The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART THREE | INNER RESOURCES
also has the ability to infiltrate the other, sharing and shaping
common or overlapping input. Again, the creative life involves
knowing when to lead and when to follow from among these
different ways of experiencing the world.
The greater the alignment, cooperation, or communication
among the three bodies, the greater our access to their collective
resources. The way we work through a creative problem will draw
upon the habits we have developed in relation to these three
bodies. If one dominates excessively, we are going to be making
environments that reflect that bias. A modern approach to design
not only involves utilizing new materials and technology, it incorporates
our potential for awareness in integrating our bodies’
wisdom and creativity into the design process.
Knowing Kinesthetically
The most basic level on which we find our bodies broadcasting
their wisdom is through physical symptoms. How can a physical
symptom like a headache become a gift? When it allows us to learn
something about our relationship to our bodies. We may get angry
when physical symptoms arise. We may even start to blame our
bodies! Yet our bodies aren’t being mean–there isn’t an angry bone
in anyone’s body. We need to use the symptoms that our bodies
offer us to learn something about ourselves or we will miss the
crucial signals. Headaches often appear to let us know that we have
been thinking negatively about ourselves. We may be stuck on false
or negative beliefs that compromise our ability to know what direction
to go in.
Another symptom that is worth exploring is the common stomach
ache. When we feel “tied in knots,” or we feel ourselves unable
to “stomach” what we are doing, we may have “swallowed” something
that we can’t “digest.” These kinds of complaints often point
to us not being true to ourselves. We may have chosen a course of
action or made a decision because it pleases an authority figure or
our parents. If we become seduced by power and prestige and go
against what our gut tells us is best, we will hear from our bodies.
An upset stomach may be calling us to review whether we are forcing
ourselves to assimilate something that just does not agree with
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