It is a beautiful fact that all aspects and parts of life and living are inter-connected. Life is made of relationships, of connections. There is our relationship to the land we are living on and the relationship to ourselves to our loved ones. We are also in relationship with our work, with our resources, with the goods we buy and the waste we discard. We live relationships to people in our everyday life, to nature and to ‘Spirit’ (with which I simply mean ‘something’ bigger than myself, the source or intelligence of life and creation). As a result, I cannot be alone here, as in isolated. I always am connected, even during times where I believe my own illusions of “I am alone”, which I personally know so well. Sometimes it ‘simply’ is a choice. A choice to remember my connection to another, to the earth, my body or to spirit.

Life here is like a tightly knit, wide and colourful web of endless threads and points of connections. Every single connection is a relationship I have in my life. It always is my own choice how much care, kindness, and presence I put into these relationships. It is my choice to see that what I put in is also what I get out: The more I positively nurture the relationships in my life, the healthier they are. The healthier the relationships are that form part of my life, the happier and more fulfilled my life is and the more these relationships nurture me in return.

We currently live in a time where, especially in our ‘modern, western’ society, we suffer deeply from the disease and illusions of disconnection in many areas of our lives and living: The disconnection between ourselves and our bodies, and the schism that western thought created between matter and spirit, between body, heart and mind, between nature and human. There is disconnection (in typical city living) from my neighbour, from my resources (food etc.), and from nature. There often is also disconnection between our passion and what we do for a living.

I personally know the deep pain and loneliness of disconnection. But I also know the healing and joy that comes from embodying and giving time to real connections in our lives. Much of the personal, collective and environmental healing can only come through living caring and loving relationships. Wherever, in the endless web of connections, I invest presence, care and love, there will be healing, joy and positive transformation.

I can begin with myself and learn to be my own best friend and to truly honour and appreciate my body and myself. Going outward from there, I can show up in my relationships to shopkeepers, to neighbours, to our natural resources and to creation in a caring, conscious and loving way. And there it is: the healing powers of caring connection. It sometimes is as simple as picking up a piece of plastic when walking in nature or giving a warm smile. Both saying something like “I care. I see you. I honour your presence”. Letting in the knowing that ultimately your well-being is my well-being – be it the earth or the shopkeeper.

These are my reasons for birthing a business called Embodied Connection. I believe that through living and nurturing loving connections in all areas of life, we can heal ourselves and the world.

If you are interested, pop in to see my offerings to assist in growing more and more real and loving connections: embodied connection.

This article is also available on embodiedconnection.co.za