This News Drop series offers principles and practices for living in sync with nature — for living “osteopathically,” in Flow.

Each week, I will share a story, the principle it reveals, and a related practice. Ready to dive in?

Your truth is always the graceful choice.

Something happened yesterday that reminded me of a deep and essential truth about the body. The experience felt like a generous gift.

This simple, sacred principle is one of the primary “keys” to experiencing ease and grace in your body and life.

Are you ready to hear it?

I ask you because your body actually knows. Somewhere inside, you can sense if this is the moment right. There is a yes or a no inside of you, and we’re about to explore finding it.

I’m speaking about something extremely basic. The kind of connection to our inner knowing that in primitive times allowed us to track the weather, find food, and discern all that was needed for prosperity. Nothing about this level of knowing is woo-woo or advanced in the least.

If you don’t feel a clear yes about reading on, consider saving it for later. Your truth is always the graceful choice.

You’re still here or have returned. Excellent. Let’s dive in!

There are times when most of us have no idea what our truth is. That’s what this story is about.

This experience felt powerful, sacred, and effortless.

Yesterday I was going to see a patient I hadn’t seen in 15 years. I woke up and took time to prepare, moving more slowly than usual. An awareness? A sign? I think so.

The second “sign” came as I prepared to leave my house. I couldn’t find my keys anywhere, even though I always put them in the same place. This was a disaster. But was it?

The usual thoughts went through my mind, one of which was that he could come to my house. As he was telling me he was more than willing, I found my keys. If I left, I would only be 15 minutes “late” to meet him in town.

That’s when I felt a subtle “stop”. I took a moment to be still. I imagined being in town at my office. My belly got tight. Then, I pictured staying here, with the redwoods, working outside in stippled sunlight. My belly softened, and I let out a sigh.

I saw him at my house. It was perfect. I could feel the land, the trees, and even the other people nearby. I took that to mean that for this particular person at this particular time, we were served by these elements.

I had never worked outside and I had always wanted to. The experience felt powerful, sacred, and effortless. I was more restored after the “work” than I could remember being at almost any time in the past.

We seek to let nature guide.

The guidance I received that led to this “better than I could have planned it” outcome felt like a bestowal. A generous and gentle reminder from the intelligence of nature to slow down and connect with my inner knowing.

In osteopathy, we seek to align with nature. For the most part, other lineages of healing on the planet seek the same.

We seek to align with nature when we do practice meditation, qigong, yoga and Continuum, but what about the moments in between?

What I’m saying is, we are wired to live “osteopathically” all of the time.

Your truth and your compass are connected.

When your gut talks to you, what does it feel like?

Today, as you move forward from this moment, pause and feel your body. Do you feel drawn, or repelled by a particular direction, choice, or even person?

If something has you feeling tight, take a moment, or a few moments to ask yourself, “What is this feeling about?” If you’re out of practice and this feels awkward, be patient. You might outside, touch your bare feet to some earth, and allow your breath to move into the entirety of the bottom of your ribcage. The lower ribs of your back in particular, and maybe even your pelvic floor.

When you do connect to the emotion it may surprise you and seem unrelated to the present moment. Remember, “the body keeps the score.” Unfelt feelings are like cobwebs, like dust concealing our intuition.

Neuroscience shows it takes a short time, only a minute or so, to feel an emotion and feel it all the way through. Once they clear, the relief is palpable. You might find yourself saying, “what took me so long?”

Connecting to sensation and the guidance it gives us is fundamental to who you are. Who we all are. We are all wired for subtle sensing, and although you may not have been aware of nuance subtlety for quite some time, I assure you were born an expert.

Once your inner compass wakes up and you begin to dust off any cobwebs that might be concealing its transmission, resonant choices begin to reveal themselves organically and with little effort. We begin experiencing ease and flow, and have a sense of connection to something larger. Something, an intelligence and a power that begins to make sense of our bodies and our lives. This is that I mean when I talk about Flow.

If you enjoyed this week’s News Drop and want to share news of your experience, reply to this email. We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for being here!

In Celebration of your emerging Glow & Flow,

Dr. Michelle Veneziano

& the Flow is Medicine community