Body Language

Are you ready to learn a new language in 2023? Learning a new language is proven to stimulate new neural pathways and keep the mind sharp. While it is true that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language, it is possible to learn a new language at any age.

The language I would like to introduce you to is Body Language. This is not the body language you probably already speak fluently which we professionally refer to as nonverbal and pragmatic language. Rather, I am referring to the language of your body. How your body speaks to you and how you respond to those messages.

Becoming fluent in your Body Language is the secret to becoming the expert in your body and that is the mission of Living WOW. I have spent the past 30 years studying and teaching the brain and oral mechanisms of speech and language development and rehabilitation. I have also spent the past 15 years studying and teaching nutritional healing and lifestyle medicine. So is it any wonder that I recognize this unique communication we have within us and recognize the need for a universal teaching of Body Language?

I’m going to wager that you are completely unaware of your Body’s Language and that this concept is probably as unfamiliar to you as any foreign language you could learn in school or with an app. As a result, I’m going to break down the process of learning Body Language in a new series here on the podcast throughout the month of December. Over the next 5 weeks, I will introduce you to your Body Language and give you the tools to translate while you learn to listen, understand, and eventually speak fluent Body Language.

So first some basics. You cannot learn any language without a model. You cannot learn a language without rules or some sort of universal understanding. You cannot learn any language without practice. While it is true that language acquisition is an innately wired skill, it is still something you were taught either informally (your native language) or formally (additional languages) and likely a little of both. Meaning that you likely learned the languages you speak both informally through your family and community as well as formally through education and training.

Along those lines, you probably are adept at the language of your generation, profession, and culture. Examples of these language nuances are demonstrated in what is known as code-switching. An example is the difference in how we speak to our parents versus our friends. The way professionals speak universal jargon such as technology, medical, and financial terminology with ease and understanding but persons outside the profession need to have it “interpreted” into common language. Even within our culture and communities, language is used differently creating an understanding between some and disconnection with others. Don’t believe me? Would you be at all uncomfortable if the same language was used in church that is used at the bar?

So why do I bother to go into all of these details? Because you need to understand why you don’t speak Body Language when everything in your mind is telling you that you do. At best, you have what is known as “functional communication” which is basic survival communication. Think of the vocabulary and understanding of a 1-year-old. I have functional communication in American Sign Language (ASL), German, and Spanish with formal and informal training in each of them but I am in no way fluent in any of them. Why? Because I did not regularly practice and communicate with others using those languages so I forgot much of the vocabulary that was beyond the primitive basics like counting, personal needs, and greetings.

This weeks Homework: Learn to count to 8 in Body Language

8 Lessons Lupus Taught Me: From Surviving to Thriving with Autoimmune Diseases (Bonus Episodes) 

8 Systems Framework to Become the Expert In Your Body (Episodes 13-21)