My body, is AMAZING. This is a recent realization of mine. Do my thighs rub together? Yup. Are my shoulders a little too broad? I tend to think so. Could i lose 5-10 pounds? Probably. But i'm not talking about how amazing I look. I'm talking about how amazing my body is.
For pretty much my whole teenage into adult life, like so many women, I have struggled with body image and self-love. I am never good enough for myself, and always striving to change the way I look, in hopes to attain some image I have created over time through comparing myself to what I think looks better than me.
Recently I started with a new yoga therapy client and I was reviewing my notes in going over what our next session was going to cover. We are focusing on a lot of breath work, bringing the nervous system and the endocrine system into balance through education and alignment of the Chakras. As I was reading my notes I came across something I had written down:
"Our bodies know where they want to be, and what they need, but it's our thoughts that often get in our way of actually listening."
You know how there are some books that you can just learn something new every time you read it, depending on where you are in your life? That is what the above quote is for me. I know that is true, on an intellectual level, but when I read it this week, something else clicked on an emotional level and something major shifted in my heart.
I realized in reading that quote, in my own notes, in my own handwriting, that my body has ALWAYS told me what it needs. She tells me when I'm tired, hungry, need to go to the bathroom. She tells me when I need a hug, or when I need to be alone. She tells me when I need chocolate, or when I need vegetables. She tells me when I need to back off and chill out, or if I can push a little harder and be safe. This body that I have been blessed with, tells me EVERYTHING I need to know, about how to take care of myself; and she is ALWAYS right.
The other piece to this realization, is connection. I realized that I ALWAYS listen to my body and feed her what she asks for. I eat generally healthy, I sleep at least 8 hours a night, I drink a lot of water, I exercise, and I chill out. I only do these things because my body asks me to do them (in no particular order). I rarely get sick. I don't typically have mood swings. If I'm feeling out of balance, my body always tells me what i need to come back to balance.
So, in this moment of realization, I grew conscious of this deep connection I have with my body. From this consciousness sprouted a deep appreciation for how she never lets me down in telling me what I need. I had a brief moment of sadness for how mean I have been to myself, mentally/emotionally. And when the sadness passed, I just felt so deeply grateful to have made this connection at all. This week, I have stopped "feeling fat" or "wishing my arms were more tone" or thinking these self-deprecating thoughts, because I am so deeply grateful to not only have a body that is fully functional, but a body that is so full of infinite wisdom. As long as I listen to her, I am set with everything I need to live a full, healthy, and happy life.
So my hope, is as conscious humans, we can shift the meaning of what an "amazing body" is. Right now, it's so superficial and material. But what is yoga, if not finding that deep internal connection to Self? We can come together in support of these functional, amazing bodies we are blessed with, to appreciate all that they do for us! They breathe for us, they remember things our minds forget, and most of all they tell us what we need to stay balanced, and live a healthy happy life.
This is the most liberating, incredible feeling to have, after feeling trapped by my own self-conscious, negative thoughts that I never seemed to be able to escape.
My body is AMAZING, and I am so deeply grateful. Thank you for reading <3 p="">
Love & Light,
Sarah
