Get
Moving
“Movement
never lies. It is the barometer telling the state of the soul's
weather to all who can read it.”
Martha
Graham
Did you know that Martha
Graham danced and taught dance well into her seventies? She called
dance the “language of the soul,” and referred to the body as, “a
sacred garment.” She was quite right about movement showing the
condition of the body and the soul. The way we feel about ourselves
also is on full display. I have been privileged to watch the USA
men's wheelchair rugby team practicing at the Lakeshore training
facility. I don't know if you've ever watched rugby—it's a physical
game, an aggressive and sometimes even brutal game. These guys don't
seem to think of themselves as fragile even though they are confined
to chairs. They bang and clash and go after one another like mad
bears. The chairs look as though they've been run over by an
eighteen-wheeler. The players don't seem inhibited or embarrassed about the
appearance of their bodies, either, even though they are paraplegic.
I've frequently seen one or more of them changing clothes on the
sidelines while I and others are walking on the track. They feel good
about themselves and it shows. And they should because their bodies
are strong and well conditioned.
Most of us take our
bodies for granted until they hurt. We just assume they will always
do what we want them to until one day, they don't. I don't know about
you, but I'm always surprised when some new inability shows up. The
body, like everything else, needs regular care and attention. Some folks have been endowed with more functional bodies than others, and
some bodies are simply better constructed for athletics than others.
But even people blessed with great bodies have to work to stay fit.
And dance is a great way to do that.
When we work at sedentary
jobs, it's even more important to consciously make time to move and
lift and bend and stoop. Simple exercise, such as walking for thirty
minutes a day, will improve health and extend life. Human bodies are
designed to move, we must move if we want to stay healthy into old
age.
We may not be like Martha
Graham, but we can still hold our bodies in high esteem. We can think
of them as temples of the soul, or as “sacred garments.” Dance,
like swimming, uses every muscle in the body, and besides, it's fun!
You don't have to join a gym or take a Zumba class; just put some
music on your phone and get moving. Your sacred body (and your sacred soul)
will be happy when you do.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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