Choosing Bodywork -Why This Stuff is Important
Our bodies are amazing. They are with us from the day we are born until the day we die. We literally cannot live without them. They cannot be separated from our ability to perceive, communicate, feel, think, and love. On every level, the quality of our experience is influenced by the quality of our physicality. Our bodies both record our history and predict our future.
This brings us to the question, "How can I best take care of my body?" As a society we often do a pretty poor job of celebrating and cherishing our most essential tool for existence. Perhaps this is due to the puritanical roots of this country, or the archaic notion that the mind and body are separate. It's strange to think a country that constantly fixates on performance seldom considers the effect a neglected body can have on one's ability to process, create, problem solve, and produce.
When the body is out of balance, often the mind cannot function very well. Think of a child with ADD. Their chemical make-up creates a frustrating situation for them, their parents, their classmates, and their teacher. It's difficult for them to focus on the task at hand. One way to understand their condition is that their body is overrruling their behavior. Although an extreme example there are more commonplace effects that everyone experiences from time to time. Think how you feel when you are run down or have a cold. Now think of how you feel when you've had really positive physical experiences. How good you feel after you've cuddled with your partner, how confident you feel after enjoying a favorite sport.
Take this exercise one step further; try to separate anything you do from your physical self. You can't. You can't type, sleep, stare at the wall, feel, or pretend to work without the involvement of your body. It's impossible.
So how can we be happy in the world when our bodies are neglected, tired, drained, even abused? Perhaps attitude can overcome many of these obstacles, but it can be easier - and more enjoyable - to remove them altogether.
Doing something nice for your body can help it respond better to your needs. Eating good food, sleeping, exercising, are all ways you can honor yourself and your body. Choosing bodywork can help a body rebalance after experiencing stress, trauma, extreme physical or emotional exertion. It can help a body that's already feeling good feel even better. It's important to have a full gas tank so you're more equipped to handle unexpected situations.
Keeping balanced in times of stress in important. Honoring your most original creation, your body, is essential.
