Embrace Body Connection in Liminal Spaces

Liminal space is the perfect time to connect with your body. 

During seasons of great change, I’ve noticed that it is easy to live only in your head and not in your body. When I’m in my head alone, I believe I can think my way out of something. And while this might be true in some circumstances, it isn’t true when it comes to the grief and loss of change. 

We can’t think our way through grief. 

Those who mourn have taught me that there is purpose in the process itself. Early loss has a different feel than loss months later. And the journey across those months is revealing. Everyone gets to consider the loss…what happened, what it reveals, who shows up to help, what feels the best and worst. Try as we might, our thoughts can’t solve the problem of a big life loss. 

It turns out that one resource for movement through loss is our own body. 

If we can reconnect with our bodies, we can make discoveries about ourselves and our sense of loss. Liminal space is the perfect time to connect with your body. 

I have found that moving my body is one of the best ways to get out of my tiny little mind that is worrying over everything. Walking, swimming, running, riding a bicycle – things that hold their own physical rhythm have a way of helping my mind release whatever it is that is holding me back. Movement, especially repetitive movement, creates a loosening of the hold our minds may have on us. It creates the possibility for a shift no matter how small. 

I’ve noticed that sometimes moving my body clears my mind. 

In the middle of physical activity, I’m no longer thinking intensely about the thing that got me moving to begin with. If my movement is physically consuming such as swimming, my mind quiets down and focuses on the pool, the water and the way it feels on my skin, the sunlight or shadows, birds floating in the sky or the sounds around me…I become aware that my mind is resting and finding freedom from incessant thought. When I’ve finished the activity, I discover a fresh perspective on the thing I’d been in a whirl about. Putting it down and getting it outside my body makes the issue look completely different. 

Yoga is another excellent way to reconnect with your body. 

I may mistakenly think that all the thinking is just the thing. Then I get on a yoga mat and discover a place of no thinking. Only slow movement and breath. My mat becomes a personal space outside the world’s time. On the mat I can meet myself again. Breathing in and breathing out. Instead of intense thoughts and feelings I discover that I have released them. They no longer hold sway over my time or energy. 

The discipline of practicing yoga is trustworthy – I can go to the mat and find myself in a breath-centered moving prayer. My head clears and I’m down inside my body rather than all inside my head. I start to notice and feel my limbs. My toes. My neck and shoulders unravel a little. Slowly I find I’m sitting a little straighter. I stand taller. As I draw my attention to balance poses, I find myself centered and balanced once again. 

Once inside my body I have a new perspective on what has been troubling my mind. 

I can resume what I was trying to accomplish, bringing with me fresh eyes. Fresh solutions arise. And the grip of feeling overwhelmed loosens enough for me to take the next right step forward. Grief and loss are full-body experiences. By connecting with your body, you may discover glimpses of peace and hope. 

How do you connect with your body during times of transition? Share your tips in the comments!