There is a kind of wisdom in the body that the mind cannot manufacture. It speaks in sensation rather than words. It knows before you know. And most of us have been taught, quite thoroughly, to ignore it.
We have been told to think things through, to be rational, to weigh up the pros and cons. And while thinking has its place, it is not a complete guidance system. How many times have you made a decision that looked perfectly logical on paper, and still felt wrong somewhere beneath your sternum? Or talked yourself out of something your whole body was leaning toward?
The yes, no, maybe practice is a simple, grounded way to begin rebuilding the relationship between your mind and your body's intelligence. I use it with clients in the very first session, and many of them tell me, months later, that it has changed how they navigate everything.
What Is the Body Compass?
The body compass is the idea, supported by somatic and neuroscience research, that the body registers responses to stimuli before the conscious mind processes them. Before you have decided how you feel about something, your body has already responded. A tightening in the chest, an opening through the throat, a sinking in the belly, these are not random. They are data.
The yes, no, maybe practice gives you a simple framework for learning to read that data clearly and consistently.
The Practice: Step by Step
Step 1: Establish Your Baseline
Find a comfortable seated position and take three slow breaths. Let your body settle. Then bring to mind something that is a clear, easy yes for you. It might be a person you love deeply, a place that feels like home, or a food you genuinely enjoy. Notice what happens in your body. Where do you feel the yes? What does it feel like? Expansive? Warm? A sense of opening or leaning forward?
Step 2: Find Your No
Now bring to mind something that is a clear no. Something you genuinely do not want, that you find unpleasant or wrong for you. Again, notice the body. Where does the no live? It might feel like a contraction, a pulling back, a heaviness, a tightening in the jaw or shoulders.
Step 3: Find Your Maybe
Bring to mind something genuinely uncertain. Something you have mixed feelings about, or simply do not know. Notice what that feels like in the body. A maybe often feels different from both yes and no, sometimes murky, sometimes neutral, sometimes like a gentle swaying without a clear direction.
Step 4: Ask Your Question
Now bring to mind whatever question or situation you are sitting with. Do not try to think it through. Simply state it, or feel into it, and then notice what arises in the body before your mind rushes in to interpret. Where do you feel it? What quality does it have? Does it resemble your yes, your no, or your maybe?
You are not trying to bypass discernment. You are adding a whole layer of intelligence that most of us were never taught to access.
A Client Example
A woman I worked with, navigating whether to leave a long-term career she had built over many years, arrived convinced she did not know what to do. When we did this practice together, she told me her yes felt like a softening around her heart and a sense of space in her chest. Her no felt like a hand pressing against her sternum.
When she brought her career to mind, she felt the pressing sensation immediately. When she brought the idea of leaving to mind, even though it terrified her, there was a softening. The body knew. It had known for some time. The practice simply gave her a way to hear it.
This is not about making reckless decisions based on feeling. It is about bringing the body into the conversation, so that your choices come from a more complete version of yourself.
Practice It for a Week
The most powerful way to develop this skill is to practice it on small, low-stakes decisions first. Before you choose what to eat, what to watch, or whether to say yes to an invitation, pause for a moment and check in with the body. Over time, the signal becomes clearer and easier to read.
- Use it before responding to messages or requests
- Use it when you feel torn between two options
- Use it at the start or end of each day as a check-in
- Notice when the body and the mind are telling you different things
You do not need to act on every bodily signal. But learning to hear it, and to take it seriously, is one of the most profound acts of self-trust available to you.
Your body is not your enemy. It is your oldest ally. Learning to listen to it is not a detour from your path. It is the path.
Want to Explore This Further?
The body compass is one of the foundational tools we use in private sessions and the Visionary Path container. Book a free discovery call to find out which offering is right for you.
