Back to the Body

Like many of us, I'd been feeling pretty lost the last few years. I'm quite sure I know the why behind it all - obviously, my 2019 and our collective 2020-2021 would have anyone feeling off-kilter - but I really can't stand feeling like that. It feels like there's just a blank expanse before me and I don't even know where to find my footing.

For me, there's one sure place to start: my body.

I've already written on here how I work through a lot by walking. I can lose myself for hours in a city just wandering around. If I really got some deep shit to work out, add in some headphones and music and I'm good for a day in the streets. Since I no longer live near a city, hiking the ocean terrain is a pretty close second. And while that relief is partially due to fresh air and sunshine, the major part is just feeling my body work.

We have such combative relationships with our bodies and if we can step out of ourselves for a moment, it's completely bizarre. Think about everything our bodies have done for us: walk, run, think, cook, sing, play, write, read, dance - every aspect of our lives and what we enjoy about them is due, in part, to our bodies.

It's encouraging to see the Enlightenment-era belief of separate mind and body falling away in favor of a more integrated understanding. Our brains, after all, are very much a part of our bodies and couldn't exist without all of the other interwoven organs and systems. Our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our fingers - all of our senses inform our brains. Our world views are, in part, comprised of how we sense everything around us.

Deeply rooted beliefs, most of which are ingrained in early childhood, sadly have many of us looking at our bodies with disdain. We believe we're not tall enough, thin enough, pretty enough - anything enough. And, again, if we can step outside of ourselves - that's absurd. We simply live in these bodies and that's it. Even those very characteristics that we launch against ourselves - short, fat - are simply words. We attach judgement and negative associations the words.

So, let's flip it around. Take some time to think about yourself and your body. Think about the most beautiful moments of your life: what role did your body play in them? Those moments wouldn't have existed without the body, so how can you appreciate this crazy mess of skin and bones and blood and hair? And, what can you do to physically show love and respect to your body?