Here’s a resilient strengthening question. Have you ever thought about what a some BODY you are? What I am not going to tell you is nothing that your body does not already know.
Your body is the vessel of your humanness. It provides a form to live on earth. It is home to your spirit, a personal temple. It is your container of light, dark, feelings and energy. You can take a break from your thoughts, your feelings and your relatives. However, taking a break from your body would
be like taking a break from life. It is not really possible.
Right now in your chair, please focus on your breath entering your body cavity. Notice the fullness or shallowness of the breath expanding and contracting your body. Be aware of how much energetic space your body, in concert with your breath, is taking up in this room. Would you like less or more space? Your body will tell you how close or distant you want to be from others. Be your body’s observer.
Stories are hidden in your body, vibrate in your cells, flow through your nervous system, creak in your bones, tighten in your muscles, run through your blood vessels and sit under or on your skin. While your mind play games and many of your beliefs are culturally and family programmed, your body holds your personal truth
Seeing this body truth in others is often easier. We may literally see body truth in contradiction to spoken words. You have seen the person who says “yes” while shaking her head NO. You’ve also seen the guy who says he feels relaxed while his fist is tensed while speaking through clenched teeth. Then there is the person who says she feels happy while her body frame is slouching.
Our language reflects how we use our physical form to express who we are and how we manage our lives:
- She has her head on straight.
- I can look him in the eye.
- His tongue speaks with forked words.
- Book keeping is a pain in my neck.
- He carries the world on his shoulders.
- She has a chip on her shoulders.
- That was a load off my shoulders.
- I put my finger on the problem.
- I need to get something off my chest.
- He is tight fisted.
- Her heart is breaking.
- She put a dagger in my heart.
- I feel butterflies in my stomach.
- I need to get off my behind and get going.
- I feel weak kneed.
- His feet are on the ground.
- She is dragging her heels.
- He stepped on my toes.
Check in your body. Experience the knowing of your body here and right now.
- Appreciate your head with it eyes– short sighted, near sighted, hard or soft. Appreciate your nose and its mechanism for cleansing the air–your mouth, jaw and tongue. Notice what it is like to relax your jaw. Let your mouth gently drop. What movement, sounds, words and stories live in your head–particularly if you let the mind chatter come to quiet?Focus on your head. Feel its weight and position on your shoulders. Notice how busy, or not, your mind is with thoughts. You have a fine mind in your head. It has helped you figure out many things in the world. Your brain has taken in ideas, information and beliefs–sometimes dizzying or crowding your head. However, if quieted, your mind knows how much space and business or stillness it wants. Notice your head as is.
- Check your neck and throat. Do lumps or gasps of freedom live there? Sometimes your neck may want a rest from keeping your head on straight. Perhaps a straight head is overvalued. What would a balanced one be like? What would it be like to take a caring neck break? What movement, words, sounds or stories live in this area?
- Your chest carries emotions. Notice what images arise for you when you breathe into that area. What are you carrying on your chest? Have you tucked some tender memories or images away in your heart? If you had a sign on your chest what would it say? Notice if there is a rhythm, sound, song or story in your chest.
- Your shoulders carry responsibility. What are you carrying on your shoulders? Breathe into that area and notice, just notice if you want your shoulders feeling stronger and heavier or lighter and easier.
- Notice your elbows and arms. Reach back to your heart and follow the message down your arms, into your hands. What shape wants to be created? What movement wants to come? Have you any idea about the story your hands want to tell? The deaf have learned to use their hands to do their telling. Appreciate your hands for all their gracious serving.
- Check your gut, noticing how much space this area takes. Your centre of power may rest here. Focus on your belly button; where your baby body began its independent functioning. This was once your attachment to life, to your mother. Now you take in life energy as you breathe in and out. Imagine breathing in and out of your belly connected to life itself. Notice your life rhythm. Notice your story of strength or fear.
- Bring your focus to your hips. Imagine your sensual hip dance on the Pallister dance floor. Experience the potential power of movement while you connect your upper and lower body. I wonder if you have a sexual sound or story that lives here.
- Move on down–to exploring your thighs and knees. Your knees may be locked or hanging loose, yet providing supportive connection. Notice that unlocked knees allow the vertical flow of energy from feet to head, from earth to sky. You may have wild, happy knees or tired ones. Notice how they are right now. While you focus on your legs imagine them as tree trunks. What kind of tree they would be? How sturdy, how strong, how developed? Appreciate your legs.
- Your feet have traveled far, run from fear and skipped to loved ones. Have you ever worn shoes too tight for your feet? I wonder how they fought back. How did they take care of themselves? Imagine your feet’s dance and your feet’s story. Is there a sound your feet are making, right now, in the shoes you are wearing? Is there something your feet would like right now from you? Feet may feel neglected carrying all your body stuff. Give appreciation to your feet and all that they support. If your feet can feel connected to the ground the rest of your body parts are free to sing their song, dance their dance, shake their fear, leap their joy and come to rest on our good earth.
Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss” but he didn’t clearly articulate how to find your bliss. Your body is your personal messenger of experiencing aliveness and bliss. In all the creative forms–art, song, dance and theatre–the body is the vehicle. It needs more than periodic gas and a tune up. Support and celebrate it in any form that honours its longings–a sunbeam soaking yawn, aerobics, meditating, dancing, singing or doing your daily chores. Find your body’s personal energizers and comforters. Listen to, and follow, your body truth. Your body has a story to be told. Enjoy the plot and expanding your some BODY.
What has your body told you recently?
