Find a comfortable position allowing your body to settle into the space beneath you.
You might choose to lie down,
Stretch your legs out in front of you or sit somewhere where your body can really relax.
Allowing your hands to rest wherever they feel most comfortable.
Maybe palms facing up in your lap.
Or one hand on the belly.
And whenever you're ready,
Gently closing your eyes.
And taking a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And exhaling softly.
Again breathing in and breathing out There is nowhere else you need to be right now.
Nothing to achieve,
Nothing to fix.
For these next few moments together,
You are allowed to simply exist.
Just for now,
Let the outside world fall away.
Let the expectations soften.
Let the constant measuring,
Comparing and evaluating become a little bit quieter.
And with every breath.
You create more space in your mind.
To let go of the busyness.
With every breath,
You are bringing your awareness back.
To the one place you have lived your entire life.
Your body.
For so many of us,
The relationship we have with our bodies has been shaped by things we didn't even realize we were carrying.
Words spoken to us when we were young,
Images we've compared ourselves to.
Perhaps you've stood in front of a mirror and immediately searched for everything you wish to change.
Maybe you've avoided photographs.
Or postponed your happiness until you reach a particular aesthetic.
Wait.
Or a look that finally feels good enough.
Perhaps you've spent years believing that if you could just change your appearance.
.
.
You'd finally feel at peace.
If any of these resonate with you,
Take a gentle breath.
And let it go.
You've been living in a world.
That gives people an extraordinary number of reasons to question their worth.
And you are allowed to acknowledge how deeply those messages have affected you.
But you're also allowed to question them.
And for these few moments together,
We don't need to carry them anymore.
Breathing in.
.
.
And letting go.
Bring your awareness to your physical body.
Noticing the places where you feel supported.
The movement of your chest as you breathe.
The sensations in your feet.
The way your body is resting and being supported.
Simply noticing without judgment.
Not manufacturing gratitude or needing to feel any way in particular.
And if bringing awareness to your body feels uncomfortable.
You can choose to lean into the discomfort.
Or simply focus on your breath.
Now without imagining how you appear to someone else.
See if you can experience your body from within.
What does it feel like to inhabit this body?
Not to observe it or judge it.
But to experience it as the place from which you live your life.
Your body has carried you through moments of uncertainty and grief.
But it's also allowed you to experience laughter.
Connection,
Pleasure,
Sunlight.
Many good things.
It's also changed alongside you.
It's responded to the seasons of your life.
And perhaps there are parts of your body you struggle to accept.
Perhaps there are changes you didn't ask for.
Maybe there are days.
When you feel disconnected from yourself.
And we don't need to pretend that those feelings aren't there.
You can acknowledge them.
Without allowing them to define your entire relationship with yourself.
You can feel uncomfortable in your body and treat it with tenderness.
You can want things to change.
And still respect and love yourself as you are.
You are not a problem to solve.
Let those words settle for a moment.
Now bringing to mind.
The voice of the inner critic.
The voice that tells you you aren't enough or you should look different or that other people are more attractive or more desirable.
And when you tune in to The Inner Critic.
Notice how that voice makes you feel.
Does your body tense?
Do you feel an emotion rise to the surface?
Do you feel the need to hide or change yourself?
Simply notice the connection between the way you speak to yourself.
And the way you experience being yourself.
And now recognizing that.
Identifying this voice as the inner critic.
Means that we can take a step back from the intensity of these thoughts.
The inner critic is not the whole of you.
It's a voice that you have learned to hear over time.
It could be the voice of someone else.
Of culture,
Of society,
Of social media,
Whatever it is that has given you this judgmental voice.
About how you look and live.
All you need to recognize.
Is that it is not you.
It is a voice that you pay attention to.
It doesn't have to direct every conversation you have with yourself.
Could also be the part of you that wants to keep you safe from rejection.
So could we maybe respond with some compassion?
With greater self-awareness than the inner critic possesses.
You might respond to that voice with,
I acknowledge that you're worried.
But I don't need to punish myself to be worthy of love.
I don't need to criticize every part of myself to grow.
I don't need to hate my body just because you say so.
You You don't need to believe these words just yet.
We're simply making room for another possibility.
A different way of relating.
To the south.
And one that is less concerned with punishment and much more interested in patiently understanding.
If it feels comfortable,
Placing a hand on your heart.
And the other on your belly.
And feeling the sensation of your hands against your body.
And for now.
.
.
The invitation.
Is to stop treating your body.
As an enemy.
To begin recognizing the difference between caring for yourself.
And shaming yourself.
You're allowed to care about your health.
You're allowed to enjoy dressing up and feeling beautiful and attractive.
You're allowed to have goals.
But you can also experience pleasure and joy now.
You can wear the clothes that you love now.
You can participate in your life without waiting for the day you finally feel good enough.
Because the truth is.
.
.
It's a trap.
It's a trap,
To think.
We are ever fully satisfied.
When we are in the mindset of chasing a destination.
Because the goalpost just keeps moving.
The real gift is to love ourselves as we are,
While we are changing.
Maybe even considering.
How much more you might enjoy life.
If you felt differently.
About your appearance.
Not because you finally feel perfect or you have the desirable body you've always wanted.
But because you love yourself through every single era of this life.
Just allow yourself to consider.
That possibility without knowing the answers.
Every time you allow yourself to be joyful and happy.
Without waiting to become a different person.
You remind yourself that your existence is not conditional on your appearance.
You don't need to leave this meditation,
This conscious rewiring,
Feeling completely transformed.
You don't need to promise or lie to yourself that you'll never criticize your body ever again.
The real change often comes quietly.
Steadily and slowly over time.
And the next time you find yourself standing in front of a mirror.
Comparing yourself to someone else.
Feeling that familiar wave of dissatisfaction.
Perhaps you can pause.
Take a breath.
And remember that you are so much more than the image you see.
Your body is not the price you pay for being alive.
It is part of your experience.
Of being alive.
And you're allowed to meet that experience with more kindness than you have done in the past.
Taking one final slow breath in.
.
.
And exhaling gently.
Moving your fingers and toes,
Stretching your body if it feels good.
Carrying the gentleness of this practice with you.
And returning whenever you need it.
You can come home to yourself.
And that home can be filled with kindness.
