The Year of the Body

After two years of exceptionally poor health with a decade of things not much different, this is going to be the year of the body for me. I've had spiritual growth, emotional growth, more intellectual stimulation than I need for a lifetime, but my body itself is sorely behind.

I've already had a hot stone massage and reike (a varietal called Quantum Touch) in Willard, Wisconsin with Roberta Hodges. I've run 2 miles, taken a fitness test (let's just say they summarized my health as "very poor"), gone to acupuncture, lifted weights, and signed up for another Monday massage. My goal is to just pay a lot of attention to this very neglected piece of me. It isn't about building strength or endurance or melting into a pool of bliss on a massage table (although I hope all of these things are wonderful by products). I simply want to pay more attention to this part of me, and to become aware again of how using my energy and physical self can contribute to the spiritual/emotional/mental parts of me too.

So far, I recommend Heather Simmons as the most awesome massage therapist I've seen in my life. (Ok, she's competed with only a few others). But on her table, I could feel my energy singing, my muscles slipping into relaxation and I walked away feeling drugged, quite frankly.

I want to make sure that my attention to my body includes good feelings, not just stretching and working, and also some energy work. A DVD that I've started recently doing and have found wonderful for meeting me right where I'm at and helping me grow from there is Intu-Flow. It's sort of a mix of tai-chi, yoga, Qi Gong and flexibility all at once. So here are a few things you can check out if you're interested, and I look forward to learning about more in the area.

Scott Sonnon, from his Intu-Flow DVD.

Happy Year of the Body.