always tuned to the greater flow, to the heart of the earth, guiding us to openness, receptivity, and inner knowing.
There are answers more readily available through the body and its sensual language than through the grappling mind. At its best, body intelligence will work in cooperation with the intellectual mind and inform its problem-solving, planning and analytical abilities, bringing our movement through life to harmony with ourselves and all life.
This is why Body IQ, the intelligent quotient of the living body, is so essential.
And unlike mental ability, body intelligence is a given, it is not a learned skill. The only learning to do is to give it our attention.
What are some signs that you are utilizing and advancing your Body IQ?
1. You feel deeply, excitedly alive.
2. Your intuitive sense is sharpened and leading.
3. You feel connected to your emotions, desire, and to the moment-to-moment sensations of being alive.
4. You are aware of where your thoughts and beliefs live in your body, and of their impact on your wellbeing.
5. You are able to feel the full-body "yes" or "no" responses to life situations and have the easeful, embodied knowing of how to act.
6. The level of desire to create, participate, and express is significantly heightened.
7. You feel connected to humans, animals, plants and nature at large.
8. The mind is relaxed and attentive.
9. You are in a state of flow.
It is why body IQ is central to the work we do together through the INTUITIVE Body & Dance experiences. Let's continue cultivating the gift of sensory discovery and body intelligence!
