Hi everyone– it’s mid-summer in a year marked by hope, tentativeness, anticipation, a little experimenting, and scurrying back to familiar ground when things get too scary. Or is it just me? Probably not.
In past years, I’ve posted about things that felt good in my body. Here’s the list I generated in 2017:
- yoga
- reading Natalie’s posts
- sex with myself
- doing some prettifying activity– for me this meant hair color and treatments
- walking
- cycling
In 2019, here’s where I stood on bodily feel-good activities:
- yoga, especially yin
- the gym
- cycling
Then came 2020. Feeling good in body or mind was in short supply. Here’s what I went for:
- sleep
- yoga
- nature
- walking
- cycling
- water (in theory– didn’t actually do much watery activity)
Well, here we are, mid-2021, and I’m a little betwixt and between. I’m betwixt the before-times and after-times, and I’m between fear and courage, paralysis and momentum, pessimism and curiosity. And yet.
There’s a feeling in me of increased awareness, increased clarity. Maybe partly it’s from sitting still for so long in one place. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing in some ways. At any rate, here’s this year’s list of things that make me feeling good in my body, 2021:
- meditation– sitting in stillness and awareness helps me appreciate and tend to my body (from the neck up and from the neck down) more immediately, accurately, and tenderly.
- swimming– I am swimming more this year, and every time I go, I love it. Being in water reminds me that my body is built for strength and endurance and grace.
- walking with dogs–I’ve been on dog walks with friends/family and their dogs, and also just with the dogs themselves. I love the slow pace, the friendly conversation (with other people and all the dogs), and the feeling of having taken care of another being.
- eating with people–I’m loving sharing food at the same table with others! Boy did I miss that during the past 17 months or so. My body feels good eating with others, sharing and enjoying food in the context of humor and pleasure and taste and love.
Right now, it’s all about the sensation and emotion around bodily activity that I’m reveling in. What about you, dear readers? What’s feeling really good to you in your body these days? Are you back at the gym weight lifting? Are you gardening? Doing group rides? What is making your body sing? I’d love to hear from you.
