Are You a Walking-Head Buddha?

I’m in session. My intuitive mind slowly moves down the inside passage of an esophagus. I’m observing if anything arises and makes its presence known. It could be inflammation, distortions in tissue, nerve dysfunction, or the opposites.

It’s all unknown to the intuitive beginner’s mind.  

Intuition seeks out that which is in harmony and out of harmony at varying perceptual levels and degrees of scale and scope.

I’m down near for the esophageal sphincter and because intuition is such an adaptable boundary-less skill, I’m simultaneously observing both inside and outside the esophagus. Looking at blood flow, nerves within the wall, and other sections of tissue.

Then, it happens. Observing without pretense, anticipation, or an intention to look for a specific thing or something I may have seen before ... “It” shows up. As Obi-Wan says in the movie Star Wars, “There’s a tremor in the Force.”

My attention is gently pushed downward, into the lining of the stomach. The place from where the shout out comes.

“What’s happening!“ “I don’t know which way to go!“ “I never get any help and I need some help!“ “I’m lost … I just can’t do this anymore!“

There’s the tremor — embodied emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is not always negative or freaked out. It’s often delightful, contemplative, and joy-filled.

 I’ll never forget the time I was speaking with a client and my intuitive lens just happen to be passing through the stomach wall on my way to her beautiful liver. As a medical intuitive you do this type of thing.

Before I got to her liver I was halted by a delightful image of watching someone careen down that first hefty drop on a roller coaster, shouting, “Wheee!“

I burst out laughing, which often happens. (I’m certain that makes some clients twist en eyebrow until I can explain myself.) 

Still chuckling, I told my client what I was seeing. She let out a howl and said that she’d stopped at an amusement park the other day to ride the roller coaster after work, simply because it’s fun.

There you go. What we do. What we say. How we feel matters. 

Emotional intelligence is part of our cellular structure. Emotional chemistry influences our general chemistry and our cells. 

Our body is filled with wisdom regarding what to do. How to do it. When to do it. Where and with whom to do it. It’s all there. 

The challenge is that we don’t listen to our bodies. We’re up in our heads. In the vast caverns of our mind, letting it spin us around hither and yon.

We can’t help ourselves. The mind seems to rule everything. We think we are the mind. The mind thinks it is us. The mind can be a crazy do-da, running us into the socially-constructed and self-erected walls of our lives.

Yet, there are several types of mind. Your intuitive mind — the direct pipeline from God to soul to self. There’s your wounded-self mind. Your academic and rational mind. Your mom and dad mind, etc. 

It’s all in there jamming through circuits, popping chemistry across the synaptic gap of your precious neurons; and they are precious. Because when your neurons aren’t connecting, well, you know it. That’s not fun. 

I run across Walking-head Buddha Syndrome quite often in my medical intuitive, teaching, and spiritual counseling. Hence, my reason for putting a name to this condition and to developing solutions as well. 

It typically occurs when bright empathic people have lost touch with their body. It’s easy to do. 

Overuse technology, be empathic, forget to exercise and eat well, no time for yourself, overthink everything, worry, practice perfectionism, and keep your mind in high gear to the degree you can’t slow it down any more. Add these ingredients together, while layering inherent talents, sprinkle in overzealous habits, and stir with a dollop of poor sleep and the art of plate spinning.

Voilà! You have Walking-Head Buddha Syndrome. 

The result of which is: continued overthinking; anxiety; a feeling of falling off a cliff at any moment; anger (expressed or repressed); impatience, with self and others; sleep disturbances; digestive issues; water retention; cranky livers and lymph systems; the desire to run away, quit, hide, push others out of your way or life; and constant leg movement and wiggling — your body’s morse code for, “Help ME!”  … and on and on.

The inner cries for help from your body have gone unattended and your busy bee Buddha head has detached itself from your shoulders, now walking at least 10 feet in front of your body, thinking it alone knows the way.

 However, in this life it’s a package deal. A triune — soul, mind, and body. Ignoring this leaves your body’s wisdom and it’s needs in the dust. Your once calm Buddha-like mind has been taken over by many minds. 

As we’ve been discussing over the last months, the power you have as a human being occurs when you land in your body and align sweetly with your empathic intuitive self.

Physiologically your belly — the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestinal tracts tell your brain what to do. There are more neurons in this part of your system than in your spinal cord. That’s a system to which you need to pay homage.  

It’s your energetic and electrical transducing station. Your life processes in your belly and then your brain/mind has its way with those signals, rightly or wrongly. 

Second guessing yourself is the keystone of bad decision making. Trust your belly mind. 

When we’re intuitively smart, we’re listening to our bodies. It will always tell you which direction to go. When you can’t hear your body there are too many minds.

The cure for Walking-Head Buddhist syndrome is manifold. One aspect deals with your self-esteem, which is vast material for future writings. Another path, which its clarity and success is predicated on your self-esteem, is learning how to listen to your body.

With technology and artificial intelligence penetrating so deeply into our lives — and our cells — we can’t afford to lose our body’s intelligence and wisdom. 

The opinion that matters most in your life is yours. Your powerful body-centric empathic feelings will whisper, alert you, and calmly tell you where your inner compass is pointed and if it’s in a good direction for your current life course or not.

As I’ve said before, life is complex but we make it complicated. You can unwind what isn’t working by listening to your body and having the self-esteem to courageously follow what’s true for you. Small steps at first. Then bigger leaps occur. 

Be brave. Start listening and acting. I do this too. There is no perfection here. Life is messy and marvelous. 

We all have to listen … and keep listening.

You’ll get off course. When that occurs, you’ll receive a signal that you need to turnabout. Listen. Feel it. Course correct. Keep your Buddha head on your shoulders. 

You have to. YOU HAVE TO … be yourself. As my friend Mike Robbins, a former pro baseball player, wrote about in his book about authenticity entitled, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken. 

You have no choice to be you. Stop fighting it! … please.

Your assignment this week is to reconnect and listen to your body.  

Sit quietly in a chair or out in nature for 5-15 minutes, or longer. 

Visualize grounding roots extending from your feet, legs, and tailbone. Down into the earth they go, spreading throughout the rich loamy soil like a beautiful oak tree — strong, steady, and deeply rooted.

Now, ask for the light of your Spirit to gently move in through the top of your head and flow down into your belly.

Let this light continue to flow downward. Keep your mind’s attention on your belly as the light is building, swirling, and flowing within the central part of your body.

Allow this light to expand in the way in which it needs to. You’re the observer. The holder of this light.

Allow it to expand throughout your body as needed. Let it circulate out around you.

Sit with the light. Sit in the state of easy observance. 

Maintain your mind’s attention at or near your belly and waist. 

The purpose here is to drop the mental and energetic center of gravity down into the belly and connect with the power of your body.

Listen to and feel your body. Breathe. In and out. 

If you’ve had a hectic day sitting at a computer too long. Too much analytical and chaotic work. Chafing relationships. Worried about bills. Whatever’s going on with your life or your family or in your environment that stresses you out, come back to this very simple practice.

Drop the center of gravity down and reconnect your single-pointed mind with your one and only body, releasing the chatter. 

In doing so, you’re connecting  your beautiful Buddha mind back with your body where it belongs.

Until next week. Be well. Be happy.

I bow to you…