Positive Body Image

Positive changes for our bodies begin with knowing we are absolutely perfect in this very moment. When we care about ourselves, when we love our bodies, when we know that we aren't abnormal or a mistake, we create opportunities to live our best lives. This doesn't have to be when we've reached a certain goal or look a certain way. It can begin right now – no matter what we look like or how much we weigh in this moment.

Transcript

Hi there.

My name is Greg McBride,

And at one time in my life,

I weighed over 450 pounds.

It was right around the time I was finishing up in college,

And I had been what is considered overweight for most of my life.

And I remember thinking at the time that I did not matter,

That my body was all wrong,

That I was somehow not perfect.

But I realize today,

When I weigh around 175 pounds,

That I really was perfect when I was over 475 pounds.

Just as right now,

I'm also at the perfect weight.

It took me a long time to understand that positive change comes from positive thinking about who we are and what we look like.

And the fact of the matter is,

If you are listening to this right now,

I've got some news for you.

You are perfect.

No matter what size you are,

No matter what reflection appears to you when you look in the mirror,

No matter what cruelty you might have suffered from somebody who was obviously too challenged to realize how amazing you are.

But so much of our self-worth comes from what we think of ourselves.

And while it's easy for us to pump up friends and family members,

Even pets,

Anyone who needs a pick-me-up,

We can be there for them.

But sometimes it's a real challenge to be there for ourselves.

And that is what this meditation is about.

It's about starting to love ourselves and knowing that in this moment,

No matter what kind of change we might like to see in our lives,

In this moment,

You are perfect.

I'm perfect.

We are all perfect in this moment.

So let's sit together for a moment and just think about this.

I invite you to take whatever position is most comfortable for you when meditating.

Maybe cross your legs,

Maybe sit upright with both feet on the floor.

You can feel the solidity of the floor underneath you.

You can lay down if you're not like me.

When I meditate laying down,

I fall asleep.

If you choose to lay down,

Please do that.

In fact,

If you want to fall asleep,

You can do that too.

But let's close our eyes and just take a moment and let's take three breaths together.

And these don't have to be long breaths.

They don't have to be pronounced,

But as we breathe in,

Let's think in and as we breathe out,

Let's think out.

So all together now,

Eyes closed,

Safe and comfortable together.

Let's breathe in,

Maybe just hold it at the top for a minute and breathe out.

And remember we're thinking in and out as we do this.

Okay.

We're breathing in,

Maybe hold it just for a second and breathe back out.

And one more time,

Breathing in,

Breathing out and breathing out.

And now I want us all just to think about the quiet that is there along with all the racing thoughts and they're allowed to be there.

Remember,

We just acknowledge them,

Maybe like a cloud passing by,

But try to come back to this space that we're creating for ourselves,

This reverence that we have for ourselves,

Because you matter.

It doesn't matter if you're the same as somebody else.

It doesn't matter if you're the bigger size,

A smaller size,

Whatever you've been before now,

Right this second,

You are perfect.

And in fact,

Different is good.

It's good that we're not all similar to each other.

You think about the rainbow and all the different colors and that rainbow would not be a rainbow without the many different colors.

And so you're part of life's rainbow,

Your body,

Your beauty,

No matter how it's defined.

Let's just feel our bodies for a second.

So often we're at war with our bodies.

I know in the past that I would tell myself I hated my body.

I would literally inject cruelty onto it.

Can you imagine?

When we think about it,

It doesn't make any sense,

But we do it.

It's habitual.

We attack ourselves and it's time for us to love ourselves and realize how beautiful,

How perfect our bodies are.

So I want you to think about that as you scan your body,

Whatever your body happens to be,

No matter what the pounds are or the kilos,

No matter what your arms look like,

Your legs,

No matter what your hair is like,

No matter if you're missing an arm or a leg,

Whatever it is,

You are so perfect.

You really are.

And you don't have to believe that right now,

But just sit with me and be quiet and listen to the silence and hear my voice telling you that I know you are perfect.

You really are.

After we've scanned our body,

Let's move back to our heart area and if you can,

Just imagine a warm white light kind of emanating from there.

And this light can kind of block out whatever else might be happening,

The negative voices that maybe tell you you're not enough or that somehow you don't fit in or that you've got to change to be happy.

Your body has to change so people will love you.

Let that white light just shine.

We don't have to change those thoughts,

But instead of concentrating on them,

Let's just think about this warm white light.

And if you can,

Try to visualize it growing.

Again,

It's in your heart space and now it's starting to flow in all directions.

And it doesn't have to be a white light.

If you have a favorite color,

Give it that color.

It can be multi-colors like the rainbows we just mentioned.

It can be like a disco ball.

Whatever it is that maybe just gives you a little grin right now,

Let that light shine in your body.

There are no mistakes.

You are not a mistake.

How you've handled things in the past,

How you've shaped your body is not a mistake.

You are right here,

Right now,

And you are perfect.

As we see this light coursing out of us,

Coursing through our bodies and just shedding some love,

Some loving light on us,

Remember that positive change comes from loving yourself.

So knowing that you're perfect or trying to know it or reminding yourself of that,

That your body is truly perfect right now,

Doesn't mean that positive change can't occur.

But it's actually more likely to occur if we love ourselves.

Loving ourselves means taking care of ourselves.

It means asking ourselves questions.

What would I like to eat?

What would I like to consume?

