When I wake in the morning, you roll over, curling into a heavy crescent.
All night, you've been breathing, carrying on the thread of life.
As you stretch and rise into the day,
you're up for almost anything.
You taste berries fresh off the bush.
You dive into cold waters.
You hop across desert sands.
You reverberate with music.
You sit.
You endure.
You've been sick and broken.
You’ve been pierced by insects, stabbed by thorns, splintered.
After everything, you hold me upright.
You warm this hand.
You breathe this breath.
Dear body,
Thank you.
You might take this moment to turn towards your own body. What do you notice?
Perhaps you notice the movement of the breath - in and out - or the firm pressure where the body is resting. Perhaps some sensations are light and spacious, while others are heavy and tight. Perhaps difficulty shows up, along with frustration or resistance. Perhaps there's compassion for the body, or gratitude for all it does.
There's no one way to experience the body. Day by day, moment by moment, our experience shifts and changes. Being with the body mindfully, we may learn different lessons. At first, we may discover how quickly attention moves away, compelled by thoughts, sounds, sights. As we practice, we may learn to recognize and accept change, to wisely meet joy and difficulty, to be gentle with ourselves.
In our next Mindfulness & Creativity session, our mindfulness practices will support curiosity and connection with the body. Out of the experience, we'll have an opportunity to reflect and creatively respond - perhaps with an abstract doodle or your own letter to the body.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Hannah
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