Day 9 ✨ Luminous Living: What Your Gut Can Teach You

Do you want to feel luminous? Then it’s time to dig a little deeper.  

We often hear that our thoughts lead to our behaviors, which stir our feelings, and then shape our actions. Therapies like CBT are built on this idea—helping people notice their patterns and gently change them. And honestly? It can be incredibly helpful.

But what if I told you that your gut microbiome may have more to do with how you feel than anything else?

I know what you might be thinking: But my kids are driving me crazy, my boss is a tyrant, and do you know who our president is?

Yes, all of that may be true.

But here’s the distinction—stressors are the external challenges of life, while stress is the internal way our body responds to them. And much of that response begins and resides in the gut microbiome.

This may feel like a radical idea and let’s face it: science on the body is always evolving.  But one thing we know more about now is the vagus nerve, which links the brain and the gut. About 80% of the communication along this nerve actually travels from gut to brain. Many call the gut our “second brain,” but what if it’s really our first brain?

I’ve been intrigued lately by the idea of the gut as our primary brain, a concept I first learned from Gary Lineham at the Human Garage. His work reminds me that how we nourish and care for the gut ripples throughout our whole being.

Stressors will always be here. There has never been a time in history without them. We don’t live in utopia—we live in the Shala of Life. What we can do is build community and practices that honor gut health, which in turn strengthens our resilience.

Whether or not you fully embrace this “gut-as-first-brain” idea, what matters is recognizing the profound influence your gut has on your body, your thoughts, your emotions, and your ability to meet life with steadiness. The invitation is simple: live in balance, savor food and drink as delights rather than distractions, and cultivate a respectful, loving relationship with your body.

So let’s bring love into this practice. A lens of compassion toward the body we inhabit, exactly as it is right now. Ask yourself: What would I do differently if I were truly taking care of a body I love?

You know the old saying, “Beauty is only skin deep”? True luminosity runs much deeper. Radiance comes from within. It is in all of us—an unlimited potential waiting to shine.

✨ Micro-Practice for Today: Place your hands on your third chakra, at your gut. Close your eyes. Take a few breaths and quietly say: I love you.

Then—go act like you do. 😊

I love you. Keep going!