Body awareness

So I went to my first yoga class in a long time this week. Our teacher guided us to move from our hectic thought-mind space into the slower, ebb and flow of our body-mind. It was wonderful. I've been realizing lately how much I live out of the "what's next, what's next" jumping-around of my brain, and how I've forgotten how to truly rest and enjoy the movements of my own body. Like everyone else, I'm too busy, with my toddler, my work, random and assorted projects, too much time on Facebook...

About nine years ago, I studied massage for three months at the Institute of Psycho-Structural Balancing (IPSB for short) in California( http://ipsb.com/news.htm ), one of the most enjoyable educational experiences ever. Talk about luxurious experiential education: I got at least one pretty wonderful therapeutic massage every other day or so. I was more aware of the miracle of the human body than ever before.

When I went, shortly after that, to Guatemala, my massage training led me to connect with Capacitar, http://www.capacitar.org/, an amazing organization whose teachers empower grass-roots communities all over the world with training in holistic health practices. Their founder, Patricia Cane, is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met, and I've often thought that I want to be just like her when I grow up.

When I worked with BorderLinks http://www.borderlinks.org/ , we were able to get Pat Cane to come and lead an Encuentro; people from both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border gathered and learned basic holistic health practices, like Tai Chi, reflexology, and breathing practices, together. Pat Cane did the most seamless, relaxed, bi-lingual teaching that I've ever seen.

Since I've been at seminary the past few years, it seems that my body awareness has grown ever dimmer as I've concentrated on learning the theology and practice of ministry. But as I am about to graduate and seek a call in the Presbyterian church, it is high time to remember the body, not just for my own ongoing health, but for the sake of the church itself. It is kind of ironic that a group of people, who follow a healer of not only spiritual, but also physical ailments, and who call themselves "the Body of Christ," can often be poor at caring for bodies, their own and others', privileging spiritual well-being over physical.