Connecting With God And Others Through Movement - Prayer in Motion: 5 Days to Relieving Stress and Praying with Your Whole Self

“The way God designed our bodes is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part.” (1 Corinthians 12:25, MSG)

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, NLT)

We weren’t made to move through life alone. There is safety, healing, strength, and peace in connection—connection to ourselves, connection to others, and connection to God. God’s design—both for our individual bodies and for the collective body of Christ, His church—is for connection and unity.

Connections are important for our mental and physical health. Staying connected to others creates feelings of being loved, cared for, and valued. Connecting with others can help regulate our nervous system and give us a sense of safety and belonging. Connection is the key to living a truly flourishing, abundant life.

The human body is designed for connection and togetherness. But it is also designed to withdraw from anything it perceives as unsafe. If you’ve experienced harm, neglect, or disappointment from others, it may be difficult to seek out connection. It is our natural tendency to withdraw in order to protect ourselves. Over time, this can get us stuck in patterns of protection and make it difficult to develop patterns of connection. If connecting with others feels unsafe to you, please take this process slowly.

Start by asking yourself:

• When and where do I feel most safe to be myself?
• With whom is it easiest for me to connect?

Start slow. Start small. Begin where it feels safe and tolerable and expand slowly from there. This is not an all-or-nothing practice, but a practice in gradually expanding your circle of safety and connection over time.

You can deepen your connection to another person when you join in some kind of movement together. When you move together, you offer one another social support as well as companionship, which can help boost your mood, increase self-efficacy, and keep you motivated to make movement a regular habit. Do something that you both enjoy, and focus on being fully present in the moment.

Some things you can do together:

• Take a walk
• Take a dance class
• Do a puzzle
• Play a sport
• Go boating on a lake
• Go on a hike
• Go birdwatching
• Go for a drive
• Play a board game
• Bake some goodies to share

An Embodied Prayer for Today

Jesus, God incarnate,

I praise Your holy name!

Clothed in humanity, You took on the form of a man and embodied all that it means to be human.

It’s a beautiful mystery—How You made us all in the likeness of You, And You came to earth in the likeness of us—All for connection, All to come close to us—To be God with us, and to be God for us.

As I follow in Your way, may I embody all that it means to be like You, my embodied Savior—to serve and give and embrace and love with my whole self, body and soul.

Amen.