A selection from Iphelia.com’s Editor’s Bookshelf review: If you have a body, this book is for you.

Okay—maybe truisms don’t charm you. Of course you have a body. Right now your eyes scan these words and more likely than not, your finger is hovering over a mouse, trackpad, or smartphone screen.

But often when we think of reading, learning new things, digesting information, and deciding, for example, whether or not to buy and read a book, we imagine that we’re operating from a place that’s all in our heads.

Christine Caldwell, founder and former director of the Somatic Counseling Program at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, invites us not only to think differently about this, but to be differently in Bodyfulness: Somatic Practices for Presence, Empowerment, and Waking Up in This Life.

Caldwell’s astute and well-researched writing is inviting without being patronizing. Her voice is appealing and soothing while remaining educational. As a humanities kid who never earned the opportunity to take a class like anatomy and physiology, I was grateful for her presentation of the basics, but could still image someone far more learned in science—my sister, for example, who’s studying to become a PA, or my godbrother, who is a pre-med student—benefitting tremendously from her work as well.

Bodyfulness offers the reader both a rich taxonomy and actionable advice (in the form of Chapter Practices) inspired by Caldwell’s experience as a somatic therapist—a practitioner who guides her clients/patients in mind-body exercises and physical techniques to address dis-ease.

While this is one of the few books I’ve ever read that I’d recommend to anyone, it will be of special interest to those who live with body image issues, chronic illness or pain, or sensory processing sensitivities, as well as those who are interested in bodywork, yoga, meditation, and activism (Caldwell devotes a great deal of thought to the ways in which bodies are marginalized, oppressed, and made wrong, and how embodied activism can challenge extant power structures). Like Iphelia, Bodyfulness also reminds us to honor the importance of early childhood experiences, creativity, and play.

“Bodyfulness: Somatic Practices for Presence, Empowerment, and Waking Up in This Life” by Christine Caldwell presents a foundation for a contemplative life through breathing, sensing, and moving. The author, a renowned somatic counselor, offers a practical guide with insights and practices to integrate our bodies with mindfulness, deal with emotions, and build authentic connections with others. With a reclaimed body centeredness, says the author, we can more effectively harness our potential for positive social and personal transformation. 5/5

Pub Date 13 Nov 2018

Thanks to Shambhala Publications, Inc. and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#Bodyfulness #NetGalley

Put simply, bodyfulness is the practice of becoming fully aware of one’s body. There are many nuances to this, and the author handled them all brilliantly. I found this book to be a beautiful balance of science, theory, psychology in equal measure with practical and meaningful activities and exercises that anyone can do.

Thank you to net galley and the author in the publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.