II. LANGUAGE OF THE BODY
“The self cannot be divorced from the body, and self-awareness cannot be separated from body awareness. For me, at least, the way of growth is by being in touch with my body and understanding its language.”[8]
— Alexander Lowen, Bioenergetics
Shelley Lake, Emily 2.0, 2019, 104” by 80” pigmented ink on adhesive vinyl
We speak the Language of the Mind. We speak the Language of the Senses. We speak the Language of the Body.
When we speak the Language of the Body, we express our desire for meaning. We reveal our way of being in the world. Ken Dychtwald, author of Bodymind, describes how emotions can burrow their way deep into the myofascial matrix, “The body begins to form around the feelings that animate it, and the feelings, in turn, become habituated and trapped within the body tissue itself.”[9]
Everyday activities that we take for granted are respected and honored, to better understand unconscious patterns of habitual behavior. Those activities that are seemingly automatic, are of greatest importance.
Innate intelligence of the beating heart is a bioenergetic act of magic. The primordial pacemaker produces an electrical impulse, that travels through the energetic conduction system of the heart, causing a muscular contraction. The coronary, cyclic, extra-mechanical life force of the body expands with joy and breaks with grief.
Mirror neurons, invested throughout the neuroceptive structure of the bodymind, feed our empathic emotional core—activated when we dream and impassioned when we see the behavior of others in the context of our shared environment.
Primal behaviors such as breathing, crawling, standing, and walking may be affected by a lifetime of unconscious tension, stress, and anxiety. Decades of repetitive microtrauma may remodel and harden the density of connection tissue, creating a suit of armor throughout the anatomy train.
When we become aware of our physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts, we unveil another layer. Self-discovery is a never ending journey of acknowledging stress and releasing tension.[10] Letting go of false fronts allows for progressive relaxation, increased well-being, and an atmosphere of emotional freedom.[11] We may focus our attention on breathing, balance, and vitality—while calming the mind.
In Bioenergetics, Alexander Lowen explores the connection between emotional embodiment and increased vitality: “If you are your body and your body is you, then it expresses who you are. It is your way of being in the world. The more alive your body is, the more you are in the world.”[12] Introspection and observation may lead to greater insight, into more mindful ways of being.
In the absence of excessive physical and emotional effort, we may discover an economy of living with reduced tension.[13] We may become more present, more understanding, and more compassionate.
[8] Lowen, Bioenergetics, 117.
[9] Ken Dychtwald, Bodymind, 1977, 22.
[10] Edmund Jacobson, Biology of Emotions (Charles C. Thomas, 1967).
[11] Carl R. Rogers, Becoming a Person (Oberlin College Board of Trustees, 1954).
[12] Lowen, Bioenergetics.
[13] Edmund Jacobson, You Must Relax (National Foundation for Progressive Relaxation, 1957).