Body and Earth - Day 1: Basic Concepts

In completing the Inner and outer awareness exercise in the book (page 4), I was able to get a better sense of how the outside world does affect my body. One of the imageries that I used was the idea that air that was exposed to the outside world was being inhaled by me and then moving throughout many different parts of my body to fuel my movements, energize my muscles and stimulate my brain. With that regard, it was amazing to think how all the air that surrounds us is able to impact our every movement, thought and breath. Ultimately, we are always one with the earth because as the Constructive rest (page 4) exercise showed, our bodies are yielding weight onto the ground. It was very monumental to feel my body completely supported by the ground and very interesting to know that the earth is a constant that will always be there for you for support when you need it. Place visit: Finding your place (page 5) reminded me of an exercise in high school that I did based on the readings of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. We were in charge of creating a journal and reflecting with nature. At the time, I thought the assignment was weird because I did not understand how I was affected by nature or why I should care, but after reading Andrea Olsen's reasoning and explanations, I am now able to comprehend how the earth and outside influences affect the workings of my body. I am now interested in looking back through the journal and seeing how my views of the earth and its impact on us have changed through taking this class and reading Olsen's explanations.

Supplements to Reading
Place Map
For my place map, I drew my aunt's house in Ballard, Washington. Even though she no longer lives there, growing up it was a source of excitement and made me feel very relaxed when I went there. One of my favorite things about that house was that it was on the water (overlooking Shilshole Bay) and I always enjoyed sitting on her couch that overlooked the water and merely watching the sailboats go by. The other interesting thing about her house was that it was right next to a railroad track. Even though it was often annoying to have loud trains barreling next your house about once an hour, throughout the years, it became a very comforting and exciting noise that I heard when I went to visit her. In high school, my aunt's house was often a place of retreat when I was having a hard time with school or just wanted to be pampered for the weekend. She always had an open guest bedroom that I could stay in and I enjoyed staying up late watching movies with her and my uncle. Even today, when I visit Ballard I always think fondly of her and our visits to Cupcake Royale and some of the other cute shops that line Market Street. Many sunny afternoons, we would also lie out in her backyard where there was a large umbrella looking tree. I remember sunbathing while looking out over the water and thinking there was no better place to be in the world. I am sad that she no longer lives there, but Ballard is a place that I love to visit with friends and my memories of lazy weekends with my aunt still live on through those trips to the area.

The above picture is my map of my aunt's house. Some of the features include multiple walking paths to get to the front door, a wall of rocks holding up the front yard and a tree stump as seen to the left of the house. Also, her house backed upon train tracks which were in between her and the water.