Hello and welcome to this meditation that will help you love and appreciate your body exactly as it is right now,
Without trying to fix or change it.
My name is Juana and I am honored to guide you on this journey to cultivating more love and compassion for yourself.
Begin by finding yourself a comfy position that allows for a straight spine and smooth breathing.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose,
Filling your lungs completely.
Hold your breath for a brief moment and then slowly exhale through your mouth,
Letting go of any tension or stress in your body.
Another deep inhale as you draw in more oxygen and enliven your body.
Hold it there.
As you exhale,
Allow your breath to soften and release any tightness or discomfort present in your body.
Another big breath in,
Hold it at the top and exhale it all out as you sink into the support of the surface beneath you,
Relaxing deeply.
As you continue to breathe within a range that is most comfortable to you,
Bring your attention into your body.
Today we will focus on our home,
A magnificent body which houses our spirit and soul.
Start by bringing to mind all of the miraculous things that your body does for you,
Moment to moment,
Without you having to give so much as a thought about it.
Give thanks for the countless processes and functions that not only keep you alive,
But also healthy and thriving.
Think about it,
Your heart beats,
Your blood pumps,
Your lungs breathe,
Your stomach digests,
Your cells regenerate,
All without any conscious effort on your part.
If someone in your life did all those things that your body does for you to keep you functioning,
Wouldn't you fall to your knees and thank them profusely?
So why not bring more conscious awareness to all the ways in which your body serves you?
I don't care how many excuses you have to not like your body.
It doesn't fit into a certain size,
It's not as fast as you'd like,
Or it has one too many wrinkles or stretch marks.
There's many more reasons to love and appreciate your body than there are to dislike it.
Don't take my word for it though,
Just follow this next visualization exercise and feel it for yourself.
As you continue to stay connected to your breath,
I'd like you to start focusing on each individual body part as I take you through them.
Take a moment to reflect on your eyes,
How they allow you to see the natural beauty of the world around you,
How they allow you to admire those you love,
How they allow you to experience the wonder of sight.
What people,
Places,
And things are you thankful to have seen?
Bring them to mind now.
Next,
Think about your ears,
Which enable you to hear ever more beautiful sounds,
Like the song of the birds,
The rolling waves of the ocean,
Or the music of your favorite artist.
What other sounds are you thankful to have heard?
How about your nose?
What delicious scents have graced it?
Think about all that you love to smell,
From all the different flowers like roses,
Jasmine,
Lavender,
And lilies,
Or the tasty whiff of coffee in the morning,
Or perhaps the warm,
Comforting smell of baked goods at a bakery,
Or the clean scent of freshly laundered clothes.
Reflect on all the smells that you love.
Next,
Give thanks to your mouth for all the yummy flavors it has helped you enjoy since you made your grand entrance on planet earth.
What have been some of your most favorite meals to indulge in?
From healthy fruits and veggies,
To comforting pizza and pasta,
How many times do you really give thanks for your ability to savor these foods?
Well,
Take a moment to do so now.
Now,
How about your arms and legs that have allowed you to move,
Experience,
And explore the world?
What wonderful spaces have they taken you to?
Think about all the ways in which your arms and legs have served you,
Lifted you,
And taken you places.
As you continue to breathe deeply,
Take a moment to appreciate the remarkable resilience and strength of your body,
Not to mention its astonishing ability to heal itself.
Think about all of the challenges and obstacles that your body has overcome throughout your life.
What illnesses,
Injuries,
And hardships has your body fought through and healed from?
Take this moment to express gratitude for all that your body has done for you,
And for all that it will continue to do in the future.
Contemplate all the ways your body has served you,
Both big and small.
Give thanks for each and every inch of your body.
Go ahead and place your hands on your heart and thank it for beating.
Thank it for beating even when you were heartbroken and you thought you couldn't possibly go on,
But you still somehow managed to.
Now place your hands on your stomach and thank it for digesting.
Thank your gut for every intuitive answer it ever gave you.
Move your hands to your chest and take a big breath in,
And on your exhale,
Thank your lungs for helping you to breathe.
Place your hands back where they were,
And thank your trillions and trillions of cells,
A whole universe inside of you,
For regenerating and keeping you going.
Thank your eyes,
Ears,
Nose,
Mouth,
Arms,
And legs once again for all that they do to help you experience life to the fullest.
Thank your body for loving you back even when you weren't loving it.
Talk about unconditional love.
Your body never stopped supporting you,
Even when you weren't supporting it.
Thank it for recovering even when you pushed it to its limits.
Thank it for waking up each and every single day.
Thank it for allowing you to experience all that life has to offer.
Instead of focusing on all the benefits we derive from our miraculous body,
Why do we indulge in the exact opposite?
Vow to yourself,
Here and now,
That you will always find a reason to love your body.
For as we have learned in this practice,
You have every reason to love your body.
All you need to do is focus on the reasons for why you do and block out the rest.
That is why this meditation is here for you anytime you need to return to it.
Even if that means daily,
I welcome you here.
So silently repeat to your human vessel,
I honor and appreciate you body,
And I vow to treat you with kindness and respect.
I'd like you to take one last moment to give yourself one big hug,
Wrapping your arms around yourself,
And really feeling the love you have cultivated here,
Not only for your body,
But for you.
Take a few more breaths,
Soaking in all that gratitude and appreciation for your amazing miraculous form.
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
Feeling refreshed,
Relaxed,
And filled with gratitude.
Thank you for joining me on this journey to find more love and appreciation for your body.
As always,
Let me know how your journey went,
And follow along for more to come.
It's been an honor guiding you.
