Body Psalms Written at The Dance Workshop

Body Psalm

At the beginning of the month we held the first workshop for The Dance. Celeste Snowber, author of Embodied Prayer, and co-leader of this workshop had each of us write a Body Psalm. Before I share a few lines from various ones, I quote the following from Celeste’s book. This gives you some insight to “Psalms”

“The psalms capture our hearts with total immediacy. The words no not slide across the skin but penetrate to marrow and bone.
Our emotions cannot hide when the psalms grip us. The psalms explore the emotional terrain of pain, joy, turmoil, hope, doubt, anger, or feelings of abandonment by God. The psalms encourage us to give ourselves permission “to be” and “to live” in the emotional terrain of our own lives. As John Calvin said the psalms are an “anatomy to all the parts of the soul”. They uncover the skeletons hidden in our body-soul and give fuel for the road of transformation. Our bodies become a reminder to our hearts, giving us warning signals of what is spiritually and emotionally needing our attention. When our hearts betray us, our bodies ring true. The psalms ring true to every part of us. By including the language f movement in praying or reciting the psalms, we allow God’s word to take on a deeper dimension in our lives. As we begin to express the words and nuances of the psalms with our hands, feet, and torsos, its powerful metaphors sink into our spirits. Inner barriers are broken down, and we can truly pray the range of the psalmist’s prayer from lament to joy.”

Here are some quotations from Body Psalms the participants wrote:
“Sing loudly in the cocoon of my bathtub not caring who awakens. Stretch largely and groan with volume even if someone will ask what is wrong. Ask for what I need without focusing on what is needed.
Soar on wings of praise with the feel of the wind beneath my body lifting me higher and higher to dizzying heights of joy.”

“Live dangerously with tenderness, the tenderness of a ripe melon waiting to be eaten. Don’t ask why so much. Cease analyzing and trust – this is a new land for you. The land of trusting what and who comes in your life.
Stay with the rhythms that are life giving– quieting, swimming, stilling, walking, listening, writing.”

“Swim at your own pace, ground your energy in your feet. Recognize your woman story, look to those moss covered rocks not as relics, but as symbols of sustenance, nourishment and order. Allow. Allow without words. Allow. Don’t answer questions; live questions and dodge answers.”

“Dance with the voice expressing every timber of sound it can. Pointing toes, aching shoulders, back and knees. Stretch the hands that ache with unseen tensions. Open my eyes to see that it was created with the hands of Designer knowing.”

“As the Lord loves me, I should love me.”

“The breathing exercise – in the stillness of the process, makes me aware of myself as part of the universe, a spiritual communion of oneself and God. This whole learning process is very liberating. I love my body as not confined to my old definition of skin-covered flesh, but as part of the universe, part of God’s creation, and loving my body because it is from God, and everything He creates is good and perfect.”

"Nap during the day, listen to my body, play, create, look forward to things - and then enjoy them. Be content while I wait..."

"To laugh again, deep in my belly laughs, as I discover the truth, hidden for millennia by fear engraved on the ancient paths. You challenge me to think, to reject illusion and lies, to seek authenticity regardless of the cost, for You are my supply."



Discovering the physicality of psalms became very practical - discovering a psalm that made our own physicality very tangible.