Holistic Language

We’ve all studied language in some shape or form in school, and we use language every day to communicate with the people around us. You’re using at this moment to read this blog. You’re using it as you think. You’re using it always.

There’s the basics of language: reading, writing speaking, and listening and all the components that go along with it like grammar and other structures. There’s also creative expression through poetry, literature, and music. There’s all these pieces of language in all the different languages across the world, each representing a unique version through their culture, dialect and the individual person who uses and experiences them.

Foreign and Native Language

We all have a native language. Some of us even learn a second, third, or more foreign languages, but it’s all just language. At the root of it all, we’re just trying to express ourselves and communicate with others, and I think that we lose track of this when we get caught up in language acquisition.

we lose track of why we speak & listen and why we read & write to begin with. I’d even go so far as to say that some of us become distracted with learning new languages and miss out on the opportunity to go in-depth into language itself - into themselves.

Neurolinguistic Programing

It’s cool to learn other languages - I recommend learning at least one foreign language. But what’s even more valuable than learning many languages, is learning the language of your own mind. When we learn how to recognize our thought patterns and make mindset shifts, our ability to express ourselves and understand each other is transformed. We not only learn more about who we are - we get to craft our own identity.

As we sift through our own thoughts and behaviors, we begin to create our identity by deciding which ones we want to keep and which we desire to change. We become better communicators because we become more aware of who we are and what we desire to express. This is the surface level of NLP work that begins our transformation.

Journaling

Journaling really should be part of NLP above, but it also deserves it’s own section, so here we are. When we journal, we’re connecting with our subconscious mind. We’re surrendering to ourselves and our thoughts in a way that we can only do by not thinking about it too much. It’s best to do mindset journaling in your native language so that you have a clear flow of consciousness into your writing. Trying to write in a foreign language is good fluency practice but constricts this flow when you have to also think about constructing your thoughts in another language.

Prompts or Free-Flow: A set of prompts is useful for guidance with specific intention. Free-flow journaling is also valuable to release ideas without constraint. I think a combination of these two is most helpful - start with prompts, but allow yourself to be creative with responses even if they don’t necessarily answer the prompts. Journaling is a conversation with yourself. The better we can communicate with & understand ourselves, the more we can communicate with & understand others.

Light Language

The woo woo language. Light language is a way of communicating through speech, writing, and gestures. It’s a language of pure expression because it has no predefined rules or structures. It’s intuitive. Learning and practicing it is about opening yourself up to creative expression in the way that an artist channels original pieces. It’s about connecting with the world around you and allowing yourself to be the most natural and authentic version of yourself. When you open yourself to being YOU and channeling this communication, light language will naturally flow through.

Language All Around Us

Language is inescapable. It’s in our thoughts, the music we listen to, the street signs we pass, the tv & social media. It’s everywhere. We’re constantly receiving and transmuting messages from the time we wake up until we go to sleep - even while we sleep our minds continue to process ideas.

Language begins with us. It begins with our own thoughts and perceptions about who we are. This is the basis for our communication with others. Learning multiple languages can help up talk to others, but learning how to navigate our own minds will teach us how to communicate.

Book recommendations are books I’ve read that I felt drawn to share with you as I created this blog post. These are affiliate links from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases❤