Hello, my friend,

On February 7, The Body of Money, my first book and one culmination of my life’s work will be “on the shelves.” It is a dream, a wish, a prayer come true.

And it is much more than that.

I wrote The Body of Money for you.

The seeds of the book were planted long ago. As a finance major in college, I realized my friends studying other fields had little access to the fundamental financial concepts I was learning.

How would they know how to make wise financial decisions?

I realized throughout my life money was a source of unhappiness, discontentment, and struggle for everyone I’ve ever met. Money “things” – as I like to call them – blocked joy, contentment, and creativity everywhere.

How could I and my work be a source of releasing these blockages and healing?

During my financial planning career, I realized that even with my expertise and effort, I was not bringing sustained contentment to clients’ lives, or helping them flourish.

What is the relationship between money and our human journey? Why are they separate?

And even when the financial services industry became more aware of the impact of emotions and limiting beliefs related to money, I realized we still were not eliminating money confusion, doubt, and misery. In some situations, we were making it worse.

What is the deeper truth to integrating what matters most to us, all of us, and money?

I wrote the book because I realized the new models of money psychology and behavioral finance left out the one brilliant, available, ignored, and sometimes mocked gift of intelligence that every single one of us possesses:

Our bodies.

With each realization, I searched for answers. I sought, studied, trained, practiced, and embodied new ways of being with money to benefit all people.

Along the way, I listened to my heart. It said, be generous with your discoveries and share everything in your unique precious way.

I listened to my belly. It said, stay rooted, build your confidence, and trust in the world around you – the earth, sky, and unseen support. Trust in the day-to-day, on-the-ground realities of our individual and shared humanity as we create better financial practices and systems.

I listened to my head, sorting the knowledge, thoughts, visions, plans, and maps orchestrating possibilities for a better world. It said, to manifest this bright vision into reality, explore more perspectives by welcoming all lines of intelligence, especially your somatic line.

With every written page, I held you in my attention, like honey in my heart. I wrote for your freedom, your contentment, and your human flourishing with money. I wrote for us.

The Body of Money is the result of all of the above.

Now, with the book nearly ready for you, I still listen to my body.

I want you to listen to your body too.

I want you to fall in love with your whole being in a fresh way, cherishing the innate wisdom always present for you, your sovereign right, to discover and trust.

I want you to claim your preciousness and honor all that you know about money and more – not just in concepts, but in your soul.

When money becomes the object of your attention, I want you to welcome your body intelligence.

Doing so brings alignment, clarity, and agency into being, in a way that is right for you and right for the world.

The Body of Money illuminates your journey of discovery and offers practices to support your experiences.

I hope you like it. But more importantly, I hope it brings you joy and benefits our world.

That is why I wrote this book.

Oceans of joy,

P.S. Follow this link to order your copy. Thank you!

I feel sweet gratitude and joy bubbling in my bones.

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Tiny Body Practice

Say Hello to Your Body

Even I, a committed body practitioner, sometimes neglect my body. My actions astound me. Don’t I know better? 🙂 I’ve learned to recommit with kindness, releasing stories and shame. Along with a lovely hello – including the words “my friend” – gentle touch with hands communicates sincerity and supports a deeper connection. We will use these words and our hands to engage this practice together now.

Preparation:

Find a comfortable place to be seated, feather your nest, for the next 5 to 10 minutes.

The Practice

1. Begin by bringing your hands together rubbing them like you are stoking a fire. (Imagine stoking a fire to bring heat to your hands!)
2. Place your left ankle on your right knee.
3. Using both warmed hands, begin holding and rubbing your left foot while saying, “Hello my friend.”
4. Move your gentle touch up your lower leg, knee and upper leg repeating with each touch, “Hello my friend.”
5. When you finish your left leg, place your left foot on the ground and pause.
6. Close your eyes and notice the difference in sensations between your left and right leg.
7. Continue on the left side of your body moving your gentle touch on your belly, hips, buttocks, torso, lower back, and upper back with an easy reach.
8. Use your right hand to touch your left arm and left shoulder.
9. When you finish your left side, pause, close your eyes, and notice your sensations on both sides.
10. Complete your gentle touch on the left side by moving up your neck, face and back of head.
11. Once again, pause, close your eyes and notice your sensations for each side.
12. Rub your hands together stoking the fire and repeat the above steps on the right side.
13. When you finish saying hello my friend to your right side, rub your hands again.
14. Complete your practice placing your left palm on your heart and right palm over the left hand.
15. Slightly bow your head with gratitude and say, “hello my friend,” to your heart.

Post Practice

Repeat the practice daily. Notice how cherishing your body with touch and a friendly hello begin to reconnect, reshape, and revive your somatic awareness.

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Deepening Practice

Say Hello to My Body

by Gayle | Jan 27, 2023

Hello my friend

January arrived without fanfare, taking time to feel like a new beginning. Then, all of a sudden, the scene shifted, the pace picked up and the month is flying by. At least this description is my experience. What is true for you?

Given the moving winds of time, I love this gentle and effective practice to simply find my space and locate myself in that space.

As I mentioned in a couple of weeks ago, even I, a committed body practitioner, sometimes neglect my body. I’ve learned to recommit with kindness, releasing stories and feelings of shame. Today, as I write this blog for you and my book, The Body of Money, soon arrives, this Tiny Practice boosts my capacity to stay present, move from a pace of grace, and feel the excitement and terror (yes, I feel terror even as this dream comes true!) moving through me.

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Tiny Body Practice

Say Hello to My Body

Along with saying “hello my friend,” we’ll use gentle touch with our hands to communicate sincerity and support a deeper connection.

Preparation:

Find a comfortable place to be seated, feather your nest, for the next 5 to 10 minutes.

The Practice

1. Begin by bringing your hands together rubbing them like you are stoking a fire. (Bring heat to your hands while imagining stoking a fire!)
2. Place your left ankle on your right knee.
3. Using both warmed hands, begin holding and rubbing your left foot while saying, “Hello my friend.”
4. Move your gentle touch up your lower leg, knee and upper leg repeating with each touch, “Hello my friend.”
5. When you finish your left leg, place your left foot on the ground and pause.
6. Close your eyes and notice the difference in sensations between your left and right leg.
7. Continue on the left side of your body moving your gentle touch on your belly, hips, buttocks, torso, lower back, and upper back, always saying “hello my friend.”
8. Use your right hand to touch your left arm and left shoulder.
9. When you finish your left side, pause, close your eyes, and notice your sensations on both sides.
10. Complete your gentle touch on the left side by moving up your neck, face and back of head, while saying hello my friend.”
11. Once again, pause, close your eyes and notice your sensations for each side.
12. Rub your hands together stoking the fire and repeat the above steps on the right side.
13. When you finish saying “hello my friend” to your right side, rub your hands again.
14. Complete your practice placing your left palm on your heart and right palm over the left hand.
15. Slightly bow your head with gratitude and say, “hello my friend,” to your heart.

Post Practice

Repeat the practice daily. Choose a period of time, a week or a month, and notice what happens with your physical sensations and body vitality. Notice how cherishing your body with touch and a friendly hello begin to reconnect, reshape, and revive your somatic awareness. Notice how your emotions feel accessible and perhaps friendly, even when your mood is damp.

If moved for further exploration, write in your journal or notebook, using these writing prompts.

1. When I give my body kind attention with the greeting, hello my friend, I notice these thoughts, feelings, and sensations…
2. My biggest surprise from engaging Say Hello To My Body is…
3. Other ways I can see including this practice in my life are…