Bodies Have Seasons
Can I tell you something?
I have a complicated relationship with my body.
I love her.
And sometimes, I look in the mirror...
...and all I see are the things I'd like to change.
The softness around my hips.
The extra weight that seemed to arrive overnight.
The changes I wasn't expecting.
Then, almost as quickly, I'll catch myself thinking,
Damn, girl...you look pretty good for 46.
It's complicated.
Maybe your relationship with your body is, too.
Many of us have spent a lifetime receiving messages about what our bodies should look like.
Be thinner.
Be fitter.
Be younger.
Be sexier.
Don't wrinkle.
Don't jiggle.
Don't age.
It's exhausting.
And somewhere along the way, many of us began treating our bodies like projects to perfect instead of the homes we live in.
My body has carried me through a traumatic childhood.
Through illness.
Injury.
Heartbreak.
Joy.
The birth of my children.
This body has prepared thousands of meals.
Built businesses.
Created a nonprofit devoted to healing.Held my babies.
Held people while they cried.
And carried me across the dance floor more times than I could ever count.
And as grateful as I am for her...
She has changed.
She's even changing now.
Lately, I've been navigating hormonal shifts and a body that feels different than it did just a few months ago.
There are days I wish I could make sense of it — or make it go back.
Then I remember...
Bodies were never meant to stay the same.
They have seasons.
Just like our lives do.
Some seasons feel energetic and strong.
Others ask us to slow down.
To grieve.
Heal.
Rest.
Trust.
I'm learning that the practice isn't holding on to the body I had yesterday.
It's staying in relationship with the body I have today.
Because this body...
It's the only home I'll ever have.
That's why we dance.
Not to burn calories.
Not to earn dessert.
Not to become someone else.
We dance to come home.
To ourselves.
Our breath.
Our bodies.
To the parts of us we've forgotten.
Almost every week, someone says:
"I'm so glad I came."
"I feel lighter."
"I feel freer."
"I haven't felt this joyful in so long."
The beautiful part?
Nothing about their bodies has changed in that hour.
But something inside them has.
They've breathed.
Moved.
Released.
They've remembered what it feels like to be fully alive in the body they're in.
That's the kind of transformation I believe in.
Not the flashy, before-and-after kind our culture celebrates.
Not the kind that happens overnight.
The kind that unfolds one breath...
One dance...
One moment of choosing yourself at a time.
If you've been feeling disconnected from yourself...
Critical of your body...
Overwhelmed by all the messages telling you who you should be...
Or you're simply craving an hour where you don't have to perform, fix, or prove anything...
I'd love to welcome you into this space.
Come exactly as you are.
Everything is an invitation.
Together, we'll create a space where we can gently notice the voice that says we're not enough...
And choose, even if only for an hour, to listen to another one.
The one that reminds us:
This body has carried us through every season of our lives.
— Danielle
The Body That Carries You
Thursday, July 23
7-8:15pm ET • Online via Zoom • $20
If you can’t make it live, you’ll receive the replay and playlist.
Membership is $35/month and includes this class and all upcoming classes.
If cost is the only thing stopping you, use code SISTER50 for 50% off or apply for a gifted membership. No questions asked. We take care of each other here.
This reflection was originally shared with our email community.
If this event has already passed, the invitation is still here — we'd love to welcome you to an upcoming class or event.
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