This is Samantha Sussman,
Licensed mental health counselor.
Welcome to your Making Peace with Body Image meditation.
Wherever you are,
Start by settling in.
Get comfortable.
Lower your gaze to the floor or close your eyes.
Take a long,
Deep breath into your belly.
Open your mouth and let it all go.
And again,
Slow,
Deep breath in,
Push your belly button away from your spine.
Open your mouth,
Let it out slow and controlled.
One more time,
Deepest breath you've taken today.
And then release until every drop of air is gone.
And now you can breathe at whatever rhythm feels good to you.
In through the nose and out through the nose.
Settle in to whatever position feels comfortable.
Maybe your arms are heavy.
Maybe your shoulders are relaxed away from your ears.
Unclench your jaw.
Arms are heavy.
Forehead is relaxed.
Start by thanking yourself by taking a few moments out of your day to generate a little self-compassion.
In the moments to come,
I will guide you through a meditation meant to foster appreciation for your body.
So acknowledge that at some times you may feel uncomfortable and that's okay.
Or you may have a voice that doesn't want to do this and that's okay too.
So find the part of you that wants to grow self-love,
That wants to feel okay with your body.
And thank it for helping you show up for this meditation today.
And during this meditation,
If you have a voice that criticizes your body,
Thank that voice too.
Thank it for trying to protect you,
For trying to make you feel worthy or lovable or okay.
It's working really hard at its job.
It may not be that effective.
It may not be getting you to the place that you want to be.
But wow,
Has it been working hard for you.
So ask that self-critic to sit by your side just for a little while.
And settle in even more.
Maybe you turn off the muscles in your legs or your hips.
Maybe your arms get even heavier.
And begin by imagining a bright white band of light starting to descend on the top of your head and it moves down across your face.
And as it does,
Thank your eyes for allowing you to see your loved ones,
To witness incredible landscapes.
Thank them for navigating you through life's rough spots and the enjoyable,
Gentle times.
Thank your mouth and lips for expressing smiles,
For bringing pleasure through kissing loved ones or tasty treats,
For giving you a voice,
For blowing bubbles.
And thank your ears for hearing beautiful melodies,
For taking in the voices of loved ones or kiddos or pets,
For hearing sounds of distress,
Warning you to keep you safe.
And that warm band of light moves down over your throat and neck.
Thank your neck for being a strong support.
And your throat for every time it's helped you sing a song or just say hello to a stranger in passing or every time it's helped you defend yourself,
To stand up for yourself,
To speak for truth.
And watch that brilliant light as it moves down over your shoulders and your chest.
And thank these parts of you for keeping you breathing,
For your breath that is steady and predictable,
The breath that always has your back,
Even when you forget to connect with it.
For shoulders that are strong,
Shoulders that when they roll back,
They open your heart towards the world.
And that light moves down across your core and your back.
And find a little appreciation for the strength here,
This part of your body that keeps you upright,
This part of your body that contains your most vital organs,
Keeping you running,
Keeping you in balance,
This part of you that helps you sit and stand,
This central core that you cannot survive without,
This part of you that gives you butterflies when you're excited or warns you with a little nausea when you're nervous.
So many self cues generate from the core.
Find a little thankfulness for this part of you.
And that light descends over your arms and your hands.
And remember every time that your arms have held someone close,
That your hands have held a warm cup of coffee or tea,
Or when they've felt a soft blanket or a fuzzy pet,
For every time they've touched something hot and warned you and kept you safe.
And feel the light descend over your hips and your sitting bones.
And thank these parts of you for every time they've twisted or moved in a dance or let you sit comfortably curled up on your couch where you can hide and find a little comfort in taking a break.
For every time they've been there to place your hand on your hip,
Have a little attitude or for when you've held your child.
And it's been a great seat for your kiddo.
That gentle band of light moves over your legs and feet.
And while it's there,
Thank them for carrying you.
They are strong.
They help you stand up for what you believe in.
They have literally gotten you through every single journey and struggle and happy moment in your entire life.
Maybe you notice that you've taken some of these parts of you are granted.
They are there no matter what,
Supporting you,
Holding you up,
Letting you experience every good or painful or neutral moment in life.
So when your self-credit gets a little loud,
Thank you for the warning.
But remember the gratitude that you can hold for everything your body has done for you.
Even in moments when you haven't been so kind to it,
It never abandons you.
It's always doing its best.
Send it a message of thanks.
Bring your attention into your breath.
Maybe you notice the rise and fall of your chest or the in and out of your belly button.
Find a little space from any thoughts that came up during this meditation,
Any worry,
Any fear,
Any self-critical thoughts.
Just ask them to take a step back so that you can really be with your breath right now.
Breathing in gratitude.
Breathing in thanks.
Breathing in appreciation.
And you can take this opportunity to exhale anything that does not serve your higher purpose,
Your connection to body.
Maybe you release societal expectations for what your body should look like.
Maybe you release the thoughts and beliefs of family or friends.
Or maybe you release past experiences that have made you develop a self-critic or doubt or shame about your body.
With every exhale,
You can release all of those things and maybe you send them up into the universe or pile them in front of you and light them on fire.
Maybe you hand them back to the people that they belong to because they were never meant for you.
When you're ready,
Take a long deep breath into your belly.
Let it out slow through your lips.
You can stay here releasing as long as you want or you can end by putting a little smile on your lips.
Thank that part of you that brought you here,
That brought you to this meditation to foster a little self-love and compassion for your body.
Wiggle those toes,
Wiggle your fingers.
Gently return to the space around you.
Thank you for spending this time with me.
Peace and health.
