What if there are simple steps to appreciate and enjoy your body every day? Imagine waking up every morning, happy and grateful for your body, excited about what you could create with it each day!
Your body truly is your best friend, if you let it be. It can contribute amazing things to you when you are willing to listen and receive it. Our bodies are there for us, each and every day, and yet we judge our bodies so harshly – often from the moment we open our eyes in the morning. When we get busy, our body is often the first thing that we neglect.
Here are three ways you can begin to create a more loving relationship with your body:
1. Be consciously grateful for your body the moment you wake up.
After working with people and their bodies for more than 15 years, I have realized time and time again, that changing your points of view with your body can have miraculous results. So much more becomes possible if you simply begin to treat your body with more gratitude and acknowledge it as a contribution to your life, rather than giving yourself over to thoughts and judgments against your body.
Every morning, before you get up, spend a few minutes with your body. Lightly touch your face — feel the sensation of your face, of your hands, and the softness of your face against your palms. Thank your body for being here with you. Take a minute to BE with your body; to be totally present with it, and to be in gratitude and awe of everything it provides you with…the feeling of the sun on your face, of the ocean when you dive in, the smells of flowers and crisp autumn air. These are all things that your body allows you to experience. Are you taking a moment to revel in that gift?
2. For everything that involves your body, ask your body!
Do you decide what is right for your body? Or do you allow your body to tell you? Your body actually does know what it likes and what it needs. It also has very clear ways of telling you, even if you have become very good at ignoring them.
Have you ever put on a piece of clothing and it felt amazing? It looked good, felt good, and you stood taller? That’s your body saying ‘Yes!’ Whether it’s the movement you choose to do, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, the posture you assume when you sit at the table, or even the way you move your body when you walk — start noticing the messages your body is giving you. Is it energized? Relaxed? Uncomfortable? Awkward? Pay attention to your body in each moment, noticing how it responds. Then start to ask your body, What would feel good for you? When and what would you like to eat? Where would you like to go, and how would you like to move?Start to learn the language of your body by playing with these questions and you might be surprised with what shows up.
3. Do something for one hour a day and one full day a week that nurtures your body.
So many people think this is a lot of time to spend on nurturing your body. Let’s look at it another way. When you nurture something, it tends to thrive. When you neglect something, it starts to suffer and die. What kind of impact would you like to have on your body? What can you choose that would nurture and care for your body and allow you both to thrive?
What if you could talk with your body and ask it to heal? What if every ‘problem’ in your life was just a doorway or an invitation to a different possibility? Stepping out of the judgment paradigm with yourself and with your body will actually allow you to create joy, fun, and miracles with your body on a daily basis. It all starts with gratitude, nurturing, and asking more questions to receive more gifts from your body.
It isn’t actually difficult to start loving your body — all you have to do is to choose!
What will you choose today?
Dain
P.S. And for the full article in Best Self Magazine, please check it out here!
