A Guide to Body Wisdom Review

A Guide to Body Wisdom: What Your Mind Needs to Know About Your Body is an amazing book from the cover art to the back of the book. There is true beauty throughout this book. Not one detail was missed.

This book is divided into nine sections and includes a troubleshooting guide (index), bibliography and resource guide. Each section begins with the author describing what the sections is about. After that, she shares exercises that help assimilate what was just read. Then, she adds an ‘explore this’ section. The exploration dives deeper into the topic. The format of the book allows you to see where you are right now, figure out where you want to go and enjoy your path to deeper understanding and healing.

Section One is extremely important to read before proceeding through the rest of the book. Waking Up will open your mind to how your body truly feels and how you relate to your body. It can take a lot of practice to become present and be your whole self, body, mind and spirit. Ann Brode shares many exercises to increase present awareness and connection with the body. The first step to move forward is to start moving. This doesn’t just mean exercise. Moving means many different things to many people. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, just do it. Some examples of moving from the book:

• Feel yourself breathing through your entire body.
• Don’t pick up your smart phone and hit social media right when you wake up.
• Use a positive affirmation daily.
• Go out into nature and feel the sun on your skin.
• Take time to be in life and feel some joy.

Section Two includes a Body Wisdom IQ Test. This test will help assess how in tune you are with your body. The results will help you know where you need to focus most in the remainder of the book. The author suggests taking the same test once you complete the book so you can see your growth. The remainder of the sections cover the basics and more advanced topics that will help you use body wisdom for the rest of your life.

My favorite part of the book was Section Five: Healing. The biggest takeaways for me in this chapter are as follows:

• In order to heal, you must change your mind about your body. Thoughts have a lot of power.
• Instead of becoming negative or derogatory towards your body, you should think about the message. If it is negative, you must change your thoughts and words to communicate trust, gratitude, hope and love.
• Get a grip. Don’t panic. Listen to your thoughts and feelings.
• Get proactive. Once you know what is going on in your body, make it personal. Assemble a team to help in your healing, but take responsibility and don’t expect healing to come from somewhere else. Your body can and will heal with the right support and love.
• Be creative. Find and use the extensive resources of your sentient body. Stay positive and be gentle with yourself.

A Guide to Body Wisdom: What Your Mind Needs to Know About Your Body is an excellent book that supplies step by step instructions on how to create an effective, individualized self care program. By reading this book, performing the exercises and techniques, you can stop negative thinking and body shaming. In addition, you will develop intuition, improve relationships, heal your body, boost creativity and personal power.

About the Author

Ann Brode is a longtime resident of Santa Barbara and recognized master in her field. For over 40 years she has focused on the relationship of body, mind and spirit as it shapes the physical experience.

Receiving her BA in 1968, Ann spent 7 years as a motor-perceptual therapist working with young children. In this early work, she discovered that every person learns differently and every body can change and find better balance, grace, and comfort. Seeking to help all people access their full potential for responsive awareness, Ann began extensive training with Movement Therapy and Bodywork pioneer Judith Aston. Using Aston Kinetics principles, Ann worked with individuals and groups to facilitate healing and teach viable life skills. Along the way, she developed a deep respect for the essential unity of body, mind, and soul.

As a teacher, therapist, healer, and writer, Ann is a respected leader in the bodywork community.  She was the founder and director of the Healing Center Foundation, a non-profit supporting integrative health and practitioners in Santa Barbara, and creator of the website, sbHealthSource.org.

For the past ten years she has written on health and body related topics for Health Source Magazine, Santa Barbara Independent, Huffington Post (2016 -2018), Thrive Global, Elephant: Now, Body Mind Network and Somatic Psychotherapy Today Journal. She has also recorded and produced an acclaimed CD entitled Body Breath: Three Guided Meditations.

About the Reviewer

Leigh Ann Tatnall is a retired RN who specialized in geriatrics, hospice and wellness. She has completed a Doctorates in Naturopathy, is a Certified Wellness Counselor and a Reiki Master Teacher. When not reviewing books, you can find Leigh Ann researching lyme disease, cooking, exercising, teaching wellness or crafting therapeutic essential oil blends. For more info, you can visit her on her website: LA’s Blog or Leigh Ann’s Lyme

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Photo by Radu Florin on Unsplash