We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. -Teilhard de Chardin
So here we are, encased in this capsule of flesh and bones, the physical means in which to experience this lifetime. Notice how we often take better care of our cars, homes and pets? Are those guaranteed for our lifetime? We expect to be able to trade in our car, move into another home or adopt a new pet. Not so with our bodies, yet they often don't get as much maintenance and care.
Somewhere along the way, we've given up our rights to the care and custody of our physical bodies. We relegate our well-being to those who have studied and experimented with human bodies. Thank goodness they are there to put us together again when we, like Humpty-Dumpty, fall from the wall. As we begin to commit to Practice 4: Self-Responsibility and Self-Care, we need to start to befriend our human-physical forms.
Much of the existing self-help books or health related courses, focus on the body that is in pain or diseased. When I think of Body Smarts, I'm envisioning a learning system that understands the perfection of the human body and the vital importance of moving up the emotional scale.
I have been in yoga workshops with loving and experienced teachers who have assured me that in a challenging yoga pose, "if you fall, the floor will be there for you". In that same refrain, none of us will leave this life, alive. Why be so sterile and stern? Let's have fun as we learn and appreciate our bodies AND learn to respect and celebrate our strengths.
Let's look at all of the ways that our body supports us and allows us to thrive!
Illustration: Caryn Babaian