Summer is here, and so is a time to rest and take a break to replenish body and soul. I will continue working and blogging for you in August.
For today, you have the translation of last week’s blog, see below.
Der Sommer ist hier,
und damit Zeit für Erholung für Körper und Seele…
Im August arbeite und blogge ich wieder.
Bis dahin, einen schönen Sommer!
I know, I know: your body is not perfect.
There are things you don’t like about your body. And there are probably things you can’t do with your body that others can do with theirs. Your body probably has some blemishes, impurities, or diseases. If you are no longer youthful, then there are certainly things that your body can no longer do or that have become much more strenuous over the years. That’s the way it is with a body, it changes, it gets older.
Yes, a body needs maintenance and care.
It is normal for the body to change. It doesn’t necessarily have to be negative; it can also be that you get stronger, faster or have learned things that have passed into your body’s memory. And of course, there are things that become easier for you, in your body, because you do them again and again. I don’t mean body memory like sports, but I mean things like sex, cooking, or painting. Some things we practise with our mind, other things we practise with our body.
And only together with the body can our mind & Soul express itself.
When you see an artist capturing the soul of a person with a loose hand and a few strokes on paper, all you see is the lightness in it. We do not see the many hours those hands have spent with pen and paper. We don’t see the discarded drafts. We don’t hear the frustration, the despair. We may only see the result or the practised master doing what he does best. (And when we are in tune with our partner in bed, we don’t remember the clumsy beginnings of the love affair with our bodies. We just enjoy knowing them so well…)
Our preferences in terms of sensory impressions also change.
If we didn’t like broccoli as a child but discover it as an adult, that’s quite normal. I don’t want to talk about learned preferences, about spicy cheese or wine. Just being aware of how a cook tastes a dish repeatedly makes it clear how much we owe to our bodies. Without your body, you can’t taste your food, you can’t hear the music, you can’t smell the flowers.
Without your body you have no connection to the world.
It is not important how healthy, how beautiful, how capable, how complete, or how old your body is. It is also irrelevant whether all your senses are available to you. If your brain receives any sensory impressions, you are connected to the world. To really come to your senses, to be awake to what information the world is presenting to you, that is to be alive.
If you want to feel alive, come to your senses.
No matter how your body is feeling now, whether you are suffering from an itch, a headache or a backache, whether you are in a wheelchair, lying in bed or are limited in any other way, you can always do one thing: You can choose a sensory channel that you can enjoy. For example, depending on your preferences and abilities, you could listen to music that you like. You could get (or have someone get) scents that you find interesting or pleasant. You could look at pictures, art, photos or colours or films… You could look for a special taste, discover the cuisine of a country you don’t know yet. You could stroke an animal or enjoy your sensuality or sexuality in some way.
Even when we are sick, there can still be a sensory channel that gives us pleasure.
Before you curse your body, try to establish cooperation with it. I’m having a neurodermatitis flare-up like I last had as a child. My body is making it very difficult for me to feel good in it. I rant, I cry, I curse. But some days ago I let my aching, itchy, almost useless hands reach for brush and palette, and continued to paint a picture. I laid colours over colours, watching new things emerge, under my defiantly capable hands. I gradually shifted my focus from pain and itching to creating beauty.
It has been so good for me to do something I love despite pain and SICKNESS.
I was tremendously careful not to get paint on my eczema; holding the brush just hurt, but it worked. I could do something. I was no longer helplessly at the mercy of whatever was afflicting my body. On the contrary, I could actively relieve my body by providing good feelings. (A nice film or a good record might have done the trick for you – you and your muse will know best what would do you good…)
In doing so, I felt strong, powerful. And I remembered how alive my body is despite everything.
Even if you feel betrayed by your body, you can often use your mind to do something good for you in a roundabout way, that helps you make peace with your body again.
You and your body may not be one, but you are a good team, indeed.
Heartfelt, wherever you are,
P.S.: Have a good time and take care of yourself, Honey! See you in August!
