Born With a Gift

When two-year-old Emily Bear began playing chords on her grandmother’s piano, she had no prior musical training, but that did not prevent her from quickly becoming a child prodigy; although this is extraordinary, each of us is born with a special gift to share. Although some of these gifts remain unnoticed it does not take anything away from the fact that somewhere in everyone is genius.
Genius is described as a quality, an outstanding talent, and possessing a specific skill or brilliance. This gift may express itself in the field of sports, music, arts, parenting, gardening, healing, or it may be as simple as possessing a smile that brings joy to others. A friend’s grandson had a remarkable ability to remember numbers. This three-year-old would rattle off the license plate numbers of license plates he had seen on family and friends’ automobiles. My late mother-in-law, Grace, had a tremendous capacity for being compassionate and kind. For some individuals their contribution may still be lying dormant, but it exists, and when the right circumstances arrive (for Emily it was sitting at Grandma’s piano for the first time), we have no choice but to express it.

There are many factors that can support and encourage our gift and, unfortunately, an equal number of factors that can create obstacles to its expression; either way, it is still an integral part of our being. I became fascinated by this phenomenon when I began studying body-centered psychology in New York City. During those formative years, I learned that a person’s physical attributes create a perfect conduit/channel for expressing their genius. Even more fascinating was the fact that each of the six body types (with an infinite variety of combinations) has a direct impact on intelligence, memory, analysis, and discernment. How perfect is that?!

There are two body-types that, because of a strong nervous system, can handle stressful situations without losing their balance. These particular genetic predispositions make some people more able to handle situations that require nerves of steel. Little Emily, for example, was able to perform at the White House for the President and the First Lady.  But let us not conclude that these two body-types are ideal. Another body-type, although not designed for stressful physical activity, has a more sensitive nervous system that enables it to focus on abstract concepts; subtle dimensions are more obvious to those individuals. Let’s be sure to appreciate the shy types who, for example, made the Internet possible. Although the examples above reference only three of the six body-types, they demonstrate how genius (located in the mind) has a direct relationship with the physical body.

As I continued my studies with Ron Kurtz, founder of Hakomi Therapy, I’ve discovered that there was a long line of brilliant individuals (from Sigmund Freud to Carl Jung to Joseph Campbell) who were influenced by ancient India’s sophisticated system of body-typing found in the Vedas.

Ayurvedic medicine benefits more people in the world than the allopathic system that dominates North America today.  The Vedic system is the oldest on the planet and clearly delineates the physical, mental, and energetic strengths and weaknesses of each body-type.

So, whether we are short or tall, angular or symmetric, wide or thin, or any of the other combinations, each one of our bodies offers endless possibilities for us to express our special genius. As a matter of fact, the English word genius has the same roots as the word genes. That leads me to conclude that our physical genes must be related in some manner to our genius.

In the Discovery Level, clients discover their body-type(s), their strengths and weaknesses and their unique genius. And since society has not reinforced or supported the idea that every person is special and unique, few people know their genius.

Are you aware of your special genius?