What does it feel like to take Soul-Aligned Action? Soul-Aligned Action is a buzzword that I often hear in the coaching space, and it immediately reminds me of those times in my life where I have made big decisions that just feel “right for me.” In these decisions, there is both a sense that I am choosing the right path and a sense of surrender to where that path may lead. I remember feeling this way when I chose the college I went to (I applied early decision to Mount Holyoke). Or when I decided to head down the path of studying the Gyrotonic Movement Method, which happened after one Gyrotonic session and became a bedrock of my career as a Movement Therapist. This feeling of “rightness” and “surrender” mark all of my major life decisions.
But what about the little daily decisions and choices that feed our day to day life?
I think it is easier to tap into this feeling of being soul-aligned through the more significant decisions in life where there is an obvious fork in the road. You feel the adrenaline of choice, and know that your decision carries a considerable energy and weight. These are often the decisions we coach or get coaching on and we give plenty of time to assessing and discerning the right choice so we can make the best decision.
But how can we attune to this awareness on a day to day basis? How can you take soul-aligned action in the little choices of what to have for breakfast, how to keep up your exercise routine, or how to respond to a loved one or navigate a difficult situation with a client? These are the day to day situations that we often struggle to navigate or feel like we don’t know the right path. But ultimately, they are the small decisions that make up the flow of our lives and pave the way for the more important choices. So how do we catalyze that energy of “soul alignment” to energize our daily decisions and actions? Creating a practice to listen deeply to your soul’s voice in an embodied way is a great tool to help you take soul-aligned action daily.
Practicing embodiment
Tuning in to your body/soul is KEY in aligning your “being” and your “doing” to creatively approach your day-to-day choices and be the architect of your own transformation.
I think of this as the Body/Soul Creative Alignment Process. I think of the body as the instrument through which we experience and act in the world. William Blake calls the body, “a portion of a Soul, discerned by the five senses.” And I think of the “soul” as that mysterious part of you that is your deeper self. It animates your body and is home to your deepest identity and desires. When the Body and Soul are in creative alignment, your life journey can unfold with authenticity and integrity.
Body/Soul Creative Alignment Process
So how do you connect to and utilize your body/soul alignment daily? What are the key elements that you need to address in your practice?
- Practice tuning into the connection between your body and your soul.
Tune in to what you are sensing and feeling in your body and develop a creative dialogue with the information you receive from your body as a part of your soul. Just bridging the soul and body is the biggest game-changing skill that I teach my clients. It is as simple as just bringing all your energy and focus into being present with your whole self, from a mindset of acceptance, compassion, and curiosity. - Practice releasing your thoughts and connecting to your breath as a tool to bring the mind and body and spirit into balance.
Your body has a natural desire to find homeostasis. Practice releasing tension and letting yourself breathe fully to create a state of relaxation and receptivity so you can listen deeply, without attachment to what comes up. Knowing how to create a relaxed state of non-attachment gives you a tool to get clear on what you are experiencing and what is ultimately meaningful for you about the experience to discern what actions are in alignment for you. - Learn to sense which voice within you that is the deepest voice of your soul.
Ask the curious questions that lead you to your truth and discern the voice of your soul. I have found that these questions are different for everyone depending on their situation. Still, they all take a similar form – they ask you to discern the meaning of truth in what you are experiencing and how it fits and aligns with your greater life purpose or higher truth.
If you practice this creative alignment of body and soul as a way of being daily, you will be able to discern with more ease how to take actions that create balance and alignment for you in your day to day life. And this process of creating greater flow and alignment with your body and soul will gradually transform and create more ease with your significant life decisions.
Dawn Strom
Dawn is a Gyrotonic Master Trainer, Movement Therapist, Coach and Creative Human who loves envisioning unique possibilities and trailblazing new paths. She works with holistic minded, ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to help them RECLAIM deep meaningful purpose, down time and joy.
Dawn Strom
Dawn is a Gyrotonic Master Trainer, Movement Therapist, Coach and Creative Human who loves envisioning unique possibilities and trailblazing new paths. She works with holistic minded, ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to help them RECLAIM deep meaningful purpose, down time and joy.
