Finding Roots in our Bodies

“Take care of your incredible body. It is the most amazing thing you own, and it is the only place you truly have to live” — Anonymous

We spend a lot of our time focused in some way on our bodies. We want them to look a certain way, we want them to be strong enough to do the things we want to do, we want them to produce children, we want them to endure and keep working into our old age. We therefore focus much of our attention on our bodies on what we want from them. We seem to do a lot of taking from our bodies. It is worth considering what we give back to them, and how we experience them and think about them.

For most of my life I’ve viewed my body as my “self.” My identity has been very wrapped up in my body, largely in what it looks like and what it can do for me. Generally, it hasn’t lived up to my expectations. I’ve wanted to be thinner, taller, proportioned differently, bronzed by the sun, fertile, etc. Over the course of my lifetime I have found countless ways to feel dissatisfied and even betrayed by my body. I’ve therefore found countless ways to try to alter my body in some way to better meet my expectations and needs.

My pursuit of aesthetics has led me to work out, sometimes too strenuously, too often, or to the point of injury. It has led me to literally fry myself in the blazing sun in a misguided attempt to achieve beauty and a “healthy” look. My needs to wake up or relax, to socialize, to cope all lead me to vices such as screens, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.

While as I’ve matured I have begun to experience my body in terms of it’s health instead of its aesthetics and its ability to do things for me, I have not really thought of it as my home. What a beautiful shift in perspective.

We come into the world inside of our bodies, but are our bodies truly our "selves?” I believe not. They are important aspects of ourselves, but they are not all we are. We are so much more when we consider our minds, our spirits, our souls, our emotions, our joy and peace, etc.. Our bodies play a role in many of these things. It is interesting to consider, however, the idea that instead of being a source from which we take these things, or an entity that we must manipulate or alter so that we can achieve these things, our bodies are actually the home in which we place and keep these things.

As such, doesn’t it make more sense to nurture and care for our bodies, to truly view them as our temple, than it does to view our bodies as a vehicle, or an obstacle, to our happiness and peace?

Once we shift this perspective we can truly begin to grow roots for our bodies. We can think differently about what we put into them and how we treat them. Perhaps we make some nutritional changes and decide to fuel our bodies differently so that our minds and spirits can feel more balanced, energized, and at peace. Perhaps we become more aware of our use of vices and their impact not only on our bodies but also on the aspects of ourselves that live in our bodies—our minds, emotions, spirits. Perhaps we make some changes to allow our home to be cleaner and more clear. Perhaps we move our bodies in ways that improves fitness but also show reverence, allowing for recovery. When we choose to treat our bodies in such a way, we allow our selves to live in a home that functions and works better.

This certainly does not mean that we give up everything we enjoy. It means simply that we allow ourselves a shift in perspective and some awareness. We choose to look at what we are doing to and for our bodies, to and for our homes, with each choice we make. We choose to become aware of the outcomes and consequences for each of these choices, how our bodies feel with each choice, and how that affects the aspects of our selves living within the body.

Awareness is a powerful tool, it often leads to knowledge and insight we previously did not have. This knowledge leads to personal strength and power, and ultimately to healthy change that feels easy and natural rather than conflicted or difficult.

Our bodies are what keep us grounded in a very physical sense. They are the homes to every other part of our selves. The practices we choose for our bodies are therefore quite literally our first roots. If we can cultivate not only healthy bodies but also healthy relationships with our bodies, we can provide ourselves many of the roots we need from which to rise.

Let’s become more aware of our bodies as homes to the true essence of what makes us human, what brings us peace and joy. And let’s use that awareness to nurture our bodies and cultivate the roots our bodies need so that we can rise as stronger, healthier people.

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