As I write this, I am feeling disheartened by the recent news about the Canadian Disability Benefit and its total inadequacy in supporting people living with disability and illness.
I live in Canada and I have needed disability benefits in my past in order to survive.
According to Disability without Poverty, one-in-seven people who access food banks nationally rely on provincial disability income supports. In many provinces, this means living more than $800 below the poverty line each month.
Sigh. I am gutted. What will it take to create a more equitable and caring world?
Part of my studies in somatics has included gathering in groups of folks who challenge systems and power structures through applying embodiment practices and astrology into their activism.
As I’ve been writing about the embryology of the heart, I’ve been asking myself these questions:
What does it mean to be heart-centered?
How has culture shaped the ways I live, or do not live, from my heart?
The Movement of blood by our Heart
The curves, spirals and looping patterns of our heart’s beautiful shape move our blood in intricate ways. Fluid movement is shaped by our heart.
Our heart is the place where our blood is directed. Our hearts rhythmic movement flows blood out into the periphery of our bodies and back to our center.
There are two directions that blood flows in our body from our heart and back. The outward (arterial) flow from our heart to our body’s tissues and the inward (venous) flow back to our heart. Through embodiment practice, one might experience a difference in quality in arterial and venous blood flow.
Our nervous system and hormones communicate with our heart as well. Hormones move through our blood and send chemical messages to our cells. Our heart perceives what’s happening in our whole organism. We are directed by the state of our whole being through the flow of blood.
Our heart perceives in other ways than just blood flow. In 1991 over 40,000 neurons were discovered on the heart. These neurons connect to our vagus nerve which is over 80% afferent. This means your heart sends more signals to your brain than vice versa. It also suggests that since pain perception is modulated by neural pathways, then our hearts play a part in pain modulation.
We don’t really want a steady heartbeat (although if the rhythm of the heart is quite irregular, this can be dangerous!). Variability is an indicator for functionality. People who have the most tools for dealing with trauma have more variability in the heart rate. We need others and a supportive environment to help us be more variable. This will also help us adapt better to change.
Living from my heart encourages me to receive and reciprocate care. It means following the rhythmic cycles of my body and nature. It means listening to the messages of my heart and expressing emotions of joy, happiness, sadness, and grief.
A little side note, you may notice in this photo that I have Yarrow tattooed on my arm by the incredibly talented artist, Bubzee.
On mossy rocky cliffs over-looking the Salish Sea on Shíshálh Nation lands, Yarrow reached it’s beautiful white and pink flowers out to my heart. Yarrow was the first plant to call me into the old worlds of plant medicine.
Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue wrote this heart-stirring article about Yarrow, Lus na Fola - Herb of the Blood. Seán writes about how Yarrow aids blood flow and therefore the flow of life and vitality.
Embryological development of the blood circulation develops before our nerves. Our nerves follow our blood. In Chinese medicine (which I love and am no expert in), blood and Qi are closely related. Blood can follow Qi and blood can nourish Qi. Blood as fluid brings life energy to all parts of the body carrying oxygen, nutrients and hormones with it.
In my embodied experience, blood is grounding. Blood-flow movement is rhythmic, like a drum beckoning me to the sounds buried deep within the earth.
Writing practice - A LOVE SPELL for YOUR HEART
Write a love spell for your heart.
If you were to write to your heart, what would you say?
What does your heart have to say back to you?
What spells, from your heart, would you like to cast for this beautiful world?
Making an Altar for your Heart
An altar is a sacred space and a place to celebrate love, beauty, and healing. It may represent your spirituality, your ancestors, animal kin, and your hopes and dreams.
Treat your heart as sacred. Create a space on your altar that honors your heart.
What represents your heart to you?
What words, objects, pictures, ancestors, deities and art resonates with your heart that you’d like to adorn your altar with?
You may also choose to include on your altar:
~ Flowers such as yarrow, sunflowers, peonies, roses and marigolds.
~ Stones such as Rose Quartz, Emerald, Green Aventurine, Green Jade, Green Tourmaline, and Green Calcite.
~ Love poems that either you’ve written or poems from others.
~ Your Love Spell from the writing practice above.
The Wounds of our World Reflected through our Hearts
As I mentioned above, my heart aches by the way power structures and systems we live in keep so many in poverty and despair.
Let’s imagine another world where we center this earth, our bodies and non-human kin above resource extraction and exploitation. My hope is that we continue to gather and demand something better.
There are many facilitators today creating beautiful spaces to collectively hold our grief. Somatic movement and embodiment practices offers many gems to this basket of care. May it help to increase our capacity to hold pain, joy, anger, grief, and act with love.
“When we choose love, we choose to move against fear, against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect, to find ourselves in the other. ~ Bell Hooks
I’m choosing to close comments on my posts, but I’d love to hear from you! My email is: contact@kellygordon.ca.
Want more information about online somatic movement and embodiment practices? Visit my website. I look forward to connecting.