For the last year or so, I've been immersed in learning a variety of embodiment practices, and they've really changed my ability to be more balanced in my body and more present in all of my body -- not just in my head for half the day.

I was sharing a practice recently with a client who is mentioned restarting a new physical exercise routine after an injury. We were talking about the ways in which our bodies tend to teach us things well beyond just how to better care for them.

Things that related directly to her life and leadership goals, actually.

This has happened to me as well, especially when going through intense physical therapy (twice) to get to the bottom of hip pain that I’d been accommodating for far too long.

That in itself is a whole coaching session right there. The things we're tolerating are always a window into so much more.

In this case, I'd tried a number of other treatments. I’d stretched and needled and had tests and taken supplements. Some of these approaches had short-term results. And yet, after a few months of mostly having turned OFF, the mysterious pain was back ON.

Restoring health and stability to this area of my body reminded me: our bodies so often tell us what we need and what we need to know. 

I used this challenge to build strength. Among other things.

For my client, the key lesson was self-compassion. A strength she can draw on. Among others.

Here are four key takeaways of our conversation, all of which have game-changing influence well beyond making a body work better.

It's hard to function well without a strong foundation.

It turns out that the core muscles designed to support me in basic movement weren’t doing their job properly. In other words, I needed a stronger foundation. For my client, there were essential systems that were not functioning well.

Takeaway: What weakened the foundations? The same things that do in other parts of life.

It was a variety of the usual culprits: not paying attention, letting things go on too long instead of addressing them right away, pushing the limits beyond what is reasonable, creating imbalances, getting stuck in habits that aren't aligned with the goal. Are there cracks or weaknesses in the foundation that supports your life? If so, consider this your invitation to fix them!

An engaged core creates natural strength and stability.

As a reasonably active person who does yoga a lot, I’ve always thought my core was strong enough. But because of the way I’m made, it needs even more stability. Getting in touch with stabilizing muscles through a battery of carefully selected exercises had me standing taller and moving easier. My client found that strengthening her core had her healing faster and in better form to restart basic fitness activities.

Takeaway: The way you are made informs everything.

You can’t create stability or sustainable success in any part of your life & work without paying attention to the core of who you are and what your strengths are. What’s vitally important for you? Where is your heart engaged and embedded? Where are you naturally strong that you can build on? What are the daily actions that create (or could create, if you were consistent with them) more strength and stability in your life?

When you're in balance and not in conflict, life is more fluid, more effective, less painful.

Otherwise, you're always making it harder than it needs to be. And we all have places where we're doing this. After some investigation and an equal amount of testing and trying, it was clear that there was not one single source to my pain. Everything is connected. One muscle not functioning properly was causing tightness in another, which was putting pressure on a joint, which was causing … you get the idea. For my client, her imbalanced diet was impacting digestion which was unsettling other parts of her body.

Takeaway: A holistic, balanced approach always gets the best results.

Just embracing this one viewpoint can change all the games, of course. Sustainable success is not possible without engaging what is within your control to balance.

The right solution may be the next one you try.

If you know how you want to feel and don’t give in or give up. If you don’t settle. If you keep the end in mind and your mind open to new solutions. If you test and try. If you trust that the right solution will reveal itself. If you continue to experiment and take strategic action that is taking you closer to where you want to go...

Takeaway: Keep going.

Foundation. 

Strength. 

Balance. 

Perseverance.

Four simple lessons with wide-reaching results. 

Which one resonates for you? What game could it change for you?