In Hawaiian culture, the most revered teachers and elders are not the ones with the most knowledge, or even with the highest IQs. Rather, the yardstick by which respect and honor is given is how connected you are to your instincts. The Hawaiians believe the seat of intuition lies in the belly, near the location Traditional Chinese Medicine calls the dantien. In Hawaiian, it is called your na’au.
Those who are most connected to their na’au are the masters. The leaders. And the shamans — those who speak freely with the ancestors, the ocean, and who walk in both the physical and spiritual worlds.
Your na’au is so important, say the shamans, because it is the gateway to your Higher Self. Your Higher Self is all-knowing — it’s connected to your past, your future, Spirit, Earth, and everything in between. It knows all the things you’d ever want a crystal ball to show you, but it won’t share its knowledge with your monkey mind. No, your Higher Self speaks only to your na’au, so to be connected to the answers as the shamans are, you need to make friends with your gut.
I’ll say that again.
Your belly is connected to your Higher Self. To Spirit. To All-That-Is.
Not your mind. Not your logic. Not your cleverness. Not your lists of pros and cons. Not Google.
Your humble belly.
And yet, so many of us dislike our bellies. We’ve been taught to be ashamed of belly folds, jiggles, and pooches. Even when those jiggles come from the sacred act of bringing a child into this world, we are taught to cover them up, suck them in, and aerobicise them away.
We don’t breathe deeply, because it means letting our bellies expand. We cinch our belts and tighten our abs to look slim and fit. And I’ve heard on too many occasions to count, “I hate my belly.”
What do you think happens to that second brain, as the gut and its enteric nervous system has been called, when we hide, dismiss, condemn, and shame its very epicenter?
It shuts down.
Wouldn’t you?
It may still broadcast a weak signal that allows us to feel butterflies in our stomachs or to be aware when something is gut-wrenchingly disturbing, but imagine the world that would open up if we would just extend an olive branch to that gorgeous pooch…
First, a bit about the bundle of neurons we call the mind.
The 3 Minds
There are 3 levels to the mind.
The part you’re most aware of is your conscious mind. This is who most of us think we are. It’s the part of you that makes decisions, does algebra, makes dinner, participates in meetings… It’s also that voice in your head that narrates, judges, replays conversations, has arguments with itself, makes grocery lists while you’re driving, chatters on about everything you’re worrying about or ashamed of… You know, that voice.
The unconscious mind is what keeps your heart beating, your immune system working, your digestion humming… It’s also the part of you that takes over your breathing when you’re not paying attention, and can even drive you to work while you think about something else. (Pretty cool!) Your Your unconscious mind is also responsible for your gut feelings, which are relayed to you via the enteric nervous system. As you know, those nerves in your gut don’t chatter on like your monkey mind. Rather, they speak in feelings and knowings.
And finally, the superconscious mind is the part of you that the Hawaiians call your Higher Self. This is the part of you that’s connected to what the physicists call the Zero Point Field. The rest of us might call it All-That-Is. Or even Spirit.
As you can see, your belly is the only center that communicates with every other part of your consciousness.
Both the conscious mind and the superconscious mind are restricted, but your belly is the connector. The gateway. Your doorway to wisdom.
A Peace Offering
I’ve found that my gut doesn’t harbor resentment against me when I’ve been ashamed of it. Rather, like a wise elder, it waits patiently for the student (me) to be ready to listen to its wisdom.
An easy way to open the connection with your belly, if you’re ready, is to make a simple peace offering.
If you’re willing, let’s do that now…
Go ahead and place your hands on your belly. Allow it to relax, to pooch out, to be OK as it is right now.
Now, take a few deep breaths, allowing your belly to rise and fall freely, with no constriction.
And now, offer an olive branch to your belly. Say or think or somehow convey… I forgive you. Please forgive me too. I forgive you. Please forgive me too.
The last step is simply to listen.
Stay open to your belly wisdom.
Notice when it contracts, or softens.
All it needs is a little attention. A little encouragement. And a little gratitude.
Just like you.
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The above article is an excerpt from my course, Ocean Within — The Sacred Art of Listening to Your Inner Voice.
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