When The Body Stops Trying So Hard

When I first became a dad, I was already accustomed to hiking the various trails here in Raleigh. I wasn’t interested in that changing. Some of you probably remember that season of my life.

So when my little one entered toddlerhood, I bought one of those backpacks designed to carry my little boy so he could join me on the trails.

We made a lot of good memories out there.

Something I remember especially is the feeling afterwards.

Every time I took that backpack off at the end of a hike, my shoulders would feel tired and strangely light at the same time. And for a little while after, my body still seemed prepared to carry the extra weight.

I could feel how much extra effort my body had been organizing around — through my shoulders, spine, breath, and total posture — even after the extra load was gone. My body stayed active and ready to keep carrying what I’d already physically put down.

Over the years, I’ve thought about that feeling during table sessions.

Many people are carrying far more effort than they realize. Not just physically, but in the constant background effort of holding themselves together, prepared to keep pushing through, or bracing against what’s next.

And because the extra effort has been there for so long, it can begin to feel normal — invisible to our awareness.

This work is about awareness, and it’s about creating the conditions for a brief moment where the body no longer feels the need to hold everything together so tightly.

People describe that moment in different ways.

“I feel loose all over.”

“I feel like my legs are floating.”

“I feel like my body is longer.”

“I feel so calm.”

“My eyes just relaxed inside of my head.”

“It’s like that line from the Eagles, ‘I’ve got a peaceful easy feeling.’”

These comments don’t happen because something was forced to change. The sessions are actually really quiet — boring even.

But there comes a moment in that quiet, where the body experiences what it feels like to stop carrying so much all at once. People feel what it’s like to take off the backpack after metaphorically hiking for years on end.

And often, once that feeling is recognized, something deep begins to shift. Not usually in a straight line. Certainly not all at once. But enough for people to realize there is another way to move through the world — without holding onto so much tension.

If this work feels supportive to you right now, you’re welcome to schedule a session at the link above.