Our bones offer us a particular kind of wisdom that is vital in today’s chaotic, sometimes overwhelming world. It is the gift of being able to feel steady when emotions are overwhelming as well as the gift of being able to see things clearly when issues feel muddy and confusing.
“I knew it deep in my bones” is a favorite idiom that connotes a knowing that comes from a clear, strong place that will not waver.
The ramifications of being in our bones, particularly in times of turmoil, are that we can become an oasis of calm, a beacon of clear light, when the world feels murky.
Yet we are generally not taught this as children. We are for the most part taught how to pay attention to the external world, constantly seeking approval and connection. In order to do this, we frequently learn how to suppress emotion, rather than process it in a healthy way. Or we live feeling overwhelmed by our emotions and inner signals, not knowing how to be with and process it all.
The Steady, Calm Presence of Our Bones
What I have seen repeatedly is that when someone holds a steady, calm presence, it helps everyone else in the vicinity come to that place more quickly within themselves. So how does this work?
Our bones are the sturdiest, densest part of our anatomy, our connective tissue, forming the scaffolding — the structure — that supports everything else.
When we can embody in our bones — when we can take our awareness into these innermost chambers of who we are — a quality of steadiness naturally emanates from them. Whatever emotions we are caught up in are then held gently for a natural resolution.
In traditional Chinese acupuncture, the bones are considered a water element, among the five elements of fire, air, water, earth, and wood. The season of the water element is winter, when we are naturally meant to go inward, to rest in quiet, refilling and rejuvenating from the deep well of our bone marrow. This is why bone broth soup is so often recommended for recovery and healing from severe illness and bone breaks. When we have good bone energy, Chinese medicine teaches us that we have an inner reservoir, which provides resilience and a capacity to roll with what life offers us, rather than being overwhelmed by it.
Furthermore, when you drop into your bones and rest there, it offers clarity, as we now inhabit our deepest recesses, rather than being buffeted around and confused by external demands. One of the things I see is that it helps us know what we need and what we want in our lives with more precision and surety.
Sometimes this clarity brings information forward that we would rather not see. Recently, when I did this chapter’s bone wisdom exploration with a client, he shared that what came into crystal-clear focus was the extent of his Lyme disease. This was not a pleasant awareness or sensation, but it helped him choose the next therapeutic routes to try. And he was not feeling overwhelmed by this knowledge — just aware of the extent of his issue.
Clarity and steadiness are two of the main gifts of our bones.
Excerpted from the book Reclaiming Your Body: Healing from Trauma and Awakening to Your Body’s Wisdom. Copyright ©2017 by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana. Printed with permission from New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com .
