The Body's 'not so' Secret Language

What if your body isn't working against you, but trying to communicate with you?

For many of us, we don't truly listen to our bodies until something becomes impossible to ignore. A symptom appears, our energy changes, our emotions feel harder to manage, or our body reaches a point where it demands our attention.

But what if these signs aren't the body failing us? What if they are messages asking us to

slow down, listen and reconnect?

Since my work is primarily with women, and I am also a woman navigating this stage of life, I have become increasingly interested in how we experience menopause, as well as health challenges in general.

Looking at health in this way isn't new for me, but I also recognise that there are still not enough conversations happening around it. In many ways, I believe these conversations should begin when we are children. The same principles apply throughout our lives, whether we are experiencing puberty, menopause or any other health challenge. The body is always communicating through its responses, but have we been taught how to listen?

Why does there seem to be a growing number of women struggling with menopausal symptoms for example? I can't help but wonder whether this correlates with the rise in processed foods, non-organic food, sugar, chemicals and electromagetic stress in our homes and workplaces, and the increasing levels of stress we experience every day.

But perhaps the strongest factor affecting us all is unresolved stress and trauma in a world that produces overwhelm on a daily basis.

I'm constantly reminding myself and my clients that it is rarely one single thing making us ill. It's usually a pool of environmental factors, while our bodies literally try to digest everything they're absorbing, from the negative news we may have listened to, to the food we eat, the emotions we carry, and the increasingly chemical and technological world we live in. I do believe we can overcome many of these factors, but it takes a daily practice of listening and responding to our body's needs. When I say "the body", I mean the whole body, including the brain.

For years we've been taught to think of the brain and body as separate, but they are deeply interconnected. I've recently seen headlines claiming that new research suggests trauma is "held in the brain." To me, that misses the bigger picture.

Trauma isn't a thing that's stored in one place, it's an ongoing process. It's how our nervous system responds to experiences it perceives as overwhelming, threatening or beyond our capacity to cope. Because every person's life experiences are different, every nervous system learns different patterns of protection and survival.

Every cell in our body, including those in our brain, is constantly responding to the environment we create through our thoughts, emotions, relationships and experiences. When emotions remain unprocessed or we repeatedly suppress what we're feeling, our nervous system can stay stuck in patterns of protection. Over time, this may contribute to physical symptoms, emotional distress, or a sense that something isn't quite right.

Have you ever noticed a thought that keeps replaying, whether positive or negative? Sometimes that's a sign that your mind and nervous system are still trying to make sense of an experience, that the story hasn't yet found its resolution.

Healing isn't about finding where trauma is "stored." It's about creating enough safety for the whole system to process what it couldn't at the time.

"What you resist, persists." Have you heard that saying before?

So often we push away what needs our attention because it's simply too uncomfortable to sit with. Whether it's difficult emotions or physical symptoms, our instinct is often to silence the discomfort rather than become curious about what it's trying to tell us.

There is, of course, an important place for medication, and for many people it can be life-changing or even life-saving. But medication often focuses on managing and mopping up symptoms rather than exploring why the body has reached that point in the first place. If we only quieten the body's signals (symptoms) without becoming curious about their origins, we may miss an opportunity to understand what our system has been communicating all along in order to fully enjoy life.

One area that particularly saddens me is how many women feel they are left with little choice but to manage menopausal symptoms with HRT, often without a broader conversation about lifestyle, nervous system regulation, nutrition, stress, trauma, sleep and emotional wellbeing.

Personally, I see HRT like other medications for symptoms of non terminal illnesses as something to consider after taking the time to explore the foundations of health wherever possible. In my experience, many people understandably feel they have tried everything, when in reality they may not have been given the guidance, support or time needed to discover what truly works for their unique body. Healing isn't about finding one answer that fits everyone, it's about staying curious, being patient with the process, and recognising that what supports one person may be different for another.

If pysical imbalances and symptoms were the whole story, we might expect every person to experience the same illness in exactly the same way. Yet every person is different. Our experiences, stress levels, health, environment, nutrition, nervous system patterns and previous life events all shape how our bodies adapt to change.

In my own experience, both personally and through working with clients, symptoms are rarely the result of one single factor. When we begin supporting the whole person rather than focusing on one symptom alone, many women notice huge improvements. Sometimes symptoms reduce significantly, and sometimes they disappear altogether. That doesn't mean there is one answer for everyone, but it does remind us that our bodies are wonderfully complex and deserve to be understood, not simply managed.

As our understanding of trauma and disease evolves, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the body and brain cannot be separated. They are in constant communication through the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, each influencing the other moment by moment.

Researchers such as Dr Bessel van der Kolk have spent decades demonstrating how traumatic experiences can alter brain function, body awareness and nervous system regulation. Dr Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory has transformed our understanding of how the autonomic nervous system responds to safety and threat, helping explain why our bodies often react long after an event has passed. Neuroscientist Dr Candace Pert's work further highlighted how emotions influence the body through chemical messengers found not only in the brain, but throughout the entire body.

More recently, research teams working alongside Dr Joe Dispenza have published studies exploring the effects of intensive meditation practices. These studies have reported measurable changes in brain activity, heart rate variability, stress-related biomarkers and aspects of immune function following meditation retreats. Whilst this research is still emerging and does not validate every claim associated with his work, it adds to a growing body of evidence showing that intentional mental and emotional practices can influence our physiology.

