Book Study: The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride
by Kris Woodson
For over 45 years, I have been at war with my body.
I felt my body was unruly: too tall, too big, too much…and yet, not enough.
Not small enough, not disciplined enough, not good enough.
Tara Brach would call this the trance of unworthiness–the belief that no matter how hard we try, we are always in some way falling short.
Through yoga and meditation, I am trying to dismantle this trance. One book that has helped me is Hillary McBride’s The Wisdom of Your Body, which begins with an invitation: For anyone who was ever told, shown or made to believe that your body is anything other than sacred and wise.
Yoga (at the surface) could be mistaken as a practice that privileges a conquered body or a body that is now seen as valuable because it has conformed to an ideal. But what if instead yoga and meditation are the practices that bring us home to what is already there?
In this book study, Book Club: The Wisdom of your Body by Hillary McBride we will begin to explore embodiment–how we come to be separated from our bodies and how we can heal ourselves and come home to our good bodies through meditation, pranayama, and asana.
I don’t have answers. I’m not a psychologist or a yoga therapist. But I am on a journey of compassion for myself and for others. And I’d love for you to join me so that we can learn more together.
Following the structure of Dr. McBride’s book and her accompanying experiential guide, we will discuss disembodiment, stress and trauma, body image, pain and illness, and oppression through the lens of the 8 Limbs of Yoga.
Class will meet five times — on Sundays in November, 4:30-6:30 pm. Register for all at once, no drop-ins allowed so that we can create a community that moves and learns together. These sessions will be available in-studio and online.
You will need:
Two Books
The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride
Practices for Embodied Living by Hillary McBride
Loose paper, journal or similar; wear loose comfortable clothing that you can move in
Join me! -Kris Woodson
