Your Body is Nature

In shamanism we are working with healing... we are working with health and life in all of its cycles. And, yet much too often the human body itself is not recognised as nature with all of its wisdom. Your body carries a wisdom of all time and is intimately connected to all of creation.  In this blog, we begin to explore this and offer suggestions for you- to begin to go to your body like you go to nature.

Video Transcription:

Hello, my name is Kimba, and welcome to this week's blog at Shaman College. We're going to go into a territory that I have observed is greatly unexplored in the world of shamanism. Not that it's not been explored it all, and but it's like, you know, if we were out on a hike, and we were on the main trail. Sometimes there's other trails that come off the main trail. And sometimes you see these little paths that very few have traveled. Or if so, it's been a long time. They're kind of overgrown with grass and overgrown with plants, and some trees have grown up over the area.

That's how I feel this path that I want to look at with you today and likely and coming videos. That's how it appears to me right now. And I'm gonna be talking here about your body as spirit, your body as a spirit ally, your body as a sacred vessel, your body as connected to all of nature as one with nature.

If you look at my background, I came into this world dancing -  basically dancing, expressing myself, moving outside with the spirits of nature and that fascination with movement and expression and health and nature. So truth, what is really here, never left me and it I went through a lot of different studies and formal trainings and informal trainings and healing. And you know, so many things.

So for me movement, expression, the body, the human vessel and shamanism - healing through the spirits and through nature and really working, refining those connections.  For me, the two of these are one.

And so I would like to start to look at this today and really because, you know, even in the things that you would consider to be good for you - movement-wise and health-wise. So, yoga ,Pilates, other kinds of fitness type exercises physio and  so many things that have to do with the body and movement and training and conditioning and all of these things when you really look at it many, many times, people are not approaching that work from the perspective that this body, your vessel, carries a wisdom of all time. It's a sacred instrument.

Instead what I see is the body as a sacred instrument and the body’s wisdom that's connected to all time is pushed aside to do these exercises and its happens a lot.

So what would it mean… what would it mean if we can go to these vessels, these bodies, as we go to nature? I say that quite a lot in some different teachings. But how can we go? How can you go to your body like you go to nature?

What do we do when we are called to a tree? Maybe we find ourselves wandering there. Maybe we see it in the distance, and it's like it's calling us. We approach the tree. What do we do?

We always sense in, we always say, hello. We always ask the tree permission - it doesn't have to be a formal letter, but it's just checking in and asking. Can I hang out with you? Can I be here with you? And then we open up? Don't we?

What is the tree’s presence? We might look at how the trees shapes are. You might rest your head against the tree or your hand. We might sit at its roots or lean in. We come honouring.

So when we come with this openness, when come with this heart and this curiosity and this gratitude we start to open up to a relationship. A connection. A communication with tree. And this, opens up so much of the shamanism, the healing, the guidance.

So that can you do this with your body? Can you come to your body and say hello? Can you come with this openness. This reverence, This curiosity. You know what? What is here? What is this? What is it showing me? Teaching me? What wisdom through all time is here?

Your body is alive. Your body is nature right here. So close. So close, so close that we say this is us. This is me.

So when I go to movements, when I go to movement exercises or when I go to working with my body or my clients’ bodies. I always come curious and open. But I always am looking for or tuning in to what is this expression that I am inviting?  What am I inviting? What is the body's expression that's coming through in this movement?

So instead of the exercise rules that I'm gonna cram myself into.  I don't do that, believe me, I'm well versed in that!  That's the most typical way that people work with movement. They shove their body into it.

So when I work with the body, whether it be through movement, through yoga, through hands on bodywork,  I'm always asking the body what wants to be expressed. What? What wants to be shown here? What's happening here experientially? And that's how I come to the body. And that's how I come to movement. And any kind of healing that works with movement.

What I'm hoping for you after watching this video. What I'm hoping is that you can start now to become really curious. Hello, body. Hello. What is here? What do you want to show me? What do you want to say? I'll sit here with you at your roots. I will lean into you. I come open for your guidance.  So you can do this, hopefully now and after this video.

And if you do any form of formal exercise. You know, like many of the ones that I've mentioned. If you do any of those, you can also come with the same curiosity to your body. What? What do you have to say about this? What are you expressing here? Is this movement opening your body's voice? Or is it closing your body up into a box?

Okay. All right. So I hope that this starts something in motion for you, and please be in contact with me. I would love to hear what happens for you after you watch this video. And perhaps after you live it out for the next coming days and weeks, let me know. Send me any questions and thank you.