Body Presencing™ - Healing the Root of the Matter

“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” -Leo Tolstoy I woke up one morning, opened my eyes, and the mist outside my window spoke of the world crying.   The world is crying as we feel the pain. The world is crying for those hurt in the recent Boston episode, for their families their friends, the witnesses, the perpetrators, the patriots, the Country. The world is crying for the pain in Bosnia, Serbia, the Sudan, Israel, the Middle East, and, and, and. Through the veil of tears lives what is possible. If we could all be held in the bosom of our mother’s love, would all this pain and suffering be possible? The world is crying because there are a lot of tears to shed. Crying forever or crying as a catharsis are not the same as crying to express the care and love for ourselves and for each other. Unending crying speaks when we are unconsciously caught i

“ No matter the nature of your individuality, you can nurture a better identity and have a mature positively rewarding life.”                                                                                   Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha Last night I had people over for a bar-b-queue and I had a very interesting discussion with an older woman who is struggling with aging and how it changes her sense of self. My discussion with her led me to thinking about self-nurturing from a slightly different vantage point. Usually we think of self nurturing as a way of caring for ourselves through personal time, a massage, a health treatment, a good dinner, drinks with friends, a walk in nature, and so on. What if self-nurturing is also about coming to compassionate terms with who we are and our limitations? If we look at self-nurturing from the perspective of who we are today and not who we hoped or wished we would be, compassion becomes part of the nurturing equation. Compassion is an

               “Tell the world you are one of a kind creation who came here to experience                                                Wonder and spread joy”                                                                                                                 - Victoria Moran The word “selfish” has gotten a bad rap. There is selfishness and there is selfish.   Selfish means “about the self.” I personally don’t see anything wrong with being about one's self; unless we are always just about our self. Knowing ourselves, taking care of ourselves, and valuing ourselves are marvelous traits. If we don’t value and nurture ourselves, who will, and who will teach our children? The eighth key and the topic for the month of August is the Power of Self-Nurturing. During the next four weeks we will explore how by nurturing ourselves, we nurture our relationships and the greater community while also becoming more whole, vital and healthy individuals. In the wo

  “Today's fashion is really about sensuality; how a woman feels on the inside.”                                                                                                         - Donna Koran I learn a lot about life from my dogs, from nature, and from my students.   One of the reasons I love to teach is that I get a chance to learn as well as help others. Every time I teach something I learn it at a deeper level. My dogs teach me without either them or me realizing it. As I watch them move, run, stretch, and play show me poetry in motion.   They aren’t self conscious and when they want to run, they run. When they find a smell that is wonderful to them, they luxuriate it and roll in it. They naturally embody sensuality. As humans we also are meant to embody sensuality.   The very word “embody” implies we are in a body that feels and senses.   One of the reasons we are put on earth is to feel; to enjoy our senses and our bodies.   When we are disconnected or

  “To all the sensual world proclaim, one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.” -   Sir Walter Scott Many of us disconnect from our bodies and aren’t even aware what is going on internally and in our bodies when we are reading, in a discussion, or doing those rote daily activities that comprise the essence of our lives. Sometimes we catch ourselves doing this – like when driving home and suddenly finding ourselves in the driveway without any memory of the drive.   Intellectually we know we must have disconnected, but we don’t usually exhibit much control over this disconnect. Perhaps this is why so many have a hard time with being sensuous.   Being sensuous and aware of our sensuality involves being in our bodies and connecting our bodies with our other senses. When we smell bread baking, we have a feeling connected with the smell. When we touch something soft or sleep on very soft sheets, we have a feeling connected with the touch. Our sens

                              What I love is near at hand,  always, in earth and air. -   Theodore Roethke I recently came back from a vacation to Cabo Mexico. One of my favorite things to do was to walk the beach in the early morning. At this particular resort, at 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, there are very few people on the beach, the wind is fairly high, the waves are crashing onto the shore, the sand is cool to the touch (and fairly firm for easier walking).   The crabs are scurrying to their holes, the pelicans and sea gulls are foraging for food, and all my senses take in all of the beauty.   As I walked I could feel the sun warming my skin and the sea air combing through my hair. I felt awed, free, and inspired. Do you like the ocean, or the mountains, warm or cold climates? What kind of environment brings you full alive?   What places and conditions fill your senses with awe, freedom, and inspiration?   Where do you feel most immersed in your senses and how can you