The other day I was showing my menstrual cup collection to some friends who were interested in learning about them and we ended up on the topic of cervixes. I don’t even know how, but I found myself pulling out one of my books and looking for a picture of a cervix at two different stages of the menstrual cycle. One of my friends got a little grossed out at the images and confessed never feeling comfortable about bodily things. “Have you always been so open and comfortable with these subjects?” she asked.
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PART 1:
HULA HOOPING THROUGH POSTPARTUM I was never a dancer.
I remember my first dance experience at a Quinceañera party. I stood awkwardly in a circle of teenagers and tried to move my very stiff body, feeling terrified about being ridiculous and way too nervous about the way I would look dancing.
That self-consciousness was part of my life for a very long time. I was never the “fit” type. I always struggled with body image. I was always one of the last to be chosen for sport teams and I hated PE more than anything. I hated running. Sure, I was on the swim team when I was ten and I did some yoga for a while when I was in college, but I never felt super passionate about any kind of physical exercise. I always had to force myself to do it. During my pregnancy I did yoga a lot more because I was set on being as healthy as possible, and spent tons of time outdoors in nature. It really helped me connect with my body. But it wasn’t until about two months after my son was born, one sunny afternoon on a San Diego beach, that I discovered a passion to move my body. |
AuthorMarissa Rivera Bolaños is a doula and visual artist with a passion to create change around the way our culture approaches women's health. Archives
February 2024
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