The practice of seeing ourselves as beautiful is, for some, a lifelong struggle. You have permission to see beauty when you look in the mirror. You have permission to understand that you are beautiful, and to do what you need to to feel that beauty radiate from you.
Look at yourself and know that you are beautiful.
“A large part of my childhood was spent in Turkey. Occasionally, on nights when we were particularly routy my dad would round up all the kids and take us to see the whirling dervishes. The dervishes are part of the Mevlevi Order and they would perform this “dance” as part of their faith practices. It is a form of meditation, prayer, and centering that brings them closer to God. The “dance” is mesmerizing to watch. They spin, and spin, and spin. We would all sit there in awe. It is almost impossible to describe. When I was younger, I would wonder, “How are they not dizzy? How do they not fall over? Do they ever trip?” I remember finding it odd, how could they feel grounded and closer to God with their bodies whirling ’round and ’round like that? As I’ve grown up, I’ve thought about the dervishes a lot. They remind me that sometimes we need to whirl to unwind. Sometimes we need to experience the dizziness to get to the clarity. We all can learn how to center ourselves and feel the holy, even in the moments when our world feels upside down. Especially in those moments.” -Tanner Linden
How do you center yourself in the middle of a whirlwind?
Feeling rooted in my body is so important to finding my center. Whiteness/white supremacy is a culture of disembodiment, and re-learning how to fully inhabit my body is a lifelong process.
Feel your body today. Notice it’s strengths and its aches. Be gentle with your body today.
When I have problems sleeping, I force myself to count slowly starting at 100, and working my way down. If thoughts of the day begin to creep in, I stop counting, take a deep breath and then go back to 100 to count down again
Take a moment to count. Feel your body relax as you do so.
My family is the center of my universe. How I define family is up to me and differs at any point in time.
Who are the people who nurture you and call you back to your center?
