A Body Love meditation.
Someone recently suggested a body love meditation and normally I love all the self love, body gratitude, body positivity stuff but I found myself avoiding doing it for ages.
I don't know about you, but when I find myself avoiding something, it's a sure sign that I need to get my arse in gear and JUST DO IT! Whenever there's resistance around something, I always know it's important.
So over the last few days I've been trying to do my normal self love rituals like:
Moisturising and paying loving attention to each part of my body as I go
Saying out loud in the shower why I'm thankful for each part of my body as I clean it
Feeling pure awe and wonder at how our bodies work
Anyway, those are the main ways I use, but I avoided this meditation for weeks and finally when I did it, I realised I'd been feeling a bit off with my body because of an allergic reaction I'd had a few weeks ago on holiday. In a weird way, I was annoyed, disappointed and frustrated with my body and that I had created a disconnect and a lack of appreciation for my body.
So if you've felt a bit off with your body, for whatever reason, here's an exercise for you.
Exercise
You can sit or stand or walk or do whatever you want during this exercise!
1. Put your hand on your heart and feel it beat.
2. Imagine all the cells, all the internal workings of your body that you don't understand and feel awe for the fact that your body is working so perfectly that you get to experience this moment. Stay in this imagining until the feeling of awe and wonder starts to become a thankfulness for the miracle of life. The miracle of this moment.
3. Know that you are a miracle
4. With each breath you take breathe in Thank, and breathe out You.
*If you struggle with this, start by imagining how our bodies are made up of stardust, how the core elements of your body have been around since the beginning of time, how we evolved from single celled organisms and all the millennia that have had to happen for you, to be you and to be in this moment, right now, with the luxury of reflection and gratitude for your beautiful body.
P.S. the additional * was exactly what I needed to step back into my self love, body gratitude practice! We really are a miracle!
The Actual Meditation I avoided for AGES! That is actually beautiful and totally worth listening to!!!