Pat Samples

This inspiring memoir and guide reveals the emotional and spiritual riches of the aging body. Body Odyssey: Lessons from the Bones and Belly will change the way you think about your body as you age. In sharp contrast to the current anti-aging mania, author Pat Samples shows us how to appreciate and learn from the ever-expanding wisdom of our bodies as we age. They are fascinating archives, jam-packed with stories from our lifetime of experience. These stories hidden in our bones and belly can be tapped to bring forth healing, rejuvenation, and creativity — right up until our last breath. Many body trauma therapists, performing artists, and spiritual teachers have written about the wisdom of the body, but Samples brings this understanding of our bodies into the current high-buzz conversation about aging. Written largely in memoir style, Body Odyssey takes readers inside intimate moments when her body is communicating eloquently — whether about trauma or triumph — to find meaning and creative possibilities in those experiences. Samples writes lyrically about her body’s revelations in response to a kidnapping, serious illness, a grizzly bear dance, and other encounters. Her stories stir readers to explore the stories being told in their own bodies. She also draws on the insights of cultural sages and other body disciples to reinforce her passionate call for appreciating the riches our aging bodies offer. An appendix gives readers of any age a guide for pursuing their own body odyssey. You’ll discover “rules” you’ve adopted that govern the way you stand and move, secret longings waiting to be expressed, and a new sense of aliveness as you become a curious student of your body.