Body Affirmation

I learned this body affirmation from my dear professor Dr. Rachel Miller Jacobs, and am sharing it here with her permission. I use this in many different contexts, often as a way to open up a group, tweaking the motions and words as needed.

BODY AFFIRMATION adapted by Rachel Miller Jacobs

What’s the difference between an affirmation/confession of faith and a prayer? An affirmation or confession of faith is a statement we make in the presence of, but not specifically to, God and others as a way of concretely claiming something is true. A prayer is a spoken, silent, and/or physical “conversation” with God: it is addressed to God. I call this practice an affirmation because while we speak it in God’s presence, what we are saying is not specifically addressed to God. 

I am grounded                            extend arms wide overhead—orans posture

my roots go deep                       bend from the waist and touch toes if possible!

I am flexible                                 raise arms above head and bend to the right

I am resilient                                then bend to the left

I am facing my past                     dropping arms to side, turn half-way around

and am letting go                             turn the rest of the way to face the front; 
of what I don’t need to carry      make a rolling motion with the hands, then a releasing motion

I am honoring God                       from a bent position, straightening up
with my body and soul               while sweeping your hands up your body 
                                                             then extending back into original orans posture

​Adapted by Rachel Miller Jacobs from a STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience, Eastern Mennonite University http://www.emu.edu/cjp/star/) “prayer” 

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