Thank you for joining me for this guided meditation.
We all go through times where we struggle with being in this body.
Like everything else,
It is always changing,
And that can make us feel separate from the very form that allows us to experience this life.
Whether this struggle comes in the form of self-criticism,
Or body shaming,
Physical pain or sickness,
Or the fear of aging,
This meditation is intended to assist you in shifting your perspective,
Like changing the station on the radio from something harsh to something kind,
Tender,
Loving,
And appreciative.
No matter what,
This body is amazing.
But we can forget because it is vulnerable and impermanent,
Because we get caught in comparing ourselves to others,
Or because we have high expectations of what we should be able to do,
Or how we should look and feel.
This meditation is simply a reminder of what a gift this body is,
Just as it is.
To begin moving toward a kinder approach to your body,
Start by inviting yourself to rest right here in the present moment,
Just as you are.
Just as you are,
You can sense the ground underneath you through the contact of your feet or your legs,
Or through what you're sitting on,
And let it support you,
Grounding yourself with the earth itself,
This earth that we are made of,
That this body could not exist without.
Consider any effort that you don't need.
Let your hips be easy.
Let go of any contraction in your abdomen or tightening in your chest.
You don't have to hold yourself in.
Right now,
You are safe.
You are okay to be here in the present,
Just as you are.
You don't need to be any different to be here in this moment.
You don't need to defend yourself,
Prove yourself,
Guard yourself in this moment.
Not a future moment or a past moment,
But this moment.
Allow the muscles in your face to relax.
There's nothing you need to express to anyone,
No way you need to look,
No mask to put on.
Your jaw can rest.
Your lips can be soft.
Your eyes can be relaxed,
Not needing to look out for anything.
Right now,
You are breathing.
Move your attention to sense your inhale and your exhale.
Feel the movement of the breath as you breathe in and breathe out.
And experience just one breath at a time.
Just one breath at a time.
Just to breathe is a gift.
And our body knows how.
We don't need to tell it how to inhale and exhale.
So follow the breath's full path.
Take a few breaths where you silently acknowledge,
I'm breathing in,
I'm breathing out.
I'm breathing in,
I'm breathing out.
Whatever its pace or depth.
I'm breathing in,
I'm breathing out.
In,
Out.
Letting yourself slow down.
And as you feel yourself breathe,
Remember that this body was made for you.
There is no body exactly like your body.
It was made just for you,
With all its gifts and imperfections.
As you follow your breath in and out,
Remember that this body is what allows you to experience life.
To see colors and shapes and movement.
This body allows you to hear sounds of music,
Nature,
Laughter.
It allows us to communicate.
This body allows us to smell and taste and enjoy.
This body allows us to move.
It allows us to feel textures.
The touch of something soft,
Warm,
Cold,
Smooth,
Rough.
This body allows us to feel tremendous pleasure.
And it warns us with pain.
We could not experience life without this body.
As you feel your body breathe in and out,
You can be in touch with the fact that this body works all day long.
Its organs function much of the time without our even thinking about them.
It does everything it can to heal,
To keep going.
This body puts up with our criticisms and our demands,
Which are often unreasonable.
This body has been resilient time and time again.
It fights to keep going.
Knowing this,
Taking this in,
We can say thank you to this body.
And as you feel yourself breathing,
Right here,
Right now,
Invite yourself to open to the simple truth that this body is impermanent.
It is vulnerable and it is constantly changing and doing the best it can to adapt.
It does not fail us.
This body is our loyal companion.
It is on our side.
Knowing that,
We don't have to be cruel to our body.
It is not cruel to us.
It is here for us to enjoy,
To live through.
Right here,
In the present moment,
It can be a relief to drop into a sense of humility around who we are.
To know that we exist in connection with everything around us and everything that came before us.
Our ancestors and our genetics,
Our society,
Our environment,
All interconnect with who we are.
And our body responds to all these factors and conditions.
How our body has come to be is beyond its doing and beyond our doing.
So rather than judge,
Blame,
Or worry,
We can take care.
We can shift the energy and bring a sense of tenderness and motherly love toward ourselves.
Rather than fight ourselves,
We can embrace this remarkable being that is us.
Just as you are,
You are perfectly imperfect in a wild world,
Doing the best you can.
Enjoy feeling yourself breathe right here,
Right now.
And what we can know is that we get to choose what we consume through our eyes,
Our ears,
Our mouth,
Our nose,
Our skin,
In our conversations and our thoughts.
We can make choices that care for our well-being.
We are what we take in.
We can take in what is wholesome and nourishing.
We can listen to when we need to rest and when we need to move.
When we wash our body,
We can say thank you.
Thank you to each part of ourselves that we wash.
When we go to sleep at night,
And whenever we exert a lot of effort,
We can say thank you.
To not just expect and demand from ourselves,
But to feel full and thankful.
We can smile at ourselves.
As we take this time to slow down and breathe,
We can be reminded of what we know is true with all things.
Our body,
Our mind,
Our spirit responds best to loving,
Caring attention.
It is what we need most of all.
To thrive,
We need to be on our own side and listen to our bodies,
Our spirits,
With a deep sense of appreciation,
Honor,
And love.
Healing comes from this place.
Feeling good comes from this place.
So as we draw this meditation to a close,
May you be open to receive your own love and appreciation today.
And if it slips away,
You simply need to be reminded again.
Many conditions pull us away from remembering that this body is made to love.
Be well,
And thank you for joining me.
