“Did you know our bodies ‘open’ or ‘close’ depending on what we are thinking and feeling?” ~ Bev Pugh

There are so many ways to move forward in life and create what is really important to us. This month we have Thanksgiving and I’m reminded of a really important learning I experienced. I would like to share it with you.

Gratitude is a much used word and can feel overused. It can be described as good manners, polite and the ‘right’ thing to do and feel. However, there is a whole other level to gratitude – which opens and closes our bodies.

This is what we know both scientifically as well as psychologically. In the area of building vitality and personal power, it is the actual vibration of the word or the effect that it has on us and our bodies that is so important, not the word itself. The effect it has on our body is determined by how open our hearts are when we say it. Our vitality and wisdom can go up or down depending on how we are connected to the words we use. The key here is to notice if we really feel the words we use or do we simply routine them.

What we know is that certain emotions and words like resentment, guilt, shame, judgement, jealousy, or fear create tightness and restrictions in our bodies. We have all experienced muscle tightness. In addition, these states can affect our vitality and mood. Our heart closes to protect us from us. (I am talking about the energy of the heart, not the biological heart)

Other feeling states and words like love, joy, gratitude, understanding, and compassion can relax our muscles and create an open body where energy can flow and we can feel our vitality. Our hearts open.

I am very aware of when my heart is open and when it is closed. I have taught myself this awareness. We all have the ability to open and close our hearts and bodies, but no one teaches us this important information. So I learned through my experience and commitment of understanding who I am on ‘all’ levels. Now it is well documented in the literature. Think of our hearts as a car. All of us are 8 cylinders and most of us are functioning on 2. (I know little about cars, so I hope that analogy works!)

If we say something like “thank you” or “I am so grateful for…”and we consciously say it, feel it, mean it, and are present with it, our bodies actually open up and more energy can flow through us. It is actually the energy of the heart that opens up. Our vitality goes up, and so does our mood and perspective. This is very powerful stuff. Once we really understand, it is incredibly powerful for vitality and perspective and all the things we want for ourselves.

There is a big difference for our wellness when we consciously select and feel and not come from a routine place of good manners. I was taught that “thank you” or “I appreciate” were the right thing to say. And they are. However, once I began to work and understand all the nuances of language, and how that affects our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, I became interested in a whole different way.

When we authentically say and feel a thank you to someone and it’s not an automatic response, but a selected response, the following changes happen for us:

• Our breathing can change and that opens us up
• Our hearts open and warmth is there
• Our compassion and understanding quotients for ourselves and others go up
• Our depth of wisdom becomes more available to us

These are only some of the changes, but look at the scope of mastery that is here for us. We have a great deal more mastery capacity than what we are using.

Happy Thanksgiving, and this month watch the changes in your body and energy as you select and feel what you mean, rather than routining it or taking it for granted.