Listening to my body

The human body really is an amazing thing, don't you think? It's a bit sad that we often take our bodies for granted. There are times when I am amazingly in-tune with my body, feel every inch of me from my toes, to my fingers, to the hair folicles on top of my head. In these moments I feel very much alive and connected to the world. At other times, I disconnect from certain parts (or all) of my body, usually in an attempt to avoid pain or uncomfortable feelings. What I am learning about myself is my bodily reactions, whether poor posture or feeling nauseous, are in reaction to an emotion. No, this is not rocket science. I realize this makes perfect sense in concept, but in practice I am always taken aback by my mind-body connection (or disconnection, as it may be at times).
This morning I awoke at my usual time, not by my alarm but by my own body-clock. This was a good thing because I quickly realized that my alarm had not gone off and it was past the time I thought I had set it for. Waking up by my own alarm was much more invigorating than being jolted by the external alarm. Every morning I set out to leave some time for me to do some yoga or tai chi, something I've been skipping out on lately. When I practice a few moves in the morning I stretch as long and tall as I can to feel every part of my body. It's very refreshing to do in the morning. Also, it allows my body to communicate with my brain (or rather my mind allows the body to communicate). I began a yoga class this week after a three month hiatus and realized just how tense my body was. It makes me sit straighter throughout the day and therefore reduces the strain from poor posture.
Well, this morning started off great, I awoke with energy and even made it to work early. Then I went and ruined the positive energy by eating a terrible lunch. From the moment I took the first bite I could just feel the negative effects on my body. It's amazing how quickly my energy was depleted and I felt ill. Being in tune with my body makes me feel these effects much more intensely. You would think I would stop eating such horrible food, but my cravings for such food is in direct opposition to the effects on my body. This is especially so with soda. Oh, how I love my soda! But, with my IC, it has a very negative impact on my bladder (not too mention the rest of my body). The past few weeks have been painful in terms of my IC, due to my increased intake of tea and a recent weekend filled with chocolate and wine. I've been trying to stay away from the previously mentioned foods, which inflame my bladder when taken in great quantities, but I'm struggling. It's amazing how a tender mid-section only lessons my intakes of these substances, it does not eliminate them. I can only hope that my desire to be pain-free and have energy outweighs my cravings for them.
I am striving to be more aware of my body, to listen to what it's telling me. Not only will I be more aware of the junk I'm piling into it, but also I hope to gain a deeper understanding of my physical responses. Why do I feel sick to my stomach when I get angry? Why do I react the way I do in specific situations? I'm just trying to learn all that I can about my body, its responses and the awesomeness of human biology. A professor in one of my undergrad biology classes said in response to a student's question about religion vs. science, we know the structure and functions of the body but that the body came together exactly as it did and functions properly more times than not is beyond any scientist or doctor. We know what we know about ourselves. If we would just listen to what our bodies tell us, we would be happier and healtier overall. This is my mission.