Listening to the Body: The Simplest and Most Difficult Thing on the Spiritual Path

However, how many times do we eat something we know harms us? How many times are we in places where we don't want to be, to please others? How many times do we force ourselves to sustain routines, conversations or situations that drain us, while the body tries to warn us in every way possible?

The complexity is that in the name of spiritual growth we often impose silences on the body. We fill it with "correct" practices, impeccable routines and elevated labels. We do yoga, pilates, fasting, detox, green juices, meditations... without realizing that perhaps the only thing our body needs is rest, sugar or simply a moment to do nothing. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing is to eat a hamburger if that brings you back to yourself.

Being spiritual is not about having a perfect diet or following a universal pattern. It is learning to discern what your body needs at each stage. Because what nourishes you is not always what looks good on social media. And what you "should" eat may be completely disconnected from what truly sustains you.

One of the reasons it becomes difficult to listen to ourselves is that we carry beliefs, vows, loyalties and mandates that we don't question. Many times we eat as we learned to do at home. We choose foods out of fear of gaining weight, getting sick, breaking a promise we made in the midst of a crisis. We feel guilty if we stray from the path traced by someone else.

And we do it with good intention. Because we want to do it right. We want to heal. We want to be in harmony. But without realizing it, we choose from history, not from the present. From duty, not from desire. From fear, not from feeling.

The body doesn't lie. It has no ego, no filters. It only knows how to express what it needs to be in balance. Ignoring it is ignoring our most immediate truth. Listening to it, on the other hand, is an act of humility and presence.

Listening to the body can hurt, because it shows us incoherences. But it can also free us. It can teach us to live with less demand, with more compassion, with more truth.

Perhaps today you don't need another new practice. You only need to close your eyes and ask yourself: what do I really need? What would be good for me, without judgment, without expectations, without fear?

That simple question can transform everything.

The true awakening begins when you learn to listen to yourself in the most intimate way. Not from the mind. Not from duty. But from the body, which has silently held your entire story.