The Body is a Gift with Gil Hedley: A Reverential Journey into the Human Body

The Brilliant Body Podcast with Ali Mezey

CONTENT HEADS UP: This episode contains (among other things) a deep, frank conversation about life, death, Catholicism, the cosmos, reverential dissection, body phenomena, including orgasm, service, enlightenment, circumcision, some swear words, a lot of humor, and of course, some challenges and gifts of being bodies.

And in case it’s not clear, Gil dissects, with dedication, “donor forms” - no longer inhabited bodies gladly donated by their prior inhabitants - to illuminate the wonders of the human body so that we might all live ours more fully.

SYNOPSIS: In this episode, Ali talks with Gil Hedley, educator and the producer of the Integral Anatomy series, who offers a expert perspective on the human body from the inside out. With a background in Theological Ethics and decades of dedication dissecting donated human bodies, Gil views the body as an archaeological site, exploring the layers of the human form and what they reflect about the near-infinite complexity of human existence. This episode delves into, as Gil calls it, a “re-branding of the human body” - giving us life-enhancing “re-conceptions” of the heart and body phenomena (fat, the foreskin, blood, orgasm) we have taken for granted and/or completely misunderstood. This conversation also explores the harmful effects of body fragmentation, and the interconnectedness of spirit and matter. Viewing the body through Gil’s extraordinary professional, and personal, perspective gives us a window into our inner-universe and beyond to our cosmic identity. After listening, your experience of being a body will never be the same! A warning: the episode includes frank and loving discussions of death and human dissection.

EXPLORATION POINTS:

-Ali and Gil dive into intricate topics related to the human body and consciousness, challenging conventional views of the body and exploring the existential complexity of human anatomy.

-Gil shares his unique journey from considering priesthood to becoming a different kind of "priest" on a mission to rebrand the human body as a gift. This conversation critiques dualism, discusses integral anatomy, and emphasizes the need to shift away from body as a problem.

-Gil reconceptualizes anatomy, challenging mechanistic views of the body specifically by exploring: 1) how the heart is not a pump, 2) how fat is intelligent, and 3) how the foreskin is precious.

-Gil and Ali challenge cultural aesthetics, explore what “somanaut” means, and share personal stories and challenges related to embodiment with a lot of humor.

TO VIEW ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/99A3uNDtLlM

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FOR MORE ALI MEZEY:
ALI - Website
ALI - LinkTree

FOR MORE GIL HEDLEY:

BIO: Gil has been teaching integral anatomy in the dissection laboratory, via keynotes and speaking tours, and online via his extensive website and subscription portal, www.gilhedley.com, and YouTube channel, "Somanaut," since 1995. He is the producer of The Integral Anatomy Series, the Anatomy from A to Z Project, and The Nerve Project, as well as being the author of several books and anatomy models. He is based at the Institute for Anatomical Research in Colorado Springs, CO, where he teaches, films, and serves as Board President.

GIL – Youtube

GIL – Instagram

GIL – Facebook

The Nerve Project/The Nerve Tour - Find Gil in a town or city near you LIVE! Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to rock your world and the way you see and experience bodies!

THE NERVE PROJECT

GIL HEDLEY: A few favourite videos…

The Amazing Foreskin

Pars Intima: A Rebranding Campaign for the Human Body

The Heart-Brain (just a gorgeous 5-minute video that will transform your understanding of your heart and brain)

BY GIL HEDLEY: The Sacred Stuff

No thing

is made sacred

by being set apart, separated, hallowed.

No one

becomes holy.

From adulation,

pomp, or prayer,

what clump of this,

or lump of that, what bits of flesh,

or outcast,

does not hail directly from the same precious source of holy waters and holy men.

Flesh, too, aches.

from the divine stirring within

and the scraps flung to dogs

turn to light

and scat alike

all beyond comprehension

perfect

the sacred stuff is all

every yearning

star and burr

the exalted and the lowly

songs cries

and moans

the fleeting and the lasting

everyone

a turning wisp of smoke

rising from the altar

burned sweet

holy

and acceptable.

GONE IN THE EPISODE ALONG WITH A LOT OF LAUGHTER, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:

ALI: “Is it on Amazon or on your website or where can you get it?”

GIL: “It's on my website. I don't want to give Jeff Bezos anything more to do. He's got a lot covered, you know, so I'm thinking: Oh my god, Jeff, God bless you. You came up with a big idea there.”

ALI: “You're hilarious, Gil. You're fucking funny, man.”

Find Gil’s published works, and oh, so much more brilliant bodied stuff here.

OTHER RESOURCES, LINKS & INSPIRATION:

CANDACE PERT: Molecules of Emotion

MICHAEL TALBOT: The Holographic Universe

WILHELM REICH: