Welcome!
Before we begin today's practice,
I want to invite you to reflect on something.
How much time do you spend evaluating your body?
Not experiencing it,
Not listening to it,
Not appreciating what it allows you to do.
Looking in the mirror and deciding whether you approve of what you see.
Comparing yourself to other people.
Thinking about what needs to change,
What needs to improve,
What needs to be fixed.
For many of us,
This becomes so normal that we hardly notice we are doing it.
The body becomes something we monitor rather than something we live in.
Something we judge rather than something we relate to.
Over time,
This can create a painful disconnection.
Because when we are constantly evaluating our bodies,
We are rarely experiencing them.
We stop asking,
How do I feel?
What does my body need?
What is my body trying to communicate?
Instead,
We ask.
How do I look?
Do I measure up?
Am I enough?
And yet our world has never lived in our appearance.
Our worth has never been determined by a number,
A size,
A shape,
Or a reflection.
The relationship we have with our bodies is often shaped by much more than appearance.
It can be influenced by childhood experiences,
Comments we received growing up,
Beauty standards,
Comparison.
Illness,
Aging,
Loss,
Stress,
Trauma,
And the stories we have learned to tell ourselves.
Sometimes,
Body image is not really about the body at all.
Sometimes it is about acceptance.
About safety.
About belonging.
About control.
Or simply about feeling worthy of love.
Sometimes we believe that if we could just change our bodies,
We would finally feel confident,
Happy,
Or at peace.
But many people discover that when they reach the goal they were chasing,
The criticism simply moves somewhere else.
Because the problem was never truly the body.
The problem was the relationship.
Today,
Rather than trying to change our body,
I want to invite you to change the way You relate to it.
Now.
I'm going to ask you to.
.
.
Start bringing your awareness.
To your buddy.
There's nothing to fix.
Nothing to achieve.
Nothing to improve.
Take a gentle breath in.
And a slow breathe out.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Allow your jaw to relax.
Notice the support beneath you.
Notice the surface holding your body.
Notice that in this moment,
You do not need to earn your right to be here.
You already belong.
Bring your attention to your feet.
Simply noticing them.
Without judgment.
Without evaluation.
Just awareness.
Now your legs.
Continue breathing.
Your hips.
Your stomach.
Continue breathing.
Your chest.
Your shoulders.
Your arms.
Your hands.
You're next.
Your face.
Notice any sensations that are present.
Warmth,
Coolness,
Pension.
Heaviness lightness,
There is no need to change anything.
Just notice.
Now,
I want to invite you to consider something.
Your body has carried you through every experience of your life.
Every joy,
Every challenge,
Every disappointment.
Every success.
Every heartbreak.
Every moment of growth.
Your body has been with you through all of it.
And perhaps there have been many times when you have been frustrated with it.
Angry with it!
Critical of it.
Disappointed by it.
Many of us have.
But for a moment.
See if you can look beyond appearance.
Beyond judgment.
Beyond what you wish were different.
And simply acknowledge your body for all that it has carried.
Take a breath.
And silently say,
Thank you.
Thank you for caring me.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for doing your best.
Thank you for carrying me.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for doing your best.
Notice what arises.
Perhaps gratitude?
Perhaps resistance.
Whatever is present is welcome.
Now bring one hand to your heart.
And gently repeat.
My body is not my enemy.
My body is not a project.
My body is not a problem to solve.
My body deserves kindness.
My body deserves respect.
My body deserves care.
I do not have to love every part of my body today.
I do not have to feel confident every moment.
I am simply learning to relate to myself differently.
Take a slow breath in.
And a slow breathe out.
Imagine releasing the need to constantly evaluate yourself.
Releasing the knee to compare.
Releasing the knee to measure your word through appearance.
Just for this moment.
Allow yourself to rest.
Allow yourself to be.
Allow yourself to experience your body rather than judge it.
Take another breath and ask yourself.
What would it feel like to be on my own side?
Not tomorrow.
Not when I change something.
Not when I look different.
Today.
What would it feel like to be on my own side?
Sit with that question.
Whatever comes up.
Thumbs up!
As we come towards the end of this practice,
Remember this.
Your body is not the source of your worth.
Your body is not the measure of your value.
Your body is not something that needs to earn love,
Belonging,
Or respect.
Your body is your home.
And like any relationship,
The relationship with your body can heal.
One moment of awareness.
One moment of compassion,
One moment of connection at a time.
Take one final deep breath.
Breathe in.
And gently let it go.
Notice the space around you.
Notice your body.
Notice your breath.
And when you're ready.
.
.
Slowly open your eyes.
As you move through the rest of your day,
See if you can spend a little less time evaluating your body.
And a little more time listening to it.
Thank you for taking this time for yourself today.