Summer is here, and so is a time to rest and take a break to replenish body and soul. I will continue working and blogging for you in August.
For today, you have the translation of last week’s blog, see below.
Der Sommer ist hier,
und damit Zeit für Erholung für Körper und Seele…
Im August arbeite und blogge ich wieder.
Bis dahin, einen schönen Sommer!
I know, I know: your body is not perfect.
There are things you don’t like about your body. And there are probably things you can’t do with your body that others can do with theirs. Your body probably has some blemishes, impurities, or diseases. If you are no longer youthful, then there are certainly things that your body can no longer do or that have become much more strenuous over the years. That’s the way it is with a body, it changes, it gets older.
Yes, a body needs maintenance and care.
It is normal for the body to change. It doesn’t necessarily have to be negative; it can also be that you get stronger, faster or have learned things that have passed into your body’s memory. And of course, there are things that become easier for you, in your body, because you do them again and again. I don’t mean body memory like sports, but I mean things like sex, cooking, or painting. Some things we practise with our mind, other things we practise with our body.
And only together with the body can our mind & Soul express itself.
When you see an artist capturing the soul of a person with a loose hand and a few strokes on paper, all you see is the lightness in it. We do not see the many hours those hands have spent with pen and paper. We don’t see the discarded drafts. We don’t hear the frustration, the despair. We may only see the result or the practised master doing what he does best. (And when we are in tune with our partner in bed, we don’t remember the clumsy beginnings of the love affair with our bodies. We just enjoy knowing them so well…)
Our preferences in terms of sensory impressions also change.
If we didn’t like broccoli as a child but discover it as an adult, that’s quite normal. I don’t want to talk about learned preferences, about spicy cheese or wine. Just being aware of how a cook tastes a dish repeatedly makes it clear how much we owe to our bodies. Without your body, you can’t taste your food, you can’t hear the music, you can’t smell the flowers.
Without your body you have no connection to the world.
It is not important how healthy, how beautiful, how capable, how complete, or how old your body is. It is also irrelevant whether all your senses are available to you. If your brain receives any sensory impressions, you are connected to the world. To really come to your senses, to be awake to what information the world is presenting to you, that is to be alive.
If you want to feel alive, come to your senses.
No matter how your body is feeling now, whether you are suffering from an itch, a headache or a backache, whether you are in a wheelchair, lying in bed or are limited in any other way, you can always do one thing: You can choose a sensory channel that you can enjoy. For example, depending on your preferences and abilities, you could listen to music that you like. You could get (or have someone get) scents that you find interesting or pleasant. You could look at pictures, art, photos or colours or films… You could look for a special taste, discover the cuisine of a country you don’t know yet. You could stroke an animal or enjoy your sensuality or sexuality in some way.
Even when we are sick, there can still be a sensory channel that gives us pleasure.
Before you curse your body, try to establish cooperation with it. I’m having a neurodermatitis flare-up like I last had as a child. My body is making it very difficult for me to feel good in it. I rant, I cry, I curse. But some days ago I let my aching, itchy, almost useless hands reach for brush and palette, and continued to paint a picture. I laid colours over colours, watching new things emerge, under my defiantly capable hands. I gradually shifted my focus from pain and itching to creating beauty.
It has been so good for me to do something I love despite pain and SICKNESS.
I was tremendously careful not to get paint on my eczema; holding the brush just hurt, but it worked. I could do something. I was no longer helplessly at the mercy of whatever was afflicting my body. On the contrary, I could actively relieve my body by providing good feelings. (A nice film or a good record might have done the trick for you – you and your muse will know best what would do you good…)
In doing so, I felt strong, powerful. And I remembered how alive my body is despite everything.
Even if you feel betrayed by your body, you can often use your mind to do something good for you in a roundabout way, that helps you make peace with your body again.
You and your body may not be one, but you are a good team, indeed.
Heartfelt, wherever you are,