Table Of ContentCOME HOME
TO YOURB ODY
FREE YOUR SPIRIT WITH MOVEMENT
In the workplace and at home, we relentlessly drive ourselves to "produce, "
every day of every month, year after year. Now, many women are beginning to
ask, "For what7" As we grow older and the external world becomes ever more
stressful, our bodies sometimes seem to turn on us-just when we most need
balance and stability.
If you're like many women, you've somehow lost the connection between your
spirit, intellect, and body. As you have moved into middle age, you may have
begun searching for a way to heal the imbalance you feel in your life. But you don't
know what that process involves-or even how to get started.
ComeH ome to YourB odyi s a workbook that will guide you through the process
of raising your body awareness and reconnecting with your spirit-throu gh
movement.
Perform simple, yet profound, exercises that will help you feel the vibrant dance
of energy running through you at every moment. You'll learn to stay centered in
inner peace and power, even during stressful, hectic times. To release blocks to
your energy flow and prevent chronic pain by being aware of your body's chang
ing comfort levels. To move freely and painlessly your entire life, whatever your
age. Finally, you'll regain your birthright: an organic connection with your spirit
and inner wisdom.
Many of us are discovering we have lost a crucial connection with our bodies.
The process of "coming home to your body" is to understand that you are your
body, with a wisdom far deeper than that of your intellect. Stop ignoring that wis
dom. Come home to your body and find the peace of mind, physical comfort, and
connection with your spirit you've been yearning for ... they await you within.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pamela J. Free is a certified Feldenkrais practitioner who has traveled the world
studying the effects of culture on movement, the ordinary movements of ordinary
lives-bending over, reaching, holding-that betray the presence of the personal
ity and the Spirit within. She is passionate about teaching women to reclaim their
power and their Spirit through movement. Born in Brighton, England, Pam came
to the United States alone at eighteen and followed her intuition through busi
nesses connected with art, remodeling houses, and bodywork. She now grows
beautiful flowers in Central California within sight of the sea, creates stained glass
windows that reflect the essence of the people she loves, and is writing her next
book about the labyrinth she recently built.
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please write to her in care of Llewellyn Worldwide, and we will forward your
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LLEWELLYN'S WHOLE LI FE SERIE S
COME HOME
TO YOURB ODY
1997
LLEWELLYN PUB LIC ATIONS
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, 55164-0383, U.S.A.
Come Home to YourB ody:A Workbookfo r Women. Copyright© 1997 by Pamela].
Free. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from Llewellyn Publications ,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
FIRST EDITION
First Printing, 1996
Cover art and design: Anne Marie Garrison
Book editing, design, and layout: Deb Gruebele
Project coordination: Connie Hill
Interior art, pp. 34-35: Pamela J. Free
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Free, Pamela]., 1944-
Come Home to your body : a workbook for women/ Pamela J. Free. -
1st ed.
p. cm. - (Llewellyn's whole life series)
ISBN 1-56718-290-9
1. Feldenkrais method . 2. Women- Mental health. 3. Women- Health
and hygiene. I. Title. II. Series.
RC489.F44F74 1997 96-33511
613' .04244- dc20 CIP
Printed in the United States of America.
Llewellyn Publications
A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 55164-0383, U.S.A.
ABOUT LLEWELLYN'S WHOLE LI FE SERI ES
Each of us is born into a body, but an amazing number of us lack anything beyond
the most utilitarian connection with our physical beings. Yet, being "in touch"
with the body-being aware of the senses' connection to our thoughts, emotions,
dreams, and spirits-is integral to holistic living.
What does the physical have to do with the emotional or the spiritual? Every
thing. We are as much beings of the Earth as we are beings of the stars ... our sens
es and connection to our bodies are just as integral to our physical, emotional, and
spiritual well-being as is our connection to our higher selves.
The old doctrines, which regard the physical as inferior to the spiritual, may
have made sense for the medieval ascetic-but, much like the medieval belief that
the Sun orbited the Earth, those beliefs have been supplanted by more enlightened
ones. Fortunately. Because it is impossible to truly feel that we belong in the uni
verse, just as much as the ground we walk on and the air we breathe, until we
entirely accept our own natures as physical and spiritual creatures. This book will
help you heal the split between will and understanding , and further your journey
to wholeness, the place where body, mind, and spirit are integrated and healed.
Access your internal source of wisdom, love, and healing through the techniques
presented here for heightened mind and body awareness ... and become so much
more than the sum of your parts.
COM ING HOM E TO MY BODY
As a child,I tumbleda nd twirled,
danced,w alked on my hands,
swungu psided ownf rom iron railings,
did headstands,h andstands,c artwheels.
Dreamedo fj oining the circusf, lying on a trapeze.
"Don'tp ay her any mind," said my siste1;D iana,
"shec an't help it, she'sd ouble-jointed."
Then camep uberty,r ed bloodf lowing, strangea nd unexpected.
Keep my knees togetherk; eep my feet on thef loor;
grow up, act my age, behavem yself,
walk like a lady,s it up straight,
everyonei s lookinga t me, I'm not doingi t right.
Shame, shame, shame.
I'll just leave my body
I misseds o many years of the rhythms of my body
The ebbinga nd thef lowing, the stretchinga nd the growing,
all my systems circulatingin their own mysterious patterns.
Muscles,g lands,o rgans,b looda nd breath
all pulsinga nd oozing,s queezinga nd leaping.
Magicalt ransitionsfr om desirei nto impulse into movement.
One thoughtc reatinga trillioni nteractionsi n the patterns of my cells
leadingt o my arms goingu p or my feet goingd own.
Each time my hand reacheso utf or another
thereo ccursa miracleo f so many dimensions,
energya nd aura, musclea nd bone, longinga nd yearning
all translating into simple action.
How couldI have been absentf or so long
from my own true self?
No time nowf or regret.
Only time to pay attention
to bringm y awarenesst o the pleasure
of beingt he ProdigalD aughter
returnedt o my own lovinga rms.
The exquisites ensationso f skin,
the languoroujso y of muscless tretching,
the intensityo f energyd ancing.
Time to roll on thef loor;
make circularm ovements,
explore, rejoice,e xperiencef,e el.
Comeh ome to my body
Pamela J. Free
To Caroline Conger,
who first inspired me with the deep and mysterious
power of the feminine.
