There is a steady, gentle power that arises when we deeply attune to the body. It is a power felt in the form of wisdom that doesn’t waver, doesn’t get tangled in stories, or need convincing. This is the body as the oracle: a source of ancient, unwavering guidance that speaks in sensation, intuition, and energy.
Like any muscle, this kind of listening grows stronger the more we practice. Each time we slow down enough to feel what the body is whispering, or sometimes roaring, we strengthen our capacity to trust it.
A culture of mind over body
We live in a society that tells us to think our way through everything, to brainstorm, weigh up the pros and cons, and figure it out logically. This mind-centric approach has been dominant since patriarchy took root, a masculine way of seeking clarity that often overrides the more subtle, feminine wisdom we carry in our bodies. But the body doesn’t need spreadsheets or endless analysis, it gives us answers in real time, when we know how to listen.
When the body speaks louder than the mind
Following a recent proposition to join a new studio an old habit arose in me wanting to come up with a list of pros and cons with my mind to help in the decision making process. Even as the thoughts gathered, my body had already spoken: a heaviness in my chest, a constriction that said this isn’t right for now. Clear. Simple. Direct.
The language of the body
The body communicates through sensation, heaviness or spaciousness, sparks of desire, tightening in the gut, heat that flushes through us, or sometimes a simple, quiet calm. It speaks through pleasure, pain, tension, intuition, and release. Unlike the mind, which offers multiple options and competing stories, the body offers clarity. Its wisdom is ancient, unfiltered, and true.
The transformation of listening
When women begin listening to their bodies instead of overriding them, everything shifts. They feel more alive, experience greater pleasure, and connect to a steady inner power. They begin choosing themselves first, protecting their energy, trusting their instincts, and setting healthier boundaries. Embodied women, who trust in their wise and wild nature, are breaking generational cycles, healing trauma (both lived and inherited), and reclaiming power that has been distorted for too long and, in my opinion, the world desperately needs more of this.
Practices to tune into the oracle
You don’t have to wait for a big decision to start listening. Begin simply:
• Ask a question aloud, then notice what sensations arise in your body. Do they feel expansive or constrictive?
• Use breath, sound, or nonlinear movement to release tension and create space for clarity.
• Take yourself for a hike, roll around on a yoga mat, or drop into a guided relaxation, anything that brings you into presence with your body.
Sometimes resistance will be there too, the urge to keep busy or push through. I know this well, but I’ve learned that when I devote time to stillness and body connection, clarity always arrives.
First encounters with body-wisdom
The first time you really listen, you might notice something subtle: a flutter, a buzz, a shift in temperature or it may be more pronounced, perhaps a tightening, a wave of heat, a sudden release of long-held tension. Trust that whatever comes is exactly what needs to be felt. Keep a journal close by, as sometimes insights arrive as words. Sometimes the wisdom speaks through emotion and sometimes as nothing more than a sense of calm and need for stillness. The more you honour what the body gives you, the deeper the trust grows.
Devotion to the oracle
This deep listening asks for our reverence and daily devotion. The more we commit to listening, the more we realise the body is not a vessel to be controlled or fixed, but a sacred guide. For women especially, this devotion heals the old story that the body is against us. When we start treating the body as sacred, everything shifts. We learn that choosing ourselves first is not selfish, we free ourselves from people-pleasing and perfectionism and begin living from a place of alignment and trust – the ultimate liberation that generations of women who came before us did not get to experience.
A call to devotion
Your body holds answers about your relationships, your boundaries, your desires, your healing, your next step. All it asks is your curiosity and devotion, not once in a while, but as a daily act of love.
Here’s a simple practice you can try right now:
- Pause and arrive. Close your eyes, place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths, letting your exhale lengthen a little more each time.
- Ask your oracle. Gently bring to mind a small question you’re holding today. It might be about rest, connection, or a simple choice ahead. Speak it aloud or whisper it inwardly.
- Listen through sensation. Notice what arises in your body, a flutter, a heaviness, warmth, tingling, ease, or even nothing at all. Let it be information, without needing to figure it out.
- Respond with reverence. Place a hand wherever you feel the sensation most strongly. Breathe into it. Offer thanks for the message, however it arrived.
The more you return to practices like this, the more fluent you become in the language of your body. Over time, the oracle within you grows louder, clearer, and steadier. Your body is not against you, it is your guide, compass, and sacred ally. The more you listen, the more it will show you the way.
If you’d like a gentle doorway into this daily devotion, I created a free practice called Coming to Your Senses a guided experience to help you soften into your body’s wisdom and begin hearing its messages more clearly. You can download it here.
