What's Your Mammal Saying?

 


With all that is going on in the world right now—all the changes and uncertainties—it can be very easy to get caught in our heads as we sift through all the possibilities, trying to think our way out of whatever challenges we may be facing.  This focus on the mind and thinking has become so insidious that we aren’t even aware we’re doing it.  With so much attention on the mind, we can often forget that there’s a body attached to this brain of ours.  And this body is a mammal.

We were gifted with this body, which is kinda like a magical unicorn, to accompany us on our earth journey.  To carry us through this lifetime.  Life templed in the body.  Like all mammals, our body loves to receive affection, just like your dog or cat or child.  It loves to feel that you love it. So tell it something sweet, 

“I love you so much.  Thank you for carrying me.” 

Rest your hand on your heart.  Touch yourself, let your body know that you love it.  

Notice how you talk to your body.  

We live in a culture that pits us against our bodies, making us feel like we’re not enough so that people can sell things to us.  So if you find that you have a lot of negative self-talk towards your body, it’s not your fault. It’s the internalized voice of a culture that intentionally ingrains in us the idea that something’s not quite right. That you need something else besides this incredible, perfect organism, that is our greatest gift.  So YOU have to be the other voice. 

Tell the body,

 “You are so perfect.  I’m so grateful for you. Thank you for providing me a home in this lifetime.”  

Remind yourself as often as you can.  Just like talking points.  You can see that half of the nation is mesmerized by Fox news talking points.  Because it really works.  You say something enough times and it feels true! 

When you treat your body well it rewards you by mixing up a chemical cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters that makes you feel really good.  And that’s the deal with this relationship with your mammal.  

You could tend to everything else perfectly—you could be a straight-A student and go on to study at the best university.  You could get the perfect job, find the perfect partner, have the best car and the best house in the best neighborhood and if you haven’t tended to your body, all you will know is that you’re miserable.  

Because if you ignore your body it’s afraid and it mixes up a cocktail of fear and anxiety and lack.  Your body is the origin of your experience of the outside world.

So give your body a little hug everyday.  Tell it you love it.  That you’re so grateful for this vessel that allows you to experience the world.  As a mama, you probably do this every day for your child, so just turn that upon yourself. 

And even if you didn’t have a mama that told you how perfect you were and that every detail of you is lovable, the Earth is here communicating this to us at all times. All humans are imperfect so if you had an imperfect mother, welcome to the club! But we all have access to this perfect mother—Pacha Mama, Gaia, Mother Earth—and she is always here to hold us up, to nourish us, to make us feel safe.

It’s up to us as adults to access those energies of the perfect parenting, that, however old we are, we still need.  No matter how long we’ve been here on the Earth, we’re all still learning.  We’re all still growing.  And those energies of unconditional love and support from the great Mama Earth are with us every day. We meet them through the body.

So listen to your body.  This can be tricky because your brain is so accustomed to stepping in and telling you something contrary.  So we have to get real quiet to reconnect ourselves to the voice of our body, which might be saying—

Rest.

Feed me.

Touch me.

Water me.

Stretch me.

Dance me.

Massage me.

Make love to me.

It is actually a radical act to reconnect to the wisdom of our bodies because this relationship is a reflection of our connection to our great Mama Earth. We must reclaim this relationship if we are to restore the health of our planet. To do this requires listening, attuning ourselves to the quiet whisper of the body, which when we ignore, becomes a loud scream,

 “You know what, fuck you, you’re gonna stay in bed today, you’re sick.”

In this time of pause, tune back into the tiny voice.  Check in again and again as a practice.  

"What do you need right now?  How do you feel? How can I care for you at this moment?"

The more we listen to her, the more she will speak to us.  And over time it will become innate—this beautiful new, intimate relationship with your mammal. The vessel that carries us throughout our lifetime will do so joyfully, making us feel more vital and whole and loved not just for our own benefit, but for children as well.

Leave a comment