Connection to Curiosity

Developing a deeper connection to curiosity is something that needs to be cultivated with care and intentionality. Making a conscious effort to enhance one’s sensitivity to their inner world might not always feel like a natural inclination, I like to think of it as a posture of the heart. Taking a stance of curiosity can offer such depth of meaning to your interpersonal relationships, even enhance overall wellbeing and quality of life. When living in such a technological heavy world, we are saturated by information on the daily and it’s easy to be so full that we are desensitized from our inner voice at times. Creating a practice to reconnect with yourself can help develop curiosity that offers sustainability within your life. When you make a habit of checking-in with your needs whether relationally, emotionally, mentally or physically it can make space for care.

Attunement is a profound gift to be on the receiving end of; however sometimes people forget that they can gift themselves this offering simply by asking the right questions. Slowing down costs us very little and it can be the secret ingredient to changing your overall trajectory simply through a moment of realization and self reflection. We’ve lost contact with ourselves and each other when we allow complacency and fatigue to keep us from connecting with tender emotional places within. So many things have propensity to get in the way of a practice of being mindful with our process, whether that be work deadlines or familial responsibilities, life’s situations have a way pulling at our attention and distracting us from what matters most. For an embodiment practice, I invite you to consider: focusing in on your heart center, deepening your breath, grounding through your feet to feel more connected with yourself as you pay attention to what’s coming up internally. So often we avoid our emotions because it might not be convenient, however creating space for curiosity can be the medicine that mends interoception for the purpose of embodying your voice in a deeper way.

If you are in survival mode and feeling stuck, it’s very easy to default to just coasting on auto-pilot instead of making a lifestyle adjustment to embody your emotions more fully. This is especially difficulty when you’re just trying to get through the day and struggling with stress or trauma related symptoms. When operating from a more surface level place of being over-stimulated, inundated by information and numbed out to deeper states of consciousness it is challenging to be desirous for something more fulfilling when you’re already so overwhelmed and your system is on overload, you are essentially on the edge of dissociation if not already there. Unfortunately living on this edge is not sustainable longterm and will leave you feeling unfulfilled, dissatisfied and disillusioned by various aspects of life. It is at this point that you need to reset and get grounded, when you are at capacity and there is no space for additional sensory input. To reduce this level of discomfort I love the practice of meditation and breath work, especially if you need to empty your mind of the clutter and refocus on what matters most to you in that given moment. You might not even be aware of what’s bothering you and it may be coming out sideways through passive aggressive interactions with a partner or loved one; by making room to be more intentional with simple self reflective listening you can widen your capacity to heal.

Reconnecting with your somatic awareness allows for a sensitivity to emerge that invites your voice to matter instead of being dismissed, ignored or shut down. You have the ability to set boundaries that invite your inner dialogue to emerge more freely in a way that lets curiosity be an active part of discovering what kind of care you might need in a given moment. The practice of not self-abandoning starts by paying attention to what’s coming up in your mind, heart and body. From this posture of curiosity you are more able to make decisions that reflect your values and less likely to be driven by fear and anxiety, which is where more impulsivity and recklessness tends to reside. I find that relationships are also more fulfilling when we are willing to connect deeply to our inner world, from this place it is much easier to articulate and communicate our desires and needs to others. You get to flip the script by changing the narrative and general outlook of how you engage your story on both a relational and practical level through fostering space for curiosity to flourish.