Dad joke impulses. Strong.
Can it count on top of a house? Can it count on top of some paperwork?
I didn’t say it was good, that’s your projection onto the potential quality of my dad jokes.
Totally off-topic. As usual.
You can skip the rest of this if you just try this:
Say out loud, “Body, what do you need from me to be happy, healthy, and energized?”
Then wait for a response.
If you don’t get one, try writing the question and the answer down.
If the answer doesn’t make sense to you, ask for it to be said in a different way so you can understand it.
Can your body count on things like sunshine, good quality water, touching the ground, enough rest to recuperate at the end of the day or in little breaks during the day, a couple of laughs, and food that provides it with the materials it needs to rebuild itself? How about a little faith?
*crickets*
Mmhmm.
What about counting on getting blamed, shat on, discounted, or being ungrateful?
Like a horse trying to pull a too-heavy load up a hill and getting whipped for not doing it well or fast enough and then blamed for not being ready to go as soon as the owner is for the next day’s haul? It probably didn’t get enough good food, either.
That’s how some of y’all treat your bodies.
Expecting it to give give give without ever being a part of the debate or conversation.
Now look, a body is like a Labrador Retriever. It forgives instantly. All it takes is a moment of checking in with it and it will be like oh hell yeah we’re on the same team baby! This is awesome! All is forgiven. Bodies don’t hold grudges. Spiritual elements do not hold grudges. Grudges are reserved for us humans as a tool for us to identify a place where we are not being totally honest with ourselves and probably our emotions.
If you do SOMETHING to check in with your body every day that involves feedback from your body, you’ll change your relationship for good.
That’s why CARs works if you do it for the feedback and not for making shapes.
That’s why doing any kind of foam rolling or ball-rolling CAN work if you aren’t trying to force your body into something but use them to tune into things and gather information.
That’s why literally asking, works, because you are involving the body in the conversation. The replies may come in visions, sensations, impulses, or words and thoughts. In “I don’t know why but I really want to do X…right now.” Don’t be dumb. You know why. It’s because you asked and allowed a response to come through. Your body is talking to you.
Both of those videos I linked and a lot more are available inside my Kinstretch mobility membership, where everything I teach is in service of improving your body’s feedback and connection so you can get stronger, clearer, and relate better to your body. It’s a monthly subscription you can cancel any time, pay for a year up front, or purchase a membership with personal training sessions included over Zoom. Here’s where you join: https://samantha.kartra.com/page/kinstretch
Enjoy your day.
Love,
-Sam
PS - Consider becoming a paid subscriber soon (it’s $5 a month) so you can get access to the special newsletters I write on big things occasionally, like the one I’m working on about becoming an inhospitable host for the things you don’t want.
PPS - this is also why PLEASURE works, because pleasure is something that you feel, can't fake or logic precisely, and is dependent on body involvement to FEEL