Stories Told By the Body…
One of the reasons I decided to go to massage school was because I wanted to spend less time at my desk job...and one of the reasons I wanted to move away from my desk job as an editor, was because I wanted to spend more time on my creative writing projects!
What I didn't anticipate was how inspiring bodywork would be for my creative work...
In our fast-paced world, we spend most of our time trying to keep up with the demands of the mind. But the body has SO many stories to tell—it just works at a slower pace.
When I personally started to slow down and listen to my own body, through bodywork, qigong, and meditation, I gained so much respect for my body and all the ways it was processing life. Similarly, the main objective of my creative writing is to process my own experiences of life.
When these two realms of my life collided, magic happened...
For instance, one summer I got a terrible rash. On the surface, it was obviously from a hot tub experience gone awry. However, no one else in the hot tub with me got a rash. Instead of just taking a Benadryl and passing out, I slowed down and asked my body what it was processing and what it needed.
In the context of my life, I had just a month earlier gone through a terrible heartbreak and was processing immense grief. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, I know that grief is stored in the lungs, and the lung meridian (or energy channel) is associated with the skin.
When I connected those dots, I interpreted that maybe my body needed a different kind of medicine. I invited in a deeper level of self-compassion as I was going through this hard time and found ways to support myself emotionally.
The rash experience became so much more beautiful than I ever anticipated, leading me to write a short, humorous essay called "Things I Learned From My Rash."
Here's a short excerpt:
"A rash is a baby-ish way to get attention (but it works). Invite your friends over for a dinner party and show everyone the rash. The rash wants to be seen and taken care of. The rash will attract people who want to take care of you. The rash says what your heart cannot."
Both my writing and bodywork practices continue to inspire me to have a deeper understanding of the body and its healing processes. I believe my own personal healing practice contributes to that of the entire world. Sound crazy? Join me :)