Take a seat or lie down and start to close your eyes.
So much emphasis is put on the aesthetic of the body and what it means.
So let's reframe this relationship with our body.
Our breath is going to be our mediator,
Our go-between,
Our guide taking us from one place to another.
So let's start by breathing in and out and being aware of each one of those actions.
That is to say,
When you inhale,
Think about the inhale,
Experience it.
And when you exhale,
Think about the exhale.
Try not to let the mind go too many other places.
Alright great stuff.
As you do so,
Just getting comfortable with breathing,
Nice deep breaths and just letting the mind start to calm down.
Now on the next inhale,
Let it travel all the way down to each one of your feet.
Let the breath fill up the space,
The soul,
The heel,
All the way to the ankle.
As you do so,
Connect with how your feet are feeling.
Like you're meeting a friend and asking,
How are you?
What's up?
And now listen.
What are your feet telling you?
Are they hot?
Are they cold?
Can they feel the earth beneath them?
Can they feel the socks or shoes you're wearing?
Are there any elements of heat,
Coolness,
Pressure or anything internally like tingling or tightness?
Now reflect on how these feet have carried you.
Think of the ways the toes are so well constructed to give you balance.
How many directions you can rotate your ankle in and how those deal with uneven surfaces so seamlessly.
Think of all of the times you've taken a step closer to someone you love or the goals you've dreamed of.
Think of all the places these feet have carried you.
Now show them some love and wiggle your toes,
Rotate your ankles and thank them.
Now breathe into your calves,
Your knees,
Your thighs.
Fill the space from your ankle all the way to the top of your thighs with that next in breath.
Once again ask this part of your body how it's doing.
Notice any sensations at all.
Again think temperature,
Think pressure,
Think tingling,
Even an itch counts.
We're just trying to find out how this part of your body is doing right now.
What can you feel in this part?
Now think of all the walks and runs these legs have taken you on.
All the sports has helped you play.
Think of how your knees bend to cushion your landings.
They bear the load that life packs on you.
Think of how your thighs help you stand strong and in the face of turmoil keep you steady.
Now bend and straighten each one of your legs and appreciate them.
Take this moment and give them thanks.
On the next in breath take that breath all the way into your hips and groin.
So much goes on here doesn't it?
No blushing now.
Think of all the things that can bring us pleasure and relief that reside in this area.
We'll come back to that but for now I want you to feel what is going on in this area at this present moment right now.
What can you feel?
If you're sitting or lying on the ground,
Either parts of your bum that are touching the surface of either the ground or the seat you're in,
Do your hips feel tight?
Is there any tingling?
I want you to feel your buttocks,
Your genitals,
Your womb,
Your testicles,
Your whatever you want to call it.
These are yours.
I want you to embrace how they feel right now.
Tingles,
Warmth,
Pressure.
So much shame can be attached to this part of the body but that's so unnecessary.
I want you to experience this part of your body that literally holds the gift of life in it.
Now let's think about its ability to relieve you,
To comfort you and to seat you.
Take this moment just to think of all the ways you've used this part of your body.
All the joy and pleasure this part of the body has given you.
Think about how this is the original source of the chakras.
The part that can root us down and from which so much can flower.
Think about how incredibly complex and wonderful this part of you is.
Now thank it and appreciate it.
Your next breath goes into your torso.
Excluding from your waist to the base of your neck.
Excluding your arms.
Inhale deep to fill up this space.
There's a lot of it.
Now connect to the movement that comes with this breath.
Note how your breath moves in,
Your abdomen moves out.
But also notice how your lower back and your ribs also expand.
Now can you notice the same on the exhale?
Noticing how your abdomen,
Your lower back and your ribs now condense towards the middle.
See if you can exaggerate this movement on the next few breaths.
As you're doing this,
Think of all the organs that work in this area.
Now this isn't a biology quiz so I'm going to help you out.
Think about your stomach giving you nutrients from the food you eat through an absolutely mind-blowing process of biology using acid.
What the hell?
Think of how it turns food into energy that allows you to move throughout your day.
Think about your lungs literally pulling oxygen into your blood.
And then think of your heart as it beats right now transporting blood through your body through crazy networks of veins and arteries allowing you to generate warmth and stay alive.
And here's the really crazy thing,
All of this happens without you having to do a thing.
Your body is literally incredible.
So give thanks to your torso for the energy you get through the day,
For the laughs you can share with your friends and for the love you can experience through your heart.
I want you to take your next inhale into your arms and hands.
Can you feel the weight of your arms pulling down on your shoulders?
Can you feel them just relaxing and dangling?
Imagine each breath you take filling those arms and hands and making them even heavier.
As you do so we're going to think about how important these appendages are.
But first I want you to feel just how they are right now.
How they feel right now.
Now I want you to think of the ability to pick up items,
To play instruments,
To type,
To greet someone with a handshake or a hug,
The ability to hold hands with those you love or even stroke that pets you adore.
Imagine your hands doing each one of these things and relive what it is to feel those things.
Your arms and hands let you interact with the world,
To reach out for help and to hold those that are reaching out themselves.
So many good reasons to thank these powerful arms and hands.
So on your next breath extend your gratitude to these arms and hands.
Lastly I want you to breath in to your neck and head.
Imagine your breath filling up this area like a balloon.
As you do so can you bring awareness to this part of your body?
Really small bits of introception I'm looking for here.
See if you can feel the tiny or not so tiny hairs on your face if you have a beard like me.
See if you can feel the long or short hair on your head.
What about the air on your nostrils going in and out?
Have you ever noticed what it feels like to have your lips closed?
How the bottom and top lip touch each other?
For that same matter have you ever paid attention to what it feels like to have your eyes closed?
Now think of all the wonders of this relatively small part of your body.
Think about how your eyes are able to see the beauty of the world.
Think of your favorite movie,
Your favorite painting,
Or maybe your favorite person.
Think of how your eyes allow you to take in the information.
Then think about how your ears allow you to hear the symphony of life.
The birds in the distance,
Your favorite music,
Or even your cat parrot.
Think about your nose and how it smells your favorite meal and how your mouth is able to taste it.
And of course think about how you are thinking with that incredible organ that is your brain.
The part of you that allows you to time travel to memories,
Predict futures,
Or just to sit and feel your experience right now.
Your head is truly a marvelous part of your body.
So thank this part of your body now and for all the wonders it can do.
With this new found appreciation of your entire body I am reminded of what Regina Spector says that you have a perfect body but sometimes you forget.
You have a perfect body because your eyebrows catch your sweat.
Your body is so much more than how it looks.
It is the vehicle for your soul and what a vehicle it is.
It may be temporary but it is all the more reason to express it and love it and embrace it.
There is no ideal size or weight.
There is you and how you feel right now.
Your loved ones and friends don't love you because of your size and shape.
They love you because of this part in you that you feel right now.
The part that exists with your eyes closed.
This part that is deep within.
Love your body for all it is,
For all it can do right now.
Don't wait until the mirror tells you you can.
Namaste doesn't mean the six pack in me sees the six pack on you.
It means the highest part of me reflects the highest part in you.
Your body,
Even if you are Adonis himself,
Would not be the most impressive part of you and it never should be.
Suspend your energy on things that matter.
How you treat yourself and how you treat others.
Namaste.
