Our bodies are made to be worshipped, but we despise them.
Our bodies are gifts, but we reject them.
Our bodies are the powerhouses of all creation, but we burn them to the ground.
Our bodies are temples where our souls reside, but we criticize them, mock them, and poison them.
Our bodies are made perfectly, precisely, and beautifully, but we deprive them and abuse them. We either deny their needs or indulge in things that ultimately destroy them. We tell them they aren’t good enough, strong enough, or attractive enough a thousand times a day in a thousand different ways.
And then we are shocked when they stop working when they complain when they need
attention and care.
Alarmed by this vulnerability, we race to find solutions. We search for experts, for pills, for gadgets. If we just had that one adjustment, that one stretch, or that one needle in the right spot. We look at the body like a car in need of a mechanic. Or sometimes like a zealot looking for a miracle. A better metaphor is that our body and soul are engaged in a dance, and you my friend, have not been listening to the music.
Why do we search so hard for solutions outside of ourselves when it is our own body that is yelling for attention? Perhaps if we listened to it, we may find the answer. Of course, there is a time for experts, for guides, for surgeons, for pills. These things can be useful. But don’t forget the wisest and most important guide on this wonderful planet - yourself.
If you find yourself stuck on your healing journey, sit with yourself. Ask your body what it needs. You may be surprised to hear that your body needs a nap, a good laugh, or a conversation with a friend. Maybe you need to take a walk, spend time outside, or lift some heavy weights just to show yourself that you can.
Once you start listening and meeting those needs, your body may begin to trust you a little bit more. Now when you sit with yourself and ask your body what you need, the answers may become more profound. Maybe you need to heal the grief you’ve been carrying for years. Maybe you need to speak the truth of your story you never knew how to express. Maybe you need to admit that you can’t put down the thing you’ve been using to numb and distract yourself all this time.
Or maybe you simply need to stop… breathe…and allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. Know that you are safe to feel this. Let whatever comes wash over you as if you were sitting in the cool water of a mountain stream. Water passes through you and over you. Let this happen as long as you need. Then watch the water fall from you and continue down the stream. Let the sun warm your heart as you feel your body and know that you are perfectly, precisely, and beautifully made.