Finding God through Your Body

Often we think of God as someone hard to find, and certainly to find God through our bodies can feel like an impossible task. In Christianity the body gets treated with suspicion and as something that can lead us astray. On top of that God is someone so much greater than we are as puny humans that it can be impossible for us to truly connect with the Divine. However, the central tenet of Christianity is that God became human, and because God became human we are able to relate to God through our human form, of which our bodies are part and parcel.

How do we do this? It's actually far simpler than you might think. If you're here, you've likely had an experience of the Divine. When you think back to an experience of God, what did it feel like? What were the qualities of that experience?

When I think back to an experience of God, it's marked with a sense of peace and freedom. I felt present; there wasn't anything distracting me. There was a sense of awe.

So when I'm looking to experience of God in my body, I'm looking for an experience that allows me to experience those things in my body. What experiences will give me a sense of peace, freedom, presence, and awe?

For me when I'm playing piano and singing, or dancing, I experience those feelings. That's an experience of the Divine. When it's early in the morning and I'm sipping coffee and petting my dog, that provides those feelings. Eating good food, especially with dear ones is another action that can bring out that experience.

Experiencing God through our bodies doesn't have to be a Theresa of Avila experience, it can be simple and subtle. But simple and subtle doesn't make the experience any less profound, real, or meaningful.