Does it nourish me?

Does it satisfy me?

How do I feel after?

Do I feel good?

Do I feel able to do other things?

Do I feel happy?

These are all positive things and we want to love our bodies and do what's right for our bodies but with less judgment.

And as we shine this light through our body,

Think about seeing yourself through someone else's eyes.

Someone who loves you.

Maybe it's a family member.

Maybe it's a friend.

Maybe it's a pet.

I would like everyone to see me like my little dog does.

And if you can't think of anyone right now,

Then you let me be that person.

And I promise you,

I am very sincere when I tell you,

You matter and you are beautiful and you are perfect,

Perfect just as you are now.

And I want you to believe that because it really is true.

We want to take this shining light that we're emanating from our body right now and we want it to stay with us.

We want to live by love,

Not by lack.

And our goal even after this meditation will be to feel good and to love ourselves.

And it's not always easy.

We have to remind ourselves and that's okay.

We can make a game of it.

Oops,

I forgot.

I'm perfect.

Because you are perfect.

And that's the real goal is to just really love yourself.

To love your body,

To know that it's wonderful,

To know that it's magnificent and to know that we will meet the needs of our body.

And if our body wants to go through some changes that would be positive,

Whether it's up or down the scale,

Then we can do that because we love ourselves.

And there doesn't have to be a set timeline for that or a set method.

We're going to listen to our bodies because our bodies are going to know that we love them.

We love our bodies because they're perfect.

Everything can flow from there.

You are perfect.

Before we open our eyes,

Let's just do a little mantra together.

And I want you to try and feel this as much as you can.

I know it's not always easy to believe the mantras,

But let's work on really believing this one,

Okay?

So you can repeat after me either silently or you can say it out loud.

You could sing it.

Those of you with a disco ball light,

I will expect to sing it.

Eyes still closed,

Still see that bright shining light.

I am not a mistake.

I am not a mistake.

I am worthy.

I am worthy.

I am perfect just as I am.

I am in this moment.

I am perfect just as I am in this moment.

And now let's continue to let that light shine.

Let's take three breaths again.

You know the drill.

Think in as you're breathing in,

Think out as you're breathing out.

Maybe hold at the top and the bottom and just connect.

Connect mind and body.

These wonderful,

Beautiful bodies of ours.

All right,

Three breaths.

Let's breathe in.

Maybe hold at the top.

Feel that shining light and breathe out.

Let it all go.

Hold at the bottom.

Let's breathe in again.

And breathe out.

And just one more time.

Eyes still closed,

Feeling that light.

That light can't be diminished.

We're not going to say,

Okay,

Forget the light,

Turn the light off.

That light's going with you.

So one more time.

Let's breathe in,

Thinking in,

Breathe out,

Thinking out.

And then if you'd like to,

You can just open your eyes.

And I invite you to sit with this for a minute.

I know that it can sometimes feel false to say,

I love myself.

I'm perfect.

So just reflect on that for a minute.

And again,

No shame,

No feeling bad no matter what you've said about yourself,

Thought about yourself before.

We're in this moment right now.

If you'd like,

Maybe you can journal a little bit or you can just think to yourself a bit more or you can move on with your day.

But I hope that you will take that bright shining light with you.

That's coming from inside you.

That light.

That light knows that your body is perfect,

That you are beautiful,

That you matter.

And whatever positive change you want to happen is going to come from inside and come from that love.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you so much. I am continually surprised at tje level of healing I achieve when I hear from others who have been on this journey to self love. I’m going to love myself unconditionally and you are now part of the team of fellow travelers who will help me get there. Thank you.

I was feeling not so great this AM..inner critic put me on blast for some late night bingeing- not fun. The meditation brought me peace and perspective: My body is indeed perfect because God knows what he’s doing. Thanks 👍

This is so incredibly beautiful. Such a loving and gentle reminder of how we deserve to be spoken to by our selves ♥️

Such a beautiful soul! Thank you for your story and your medicine.
Loved this meditation.

Thank you 🙏❤

This was wonderful! Thank you (again) for your kindness and compassion and sharing it with us. And for the record, my light was *definitely* a disco ball! 😊 Namaste.

Wonderful and uplifting. Thank you for sharing your Light with us. Blessings 🌻🐢🦋

Gregg this was such a great practice. I will always use the disco ball and smile. So many thanks to you for being real and sharing your wisdom.

Thank you Gregg for sharing your personal story while promoting heartfelt positivity in support of others loving their body. This was a beautiful practice!🙏🏻

Thank you for this loving meditation and reminder Gregg. I often say that I am my harshest critic, never quite good enough...it's a difficult mind set to release myself of. Sending 💚 and 🙏 your way. Namaste 🥀

A beautiful, positive and grounding meditation, many thanks!! ☀️🙏🏼☀️🙏🏼

WOW Gregg! You hit the nail on the head with this meditation, so much of what you said resonated with me. It actually brought me to tears. Thank you!

Very helpful, thank you!

Thank you/ lovely reminder 🙏🏻🥰

Really lovely words thank you 🙏

Makes me remember how much I love myself. I am totally relaxed now. Thank you.

This was absolutely beautiful and exactly what I needed! Thank you so much Gregg! 🙏🏽💛🥰

Thank you for your sincerity and generosity that come across in this meditation. Would be even better, if combine unconditional self love with body gratitude as an additional angle to deepen positive regard. Much love.