To be aware of the body is the beginning of love . . . every cell contains all of existence.
To be aware of the body is the beginning of love . . . every cell contains all of existence.
These words of Thich Nhat Hanh’s emphasize why attention to ourselves and our bodies is crucial. Our attention is the love that fans the fire. Feeling how we are affected by everything around us, and contain everything within our bodies - is how we begin to embody love.
How we care for ourselves, and how we experience the depth of what it means to be human is fundamental to how we care for others. By relating deeply to our bodies we discover ourselves as a microcosm of the whole, and come to realize that each and every person is a facet of the universe.
As most of us did, I grew up unaware of our connection to the whole, and only in my late 20s and beyond, through studying, feeling into my body, and taking the time to feel, did I discover how we are interrelated.
Here is one example of what I learned: body is both flow and structure. Fluid identity, but with a firmly grounded felt sense of the physical. When I feel my insides, become deeply interior, I become part of a horizontal realm, but also vertical, where I find myself at the center of the directions as well as above and below, interconnected and inter-dimensional. Nourished by all that surrounds me, bathed in textures and gentle stirrings, met on all sides by dark loving eyes. (from a past essay Tangible Grace, see link at end of this essay).
We are pure fluidity and moving light at our deepest level. Yet as we are also physical beings on a physical planet, knowing ourselves this deeply begins with the body.
The ways I become more aware of my body include attention to my movement, even to how my feet touch the ground. Noticing what felt good, fluid, effortless, graceful. Feeling the vividness of a moment, the beauty, details, and sense of interconnectedness I felt. Cultivating surprise, serendipity and the joy of improvisation. Focusing on sound, raindrops, the call of a raven, the soft wind, a beautiful voice, the structure of music and how it touches my brain.
I have created a partial list of ideas to nourish the fire in you, and your entire body/self. Always begin with the silence, as that is the connection to your source.
REST in silence and peace, feeling the flow of breath and blood, the little aches and pains that cry out, holding it all in beauty and perfection. Let the silence grow deeper.
TOUCH every part of your body, feel the textures of your skin, enjoy the sensuality, feel how your fingertips explore, and the place where the fingers meet the skin.
FEEL your attention slowly move through your body, sensing the shape and fluidity of each part, feel how the air surrounds you, and how your clothes touch different parts. Feel the back of your body, the spaces between your toes, how your tongue rests in your mouth.
BREATHE gently into each area, lingering in the places that have never been breathed. Breathe to the edge of your skin from inside to outside and back. Breath from the soft insides of your lungs, from the insides of your nostrils, from the soles of your feet.
ENJOY the subtle movements and sensations that fill your body, the sounds and spontaneous gestures, the way you naturally want to move. Be curious.
BARE the soles of your feet and feel the different textures of floors. carpets, and earth. Imagine your feet lengthening deep into the earth to her core. Bare your eyes and skin to the sun and soak up her love.
NOURISH with foods that feel right to the lips and mouth - and the oils, creams, and sprays on the skin that make you feel loved and happy.
DANCE to love the earth, move, and connect with every part of your body, and to communicate the joy with others and the world.
WALK OR RUN slowly, quickly, backwards, or up hills. Notice the nature on all sides surrounding you.
BE WITH whatever wants to move or express. Notice, feel, wonder, and be touched by the universe inside.
REACH your arms, head, and heart to the sky, alive to the grace and wonder of the cosmos. Find tree branches to reach and hang.
IMMERSE your body in water, warm baths, lakes, rivers, oceans. Feel the fluid movement of your body flowing like water, being moved by waves.
ROLL on the floor or ground or sand, exploring the surfaces of how body meets the ground, sinking into gravity, notice how the surfaces meet and support one another.
LISTEN TO MUSIC and let yourself feel the various instruments and vocals inside of you, wherever they land.
DELIGHT in the negative ions in nature - forests and beaches, mountains and river beds. Feel the paws of your feet loving the earth.
IMAGINE a thirty foot field of space around you, deep into the earth, above your head, surrounding you in every direction. Feel the space, the light, the love, and let yourself be held in this embrace. See how often you can be aware of this space.
BE GRATEFUL for every part of your body from your brain to your toes, feel the divine in every bit, honor every organ and bone.
I could go on and on with this list, spending time with loved ones, of course. And your favorite animals. First start with the fire inside, your connection to your source, and everything will fall into place.
This essay from September may be worth reviewing, on our bodies and how they are changing in these times.
I have a very practical side. Sometime in my thirties, I realized that growing older would not be fun unless I remained functional in my body. To that end, I ate organic, and found ways I loved to move my body such as dance, hiking, and slow conscious movement. I favored time spent outdoors and delved deeply in my connection with nature, as I have written about previously. There is a wealth of information in my past essays, if you want to go deeper into all of this. I think this will take you there: https://sabrinapage.substack.com/archive.
I will leave you with these beautiful words from Native American John Trudell:
All human beings are descendants of tribal people who were spiritually alive, intimately in love with the natural world, children of Mother Earth. When we were tribal people, we knew who we were, we knew where we were, and we knew our purpose. This sacred perception of reality remains alive and well in our genetic memory. We carry it inside of us, usually in a dusty box in the mind’s attic, but it is accessible.
We carry it inside us.
I wish you a week filled with love!
Thank you for joining me here today!
Sabrina Page, MA in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness, is an Aquarian with Sun trine Uranus.
Join me for sessions . . .
As a mentor, I offer the space for your individuality to emerge, uniquely expressed and embodied. Through conversation, as well as somatic inquiry and practices, I support you in living life fully, freely, and fluidly, intertwined with nature. I have extensive study in movement (with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen), dance (with Emilie Conrad) and astrology (with Prof. Richard Tarnas), some of the leading individuals in their fields. My private sessions are offered on zoom, phone, or in person in Bolinas, Ca.
More information is available on my website, sabrinapage.com
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Sabrina, i love the poetry you use to express what i too intimately know (and try to teach!) i hope you are wonderfully well, and as blissed and blessed as every one of your posts
What a wonderful guide you are, Sabrina, into the world of sensation! Thank you for this essay. I’m bookmarking it. 🙏🏼