Your body needs TLC

Five Embodied Ways to Honor Your Body’s Natural Rhythm

Hello AFIYA Readers! It’s great to be with you again. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about the body’s chronotype; our natural rhythm of sleeping, waking, alertness, creativity, and rest. In Part 1, we explored awareness as the first step toward transformation. Before we can support the body differently, we first have to learn how to listen to it and ask it what it needs.

In this article, I want to respond to a question many readers may now have:

How do I live according to my chronotype in a world that does not honor it?

Many of us have employment, obligations, deadlines, and people depending upon us.

And still, there are productive ways in which we can honor our body’s rhythm. With a bit of discernment, attention, and care, you can move through the day with greater steadiness, clarity, and spaciousness.

Here are five embodied ways to honor your chronotype while also meeting the demands of the world.

1. Gently nudge your body awake

Creating a thoughtfully paced morning ritual allows your body and mind to naturally nudge itself awake. What are things that feel good that you can incorporate into your morning? For example, if you enjoy drinking coffee or tea in the morning, sit quietly as you sip. Take deep breaths. Invite your body to wake up at a pace that feels natural.

You can also speak to your body, acknowledging that it has a pace that is different from the world’s rhythm. Let your body know that you are aware of this and care about it.

You can also speak to your body, acknowledging that it has a pace that is different from the world’s rhythm.

2. Strategically assign tasks according to the type of energy available

A body’s energy ebbs and flows in fairly consistent ways.^[1] Arranging your tasks according to the state your body is in can help with stamina. For example, if you tend to have more productive mental energy in the morning, consider tackling cognitively demanding tasks first. If your body becomes more social or emotionally open later in the day, reserve meetings, phone calls, or collaborative work for those periods. Working with your body’s natural energy patterns can help reduce unnecessary strain and create greater sustainability throughout the day.

3. Schedule bite-sized physical resets throughout the day

Many of us wait until the end of the day to finally rest our bodies. Unfortunately, by this point, the body is often already deeply depleted. Consider incorporating small moments of physical restoration throughout your day instead. This can look like:

• Doing a 10-minute Pilates or stretching workout between tasks
• Taking a short walk outside
• Laying flat for a few moments
• Drinking water slowly without screens
• Taking a few deep breaths and sitting in silence before moving onto your next task.

These small moments may seem insignificant, but they can help interrupt stress accumulation and support the body throughout the day.

4. Create a workaround protocol for low-energy moments that require productivity

There may be moments throughout the day when your body is asking for rest, but your responsibilities require you to continue moving forward. During these moments, gently practice a workaround. For example:

• Consider switching from typing to voice notes
• Dim harsh lighting
• Move to a quieter environment
• Listen to songs that prompt peace and rest

When you practice your workaround protocol, your body will begin to understand that moments of necessary override do not automatically mean self-abandonment.

5. Set healthy boundaries

In moments where you are more flexible with your time, consider checking in with your body before agreeing to optional obligations or activities. There may be moments where your body is quietly asking for rest, silence, slowness, or restoration; yet out of habit, guilt, or pressure, you continue saying ‘yes’. Pause before committing yourself. Ask your body whether it has the capacity for what is being requested. By honoring rest times, you will find that your body has greater stamina overall.

Conclusion

I hope this article serves as a gentle reminder that your body is not a machine. It is a living, breathing rhythm. Even within systems and cultures that require override, there are ways to move with greater care and attentiveness. May you continue learning how to be in the world, but not of the world. Asé

^[1] Schmidt, C., Collette, F., Cajochen, C., & Peigneux, P. (2007). “A Time to Think: Circadian Rhythms in Human Cognition.” Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24(7), 755–789.