Bruce Lipton has also played an important role in bringing epigenetics into public conversation. Epigenetics has shown that our genes are not fixed blueprints. Factors such as chronic stress, nutrition, movement, relationships, sleep and our environment can all influence which genes are expressed. In other words, our biology is continually responding to the world around us.

For me, this shifts the conversation away from asking whether trauma is stored in the brain or in the body. Trauma is not a physical object waiting to be discovered in one location. It is a process involving our entire system. Every experience is interpreted through our nervous system, and when an experience feels overwhelming or cannot be fully processed, those protective patterns can continue long after the original event has ended.

Perhaps that's why healing isn't about interpreting every symptom as something going wrong in the body. It's about creating the conditions in which the whole system feels safe enough to complete a process that was once interrupted. When we understand this, symptoms stop becoming something to fight against and instead become information, our body's way of asking us to listen.

So how do we create those conditions?

It's simple but also easier said than done. Not because it's complicated or hard but because breaking patterns of lifestyle can be very challenging. I'd say it starts with re-education and giving yourself say 6 months to put it all into practice so the results speak for themselves.

However it's not always fun, I speak from experience. I have suffered from chronic disease in the past and it takes willpower when you're in a dark place. When I was at my lowest, there were days I didn't want to practise yoga. There were days I wanted a quick fix. But I kept coming back to the small things I could do, breathing, nourishing myself, slowing down, and over time my body responded. That's why I believe so strongly in this work. Not because someone told me it works, but because I've lived it. I was also driven by an unwavering lust to enjoy life at its fullest. This was my why. Finding your why will be your driving force for change and healing.

I'm a firm believer in practising what you preach. I would never encourage someone to do something that I haven't experienced myself, which is why I feel so passionate about supporting others in this way.

One of the foundations (there are many) of my own wellbeing has been Ayurveda, one of the world's oldest systems of medicine. Its approach is beautifully simple: before reaching for more complex interventions, it first looks at nourishing the body through food, movement, rest and daily habits that help bring the whole system back into balance. This philosophy deeply resonates with me, and it's often where I begin with clients too.

Movement has always been a huge part of my life, and yoga has become one of my greatest tools for regulating my nervous system. Each posture has a purpose. Some create space, some build strength, some encourage rest, and others gently stimulate areas of the body that influence our breathing, circulation, digestion and overall sense of wellbeing. Rather than focusing on "fixing" symptoms, yoga invites the body back towards balance, allowing the nervous system to shift from surviving into a place where healing and restoration can begin.

Whether it's a sequence to support digestion, gentle twists to release tension, restorative poses to calm an overwhelmed mind, or cooling practices that may help during hot flushes, it isn't about doing more, it's about showing up consistently. It's the small daily practices that often create the biggest changes over time.

My advice? Start small.

Yoga

Choose just one or two poses that feel safe, supportive and nourishing, and practise them for 10 minutes each day. Let your attention rest on your breath, your favourite music, or simply the sounds of nature around you. There is no perfect way to begin. The most important thing is to create a space where your body feels listened to, rather than pushed.

Sometimes healing doesn't begin with doing more. Sometimes it begins with slowing down long enough to hear what your body has been trying to tell you all along.

Food

Choose real food. If food has been through multiple processes to alter it, then it's classed as processed food. Even store-bought houmous isn't always as healthy as it first appears, as many brands now contain refined oils rather than cold-pressed oils.

Many highly processed foods can contribute to inflammation when they're eaten regularly over long periods of time, and inflammation (triggering an array of symptoms) is often one of the first signs that the body is under strain. Small, consistent changes are often far more powerful than drastic diets. It's not about perfection; it's about creating an environment where your body has the best opportunity to thrive.

Emotional wellbeing/processing trauma and overwhelm

There are many modalities that can support healing from within. One of my favourites is Energy Psychology using Matrix Reimprinting. As both a practitioner and someone who has experienced this work myself, I have seen huge shifts, not only within myself but also within clients. I've witnessed people process experiences they once felt stuck in, release limiting beliefs and resolve physical symptoms helping them move forward with a greater sense of calm and resilience. Whilst research into Energy Psychology is still evolving, my personal and professional experiences have shown me just how powerful this work can be.

I also encourage clients to take a closer look at their boundaries, their needs, and how honest they are being with themselves and others. Our culture often teaches people-pleasing, perfectionism and the fear of failure, which can lead us to ignore our own needs even when the body is chronically ill. I've noticed we often don't know how to healthily put ourselves first.

Putting yourself first isn't about being selfish. It's about having enough love and respect for yourself to recognise your own needs, whilst still showing love and respect to those around you. When we begin listening to ourselves, honouring our boundaries and giving ourselves permission to meet our own needs with love rather than fear, we create space for genuine healing to begin.

These are just some simple stepping stones to begin your own healing journey, whether you're living with a long-term condition, navigating a recent symptom, or carrying the weight of a trauma that still feels unresolved and continues to affect your life.

Healing isn't about rushing to the finish line. It's about gently committing to the process of unravelling, unwinding and reconnecting with yourself. In my experience, when you choose to stay curious, keep showing up and trust the journey, you'll often discover unexpected gifts along the way. Sometimes those gifts are physical improvements, sometimes they're emotional freedom, and sometimes they're simply a deeper understanding of yourself.

Every small step matters. Every moment you choose to listen to your body is a step towards healing.

Healing isn't always about eliminating every symptom. Sometimes it's about creating a relationship with your body where you feel safe, connected and able to respond to its needs rather than fear its messages.