The Joyous Body

A reflection inspired by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s The Joyous Body

My friend kicked off the year with a book club and the title she selected was The Joyous Body by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I was immediately interested because 1) I love book clubs and 2) Dr. Estés’s book, Women Who Run With Wolves, has been on my to-read list.

The Joyous Body is one of Dr. Estés’s spoken word audio works. And WOW. It was more than just an audiobook. I was transported to a cozy room sitting around a crackling fire as she sang rich, vibrant, colorful stories of the dangerous old woman. Her melodic and gentle, yet passionate, voice felt like being wrapped in a nurturing hug. I ended each section always wanting more. This is a book I will definitely return home to again and again. I can’t recommend it enough!

Here are a few of my musings inspired by Dr. Estés’s words:

• Each section opens with:  
  “The body is wise. The body is the consort that was born with us, a being in its own right. The one who records all our adventures and misadventures, informing us, healing us, acting as the sensory being who loves us and is loyal to us for life. As we age, we come to know and value the consort all the more.”
  
  Dr. Estés sees the body as a consort. A companion. Loyal and valiant. I saw my body as a body. A thing. That’s probably why I was able to easily take my body for granted - pushing her, starving her, depriving her, fixating on who she wasn’t. Always asking for more, more, more: bigger eyes and lids, less fat, smaller bones. She was never enough.