Inner work frameworks, practices, and questions – all in a five-minute read. Delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning before you even wake up. Written and curated by Andrew Lang.
We've been told lies about our bodies: The Wednesday 1-2-3
|
Happy Wednesday Reader! I wasn't sure where in the email to put this, so I'll put it here: Longtime friend of The Wednesday 1-2-3, James A. Pearson has just published his first book of poetry titled The Wilderness That Bears Your Name — and it is an incredible gift to read. Please check it out and pick up a copy if it resonates with you. (I've featured his poetry several times in The Wednesday 1-2-3: here, here, and here.) Onward to our week's teaching, questions, and resources: 1. TeachingToday’s teaching is an excerpt from Dr. Hillary McBride’s recent book, Practices for Embodied Living: Here are some untruths we face in western culture:
You are not your body.
You need to subdue and control your body because it is dangerous.
Some bodies are better than others.
Bodies must present within rigid binaries of gender.
Ideal women have sexual, young, thin, and fertile bodies.
Bodies are impure, and pleasure is sinful.
Appearance is all that matters about your body.
You should change your body.
Fat bodies are unhealthy.
Others get to decide what is best for your body.
Bodies get in the way of pure and right thinking…
The following stories open doors back into embodiment:
My body is mine; my body is me.
My body and my mind can be friends.
My body is a resource.
My body is a resistance.
My body is a sanctuary…
It is never too late to learn how to come back home to myself.
2. Questions
3. Resources
⏪ If you missed last week's email:🧩 Community QuestionAs an invitation into storytelling, I'll be sharing a community question each week for the next month or so. If an answer or short story pops up for you in response, please share by hitting "reply!" What is one thing you currently do to honor or take care of your body? A big thank you to Ruth and January for sharing your responses to last week’s question about practices in the midst of crisis. Upcoming Event:Hope all is well-enough with you, |
The Wednesday 1-2-3
Inner work frameworks, practices, and questions – all in a five-minute read. Delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning before you even wake up. Written and curated by Andrew Lang.
Hey Reader, This week, I’m passing along a practice from one of my colleagues, Taj M. Smith. Taj shared this in a recent newsletter and I love how he speaks about time. I often find myself going way too fast, so while practices like this can sometimes seem silly, they can also be really helpful in re-setting myself. If you feel yourself tempted to skim it, hit “archive,” and move on – especially if you’re reading this early in the morning – I invite you to try it literally right now with...
Hey Reader, A quick reminder to start us off 👇 Tomorrow night, Kimberly Novosel and I will be hosting our first “sweatshirt session!” If you’re feeling a bit exhausted by the world and want a few new practices for self-connection and staying soft, yet fierce, I hope you’ll consider joining us. Today's focus is on a concept used in family systems therapy known as the “transitional character.” This is someone who becomes a change-maker in their family lineage by refusing to pass down...
Hey Reader, I recently received an email from one of our Wednesday 1-2-3 readers sharing this super relatable challenge: “setting goals I can stay with over time.” Woof – me too! In my day job, I train teachers in a style of education known as project-based learning. And one of the things I talk most with teachers about is how we can emphasize “process over product” in our classrooms. (You can probably guess: I have a lot of critical things to say about standardized testing.) In other words,...