How well do you know your body?

If you're like me, the answer is probably "who?".

I'm 47 but continue to be shocked by how little I know about my own body! My elementary school age child knows her vulva from her vagina and yet I learned this in my 30's. I'm not alone. Sexual trauma survivors are a group of people who often do not have a good understanding of their body. Sometimes because of their abuse history but also because of a lack of understanding or value placed on the female body.

Enter movement teacher Larissa Parson. I got to know Larissa almost 4 years ago when we were both in a small business support group here in Durham. From classes with Larissa and through her generous social media sharing, my body doesn't feel quite as foreign to me as it has in the past.Enter movement teacher Larissa Parson. I got to know Larissa almost 4 years ago when we were both in a small business support group here in Durham. From classes with Larissa and through her generous social media sharing, my body doesn't feel quite as foreign to me as it has in the past. Larissa was recently featured on Wellness Lately podcast. The following are some of my takeaways from the hour plus episode. I hope some of it resonates with you.

Some common bodily functions for women like peeing when they sneeze or even lower back pain are normalized but are not actually normal. They are normal, as in "common". (Like sexual abuse, right?) But they are not normal as in "okay". Not every woman pees when they sneeze. And peeing when you sneeze is not "just something that happens to all women" after they have a baby.
Body positivity ("embrace your body" and "love it at any size") can feel impossible to many people, including survivors . Instead, "body neutrality" (a concept that I had never heard of before listening to Larissa) can be a more realistic goal. The idea is that we can respect and understand our body but not have to love it or think it "beautiful".
Larissa's tagline is "I help people move better so they can smash the patriarchy without peeing their pants." I understand that. But I didn't realize the fullest connection until I heard her say this, "if we're in pain it's hard for us to get the energy we need for the activism work we want to do,". That's why if peeing when we sneeze is an issue for us, if it's getting in the way of Our Work, we need to do something about it.

Larissa ends with the beautiful, "curiosity is a loving behavior," which I love and do my best to live. What about you? Learn more about Larissa here.

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This post is part of an occasional series where I shares resources that I have come across that I found valuable. Have something for me to check out? Let me know.