“Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense.”

-- Henry Miller

Stephen Levine talks of the need for a soft belly to be able to receive love. When we experience fear and anger, we contract the muscles of our body and gradually build up our own armour for protection. To let love in (and also to be able to feel and process our own pain), we need to let down the protective armour.

Think, then, of the implications of society’s beauty standards that idealize a ‘flat tummy.’ Wanting to look our best, we learn to hold our stomachs in. But what’s the consequence? It disempowers us!

“A woman watches her body uneasily, as though it were an unreliable ally in the battle for love.”

-- Leonard Cohen