Functional Bodyism

Philip Shepherd tells the story of his niece losing her bracelet at a big family picnicEveryone had been searching the grass of a huge field for agesBut when Philip arrived and heard of the questHe looked into the vast field and invited his pelvic floor to find the itemAnd he walked right to itI was skepticalExcept not long after reading itMy husband and son had made boomerangsAnd gone to fly them in a nearby field surrounded by hilly bramblesAs often happens with novice boomerangingMy son’s, the cool one, the purple one with special symbolsOvershot its mark and did not come backIt effectively disappearedThey searched and searched, and came home with tearsBut, I had just read that storyAnd so I turned them around and we went back to the field.I’d like to tell you that I walked right to itBecause I didBut I also need to tell you that it did not feel that way while I was walkingPhilip says, “don’t be aware of the pelvic floor, be aware from the pelvic floor”Which is not nearly as difficult as it is unusual.All kinds of uncertainty accompanied me as I walked into the brambles on the far side of the fieldBut the pelvic floor does not commentate on uncertaintyIt stays receptive for signalsSo, when thoughts like ‘this isn’t working’ came upI returned to the sensing of the lower bodyThe part in contact with the surroundings that knew where the boomerang layDoubt -> breath -> curious sensingAgain and again for about 10 minutesAnd, trite as it may soundJust when I was resigned to not finding itThere it wasA glimpse of purpleThe boomerang deep in a bushPulling it out was a triumph on many levelsThe best of which was my son’s reliefBut when this memory came to mind the other dayI was shocked that I cannot remember using the technique since.My professional expression has been lost for some timeAnd my best efforts of searching have been fruitlessPerhaps it’s time to invite my pelvic floor to lead me to my next expressionLed solely by sensingRemembering not to be distracted by the uncertainty between start and finishBut stay in the sensing curiosity and keep movingSlowly, deliberately.Not directed by my thoughtsBut moving via my center of gravityToday, I’m enchantedI’m glad that lessons come back aroundLike boomerangs This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fallingtenderly.substack.com