Body as Temple

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of co-hosting an event called The Curated Woman alongside my friend Abigail.

The event itself was born from a conversation we had been having for quite some time.

How do we gather women together in a meaningful way?

How do we create space to talk about the things that matter to us: leadership, motherhood, creativity, business, aging, relationships, and the realities of being a woman in today's world?

And perhaps most importantly, how do we do it in a beautiful setting?

If you know me personally, you know that I have a deep love affair with beautiful environments. I believe our surroundings shape us more than we realize. They influence how we feel, how we connect, and how present we are with one another.

You may also know that whenever I travel, I seek out high tea experiences. There is something I love about the ritual of it: the elegance, the intentionality, and the invitation to slow down.

So naturally, when Abigail and I began dreaming about The Curated Woman, we immediately said, "We have to do a tea service."

And that is exactly what we did.

Thirty women gathered in the gardens of the Ingomar Club on a beautiful Humboldt afternoon. We listened to women from different backgrounds share their perspectives on leadership, wellbeing, creativity, aging, business, and personal growth. There was laughter, conversation, connection, and the kind of energy that only happens when women come together with openness and curiosity.

When it came time for me to speak, I chose a topic that is deeply personal to me: treating the body as a temple.

As a Pilates studio owner, people often assume that movement is my primary focus. And while movement is incredibly important to me, I believe it is only one small piece of the larger picture.

Pilates matters. Strength matters. Mobility matters. But they are only a fraction of what creates true wellbeing.

The question that interests me more is this: How do we relate to our bodies? How do we care for them? How do we speak to them? How do we honor them?

The phrase "the body is a temple" is often repeated, but I think we've lost sight of what it actually means.

When we think about temples throughout history, regardless of culture, they were places of reverence. Places that were cared for, protected, maintained, and adorned. People did not rush through temples. They entered them with intention. There was respect. There was devotion. There was an understanding that they were standing in a sacred space.

What if we viewed our bodies through the same lens?

Not as projects to fix, but as sacred spaces deserving of care.

One of the things that concerns me most about modern life is that we have outsourced our instincts about how to care for our bodies.

We have outsourced them to pills, shots, endless protocols, social media experts, productivity culture, to-do lists, tracking devices, and apps.

Some of these things can absolutely be useful. I am not against science, medicine, or innovation.

But somewhere along the way, many of us stopped listening to ourselves.

We stopped trusting our intuition.

We stopped paying attention to the subtle signals our bodies are constantly giving us.

We became disconnected from the wisdom that lives within us.

And when I look at ancient cultures, I am fascinated by how differently they approached caring for the body.

In Ancient Egypt, self-care was not viewed as vanity. It was woven into daily life. Men and women alike used oils, perfumes, ointments, and botanical preparations not only for beauty, but for spiritual and physical wellbeing. Frankincense, myrrh, lotus, and aromatic oils were treasured. The body was cared for intentionally and adorned with great care.

In India, the ancient Ayurvedic practice of abhyanga, daily self-massage with warm oils, has been practiced for thousands of years. It is considered an act of nourishment for the nervous system, the skin, the muscles, and the spirit. The practice is simple: warm oil, your own hands, and the intention of caring for yourself.

The Ancient Greeks also viewed caring for the body as an essential part of a good life. Bathing rituals, fragrant oils, movement, sunlight, and time spent in communal bathhouses were integrated into daily culture. Physical health, beauty, and vitality were not separate from philosophy or spirituality. They were connected.

Long before modern skincare existed, people understood the power of touch, scent, ritual, and being present with yourself. 

What fascinates me is that these cultures, separated by geography, language, religion, and thousands of years of history, arrived at a remarkably similar understanding:

The body deserved attention.

The body deserved reverence.

Perhaps ours do too.

Before I finished my talk, I shared a few rituals that help me stay connected to my body. 

1. Care for your hair.

One of my favorite rituals is brushing my hair each evening with my La Bonne Brosse hairbrush before putting it into a braid for the night. It sounds simple, but it has completely changed my relationship with caring for my hair. Instead of rushing through the process, it has become a moment of slowing down and tending to myself.

2. Create your own oil ritual.

I love using essential oils throughout the day to reconnect with my body. I often apply geranium around my womb space, lower abdomen, and inner thighs. I use myrrh on my lower back when I want to feel grounded. Frankincense is one of my favorites for my face and skincare ritual.

The oils themselves matter less than the intention behind them. The ritual is a reminder that your body is worthy of care.

3. Touch your body.

This may sound obvious, but most of us spend our days completely disconnected from our physical selves. Put your hands on your face in the morning. Massage your jaw. Touch your arms. Notice the tension in your shoulders. Feel your skin. Check in with yourself. Your body is communicating with you all day long. The question is whether we are listening.

4. Take a shower with the lights off.

If you have never tried this, I highly recommend it. Turn off the lights. Light a candle. Step into the shower and let yourself be fully present. Some evenings I listen to Enigma. What started as a simple experiment has become one of my favorite ways to unwind and calm my nervous system. It transforms an ordinary shower into a ritual.

5. Create a morning ritual that belongs only to you.

Before the emails. Before the text messages. Before the demands of the day.

Spend a few moments with yourself. Maybe that looks like washing your face slowly and intentionally. Maybe it's wrapping yourself in a cozy robe and drinking your coffee outside. Maybe it's stepping barefoot onto the grass as the sun rises. Maybe it's stretching for five minutes before the rest of the house wakes up. It doesn't have to be elaborate. It just needs to be yours. These small acts may seem insignificant, but I believe they are part of reclaiming something many of us have lost: our connection to ourselves and to the present moment.

If this resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you. Reply to this email and share one ritual that helps you feel connected to yourself, or let me know if you decide to try one of the practices above. 

With love, 

Angelique 🌹