Day 2: Anoint Yourself

Photo by Jake Thacker on Unsplash

Touch is a funny thing in our culture. We're not encouraged to touch ourselves, there's not much talk about how to touch others (unless you're in massage school), how to have any language or dialogue around it, or how to set boundaries for ourselves and each other. 

Touch and massage are typically reserved for "self-care," intimate moments with a partner, or when we're in pain. But touch and human contact is such an important piece of our humanity! The ways we care for ourselves and one another is intimately connected to touch.

Do you use lotion or some kind of body oil after showering? How do you use it? Do you hurriedly slather yourself, after noticing your skin is flaky + scaly, before throwing clothes on and rushing out the door? 

It's okay. I do too.

But what if instead you slowed down just enough to notice how sturdy + strong the bones of your ankles are?

To connect with the soles of your feet?

To lovingly massage your belly instead of wishing it looked different?

It doesn't have to be "sexy." But if your body is the most exquisite thing you've ever seen, which it is, how would you touch it?

Today, anoint yourself.

Use your favorite carrier oil. {Some of my favorites are almond oil, jojoba oil, or sunflower oil}. You may like to add a few drops of essential oil to your carrier. Something like Sandalwood, Rose, Rosemary, Lavender, or Grapefruit might be nice.

After a shower or bath, when your skin is still damp, take a few drops of your oil and, beginning with your left foot, massage the sole of your foot. Make sure to get in between all your toes as well as your heel and the top of your foot. 

Then make your way up your ankle, spending a few extra moments on your Achilles tendon. Moving up your lower leg, gently massaging your calf and even your shin bone (your bones are alive, yo! They need some love too).

Massage a few drops into your left knee, the slide on up to your thigh. Now, I know most of us have at some point wished our thighs looked different. But you know what? This thigh is the thigh of your ancestors. It has helped you walk, hunt, run, climb, dance, swim, make love, kneel. It's seen you through a lot and those muscles beneath the skin have evolved and transformed with you. Tend to them with loving touch.

Then repeat all that with your right leg. 

Move on up to your glutes with another few drops, your outer hips.

Make sure to spend a bit of time massaging your sit bones. Yep, the bones that get sore when you sit too long on a hard surface. They're yours, you can touch them. 

Lovingly touch your belly, massaging up underneath your ribs and down to your pubic bone. 

Then use a few a few drops on each hand and each arm. Those hands that have dug into the earth, cooked food, written sacred + profane words. Those arms that have hugged, driven cars, held babies, helped you hang from trees, pierced the water when you dive into lakes, and carried groceries into the house. 

Make sure to gently + lovingly rub a few drops into your breasts, neck, and throat. The sacred places of your heart and voice. Perhaps the parts of you that have been violated the most. Love them. Touch them. They're here and they're you. 

Use a few drops to explore your chin, jaw, nose, and cheek bones. The broad expanse of your forehead. The base of your skull. Imagine for a moment those bones of your skull each have their own story, their own movement, their own breath. 

When you are complete, close your eyes for just a moment. Can you still feel your hands on you? Can you feel your muscles and bones alive, pulsing with breath and blood?

What would it feel like to anoint your body like this every day?

You're welcome to share your thoughts below or in our Facebook group. Insights + wisdom from within is medicine for everyone!