The theology of my body: freedom to move

A few months ago I wrote a blog entry in response to the idea of our bodies being intrinsic to our individually-claimed theology. It was intended to be the first in a series of related posts. That never really got off the ground, nor did the exercise kick I was planning at the time. But here I am, four months to the day later, in the midst of a renewed interest in my body.

I have regularly worked out every day this week, eaten mostly organic and local food, and spent time letting my body rest. In a week’s time, I already feel like a different person. My body feels whole for the first time in a while. By only introducing healthy foods to my body, I am saying to myself that my physical being is of importance. By exercising, I am saying that I believe my body can be stronger.

Today I attended my very first Nia class. Nia combines yoga, martial arts, and dance into a mind, body, and spirit exercise experience. Our pastoral intern, Claire, has begun teaching this class regularly on Sunday afternoons free of charge, and after weeks of putting it off, I finally showed up. During the hour of our class, I moved with complete freedom, scooping the energy around me into my soul and being rejuvenated.

I have always worshiped through dance and movement. It is one of my favorite ways to encounter the Holy. Am I a good dancer? Absolutely not, but it makes no difference to me. I love movement.

As I participated in Nia today, I continually heard Claire speak of engaging our entire bodies in every motion. She told us to gather to us all that we needed when we pulled our arms into our bodies. She encouraged us to expel all that we wanted to purge from ourselves when we pushed our arms away. Through movement, we were cleansing our bodies.

Growing up Southern Baptist, we often joked that dancing was once forbidden for us, and that “rhythmic interpretive movement” was a much more wholesome term for any dancing our bodies might wish to do. That idea is most certainly among the things I've rejected from the religious tradition of my youth. Experiences like today with Nia remind me of just what a holy expression physical movement can be.

As I continue on this journey of learning to tie my body into my personal theology, I think my first step is to allow myself the freedom to move. Maybe even more important is to realize that there is freedom in movement. I can physically release my cares and burdens away from my body and sweat out my stresses and worries. I can dance away my bonds that hold me back from inhabiting the fullness of my creation. I can begin to embrace the freedom of my body.