A Body Check-In Practice for Money Decisions

The next time you're about to have a conversation about money, use this practice to find balance.

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The body check-in is a simple practice, yet it can be supportive throughout all the various money interactions—both small are large—that happen on a daily basis.

If you’re about the have a money conversation with your spouse, family member or business partner, try this body check-in practice to find balance.

Body Check-In Practice

The Body Check-In Practice

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Before you begin, give yourself a moment to pause and get quiet. You can close your eyes if that feels right, or keep them open. Take time to get curious and begin to notice and listen to anything that’s happening inside your body.

Take time to get curious and begin to notice and listen to anything that’s happening inside your body.

  1. At first, let yourself notice on a physical level how you’re seated. Are you upright, is your back against a chair, are your feet touching the ground? Just notice, be curious.
  2. Next, let yourself notice any sensations in your body of movement or stillness, of holding, of looseness, of tightness. Are your shoulders creeping up a bit high, is your chest tight, do you feel fluttering in your belly?
  3. Let yourself notice any feelings, any emotions that are present right now. They’re all welcome here in life. When we’re about to have a conversation about money, what is present? What are you noticing in this moment? Is it strong anger? Is it anxiety, nervousness? Is it sleepiness, or that you’re starting to check out ? What is the feeling, what’s the emotion that’s present with you right now? Let it be here, whatever it is.
  4. Also, let yourself notice what’s going on with your breath. Is your breath full and deep, down into the bottom of your belly through your heart? Or is it up in your throat and it’s more shallow? Just be curious, be open, be interested.
  5. Lastly, give yourself a moment to just notice any thoughts that are going across your mind right now. You may just want to watch them as they pass by. What words, what sentences are coming up as you’re doing this practice right now, just knowing you’re  about to have that money conversation, or you’re about to walk into the mall, or you’re about to look online and look a your balances?
  6. When you’re finished the body check-in, you can either continue on your day or you can extend the practice further by asking yourself if there’s any adjustment or tweaks you can do in the moment to support yourself. Would it be helpful to take a fuller breath and bring it into your belly? Would it be helpful to loosen your jaw?

The body check in is a wonderful tool to help us get present and learn about our money story and our money patterns, so that we can go towards understanding, forgiveness and money healing.