Body Intelligence
These practices help me feel connected to my body, ease inflammation and discomfort, and help maintain my baseline of calm, after years and years of feeling the opposite. As many ancient cultures understood, our bodies hold innate intelligence for healing. Our symptoms are communications, signals. Finding ways to soothe our bodies and move with care and intention is essential. Consistently feeding ourselves well, building stability, building trust, comfort and joy through rituals, that is what our soft animal selves deserve.
For me, body intelligence is not about overriding, dominating or fixing the body. It is about softening and listening. Unlearning the belief that rest is laziness and that pain equals gain. The more I connect to my body, the more I feel the need to slow down, nap and aim for everyday ease… in drastic contrast to our world that demands constant productivity as proof of worth. The body knows our limits. Our fascia, organs, digestion, and the whole system keeps score. Our body cannot lie. It is always trying to communicate.
Perhaps when our baseline is fight flight or freeze, anxiety, depression, pain, unease, being still can feel overwhelming and deeply uncomfortable. So often, I’d override my body’s cues for rest, spiraling into long shameful periods of exhaustion and burnout. For most of my life I felt guilt when resting; rewriting this narrative has been life-changing. When the body is allowed to rest and soften, intentional movement becomes medicine.
Qi Gong
Qi Gong has become an essential part of my mornings. After my sunrise walk, warm breakfast, and a short rest, 10 to 20 minutes of practice has drastically improved my energy, reduced inflammation during my luteal phase and deepened my body awareness. I’ve loved Pilates, yoga, somatic and lymph practices for years, but Qi Gong feels like the root of all of it. Simple. Grounded. Ancient medicine in motion. Lu Chin’s wide variety of videos are my current favourites.
I’ve also become deeply influenced by Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM views the body as part of nature, not separate from it, and understands health as the balanced flow of qi through the body, where stress and stagnation cause blockages. Qi Gong is one of its foundational practices, supporting circulation, digestion, immunity and emotional regulation through gentle, intentional movement and breath. Much of my current focus is on warming foods that support the spleen and kidneys, particularly in relation to my long-term symptoms. This way of working with the body feels relational rather than corrective and deeply attuned to the body’s built-in healing power. Safe to say, I’m obsessed with the shifts since aligning with this ancient wisdom.
Somatic
It’s said that the ancient Egyptians, the people of Kemet, understood the lymphatic system as the body’s river of unshed tears. A place where emotion, fluid and memory move together, asking to be witnessed and released.
I practice a simple lymphatic detox known as the Big 6 most mornings and evenings. When I’m consistent, I notice significant changes in luteal inflammation and overall lightness in my body. The practice can take anywhere from two to ten minutes, depending of how much time I choose to devote. My favourite way is after I’ve applied some sacred oils, I lie down in bed and spend about a minute at each point, moving slowly and gently. I often finish by placing my legs up the wall, which feels deeply calming and restorative. Extra lush when I apply a heat back over my belly, lower back (kidneys), or lower legs (points of inflammation for me).
The movement itself is simple and rhythmic. At each point, I gently rub the area in small circles ten times, then follow with ten soft pats before moving on. Over time, the practice has become more about tenderness and consistency. When I began, my left point two held the most tension, along with points five and six. With consistent practice, this pain has eased completely, which has deepened my trust in the body’s capacity to respond to slow, attentive care.
This course by the Workout Witch truly helped me feel instant relief. I return to these practices most evenings or before naps, as they consistently guide my body into a relaxed, restorative state. I’ve purchased both her 30-day Hip course and 18-day Jaw course and couldn’t recommend them both more highly.
Somatic practices have taught me how much the body holds. Areas like the hips and jaw often carry tension, protection and unprocessed emotion, especially after prolonged periods of stress or survival. These practices also support the vagus nerve, helping the nervous system shift out of fight or flight and into rest and repair. Working slowly and gently allows the body to feel safe enough to release, without force. There is much power in nurturing, soothing movement.
Lymph
Cycle Syncing Workouts
Akshaya Agnes has the most beautiful energy and flow. Her low impact practices always make me feel beautiful and connected to my body.
I’ve learned my body does not like anything high intensity or anything that pushes me past my limits. So now, I only choose Pilates and yoga classes that have an intentional mind-body focus. This allows me to enjoy movement and return again and again.
Many women with sensitive (and powerful) nervous systems do not need added stress, pain or strain. We need safety, rhythm and presence. When this switched for me, I unlocked new levels of strength and flexibility in both yoga and Pilates classes. It was amazingly clear; the slower and more controlled I moved, the better my results and stamina became. Whenever my body signals pain, I pause, breathe, reset and begin again. I never stretch or push past a comfortable pace; I respect my body’s cues and divine intelligence. My body’s needs shift day to day.
My go-to when I feel luteal, tender or tired. I take the 15 mins slow and always feel better after. I feel Bailey Brown’s workouts are gentle, soothing and supportive.