Writing As The Body
An Offering & Exercise Of Compassion
I often do an exercise in my herbal apprenticeships I call ‘writing as the body.’ It may not be unique to me but I began doing it out of necessity when I was reeling and didn’t know why. I would sit down, get quiet, tune into areas of discomfort and let my body speak. When words poured onto the page, it felt like I was writing the ground up, not my head down. Emotions were communicated in ways my conscious mind wasn’t aware of (or chose not to hear) and I was always astounded at the wisdom that emerged. Through practice, I developed deeper listening, released tension where I carried trauma or shame, and cultivated compassion for parts of myself I judged.
In a recent online session with students, I offered a guided meditation as they explored which part of their bodies held tension or fear and needed to speak. After tuning in, we had 10-minutes for stream-of-consciousness writing, then sharing. Almost all of the women in that class wrote from the perspective of their soft bellies, bellies they believed to be too ‘fat’ that just wanted to be loved, nourished, and accepted. They teared-up as they read: “I am doing my best, working on your behalf, processing what you feed me, loving you.” They had been so cruel to their bellies, to themselves. In that small period of time, we heard each other and our bodies were heard too. Some students promised to listen more deeply to their bodies after that session, and to write from within when they felt lost. Listening is healing.
So today, I invite you to listen to your body. To sit with discomfort, even for a moment, and use the energy of discomfort to express yourself. Write it all out of your system, unedited, and you might be surprised at what you find. If nothing else, you might find more compassion for yourself and that is a powerful start.