At home in my body - repost from another time

The more I feel, the more I experience my body.

The more I love in my body, the more my body relaxes.

The more my body relaxes, the more peaceful I become.

The more peaceful I become, the more satisfaction I experience.

I feel content, complete, at home in my body and with Mother Earth.

 

That's the conclusion, but presented at the beginning, that way I know it's covered.

 

I've been working on clearing my space, my mind and my home.  I'm opening to the next great adventure, getting ready to dance off into the horizon.  I haven't got a clue.  I had a plan, loosely formed though it was, to get it together starting today.  Things change, often.  So, my list is still posted with only one thing completed.  No regrets.  I enjoyed a long full day with my sweetie, Desiree.  Every now and then when the restlessness would overtake her we sat out in the sunlight and watched traffic.  I like gentleness in life, in my life.  In the quiet, during her naps, I sorted and cleaned and thought about how very much I love her, love being here for her, and began to question where the rest of love has gone.  How do we come here, intermingle with one another and yet walk away allowing our connection to whither?

 

It's different this time, the reaching out.  Without attachment to the outcome, I can call or respond without expectation.  Since it is the thought that counts, best we begin to identify what we are thinking.  What is our intention?  What are we expecting from this particular action?  Have we planned a response?  Are we willing to sit with what is?

 

The more I feel, the more I experience my body.  Are we ready to feel, to be alive?  Will we allow our feelings to manifest in our being?

The more I love my body, the more my body relaxes.  Love is letting go.  Are we willing to exhale into release?

The more my body relaxes, the more peaceful I become.  We must become the peace we seek.

The more peaceful I feel, the more satisfaction I experience.  When we are open, we are receptive.  Holding on blocks good from our lives.

I feel content, complete, at home in my body and with Mother Earth.  We love ourselves, and this, by choice.  All the finagling to harness another in relationship is worthless until we find Love for ourselves, with ourselves, in ourselves. 

 

As we love ourselves, love is extended to all those around.

 

For me, it might sound cliche, but beauty for me really does start on the inside. It's like a state of mind, a state of love if you will. Then, whatever you can do on the outside is all like a bonus.
Queen Latifah

 

Be in Peace.  Be in Love.

100 Ways to Love Your Body

Along the path of a healthier, happier, more interesting me, I am focusing this piece on loving my body and supporting others in loving theirs.  Here's a short list to help you get started. 

·         Listen to your body

We tend to get so busy moving through the day, we neglect our bodies.  We drink stimulants to wake or perk up, then depressants to wind down.  When we have body aches we take a pill to keep going, ignoring the need for rest and recuperation. As we listen and attend the voice of our bodies, our natural instincts will awaken and we will have the choice to honor ourselves more lovingly.

·         Appreciate your body

Take a moment to honor all that your body does – the power to transport “you” from here to there and back again.  Look in the mirror and touch all those lovely parts and places.  Even if you feel the need to change some aspect of your physical self, that change comes after acceptance of all that is, and the vision of what can be.  Massage love into the all of how you show up today. 

·         Positive Body Talk

Smile and greet your reflection with an affirmative and loving voice.  Offer your body words of joy and wonder rather than the popular tones of doubt and self-denigration.  Look longingly at the gift you have received and co-created and know that it is good. 

·         Feed your body healthy foods

The practice of temperance allows for the infusion of the bounty that nature offers.  Be thoughtful about what and how much you ingest.  Let choices, rather than denial, govern your decisions.  Know that what you put in feeds the all of you – mind, body and spirit. 

·         Move your body

We know that things left to sit become less flexible.  Energize the all of you with thoughtful movement – dance, play, walking, stretching, reaching, lifting, opening and expanding. Find what delights your body and do that.  Notice the sensations that awaken and honor those.  Free your mind from the fear of discomfort and cross your boundaries. 

·         Feed your body from the inside out

Our skin functions as protection, sensation, absorption, and storage and synthesis, among other duties.  As such, it deserves the very best we can offer.  Coating the skin with nutrient poor substances that clog and block the pores and cells defeats health at a basic level.  Imagine only applying to the outside what you would offer to the inside.  Using oils, lotions, balms and butters made from cold-pressed oils and eatable ingredients will support a healthy glow as well as internal nourishment.

·         Give your body sensuous touch

Get a massage.  Soak in a bath.  Linger in the shower.  Use your hands to apply soap, lotions and oils, lingering over sensitive areas and allowing gentle response time.  Learn how and what touch you appreciate.  When the time comes, you can share that information as an expert.

·         Cover your body in luxurious clothing

Dress your skin in luxury, whatever you deem that to be.  Be creative.  Find cottons, silks, linens, wools, or sky.  Drink in the joy of what touches your skin.

·         Breathe deeply

            Learn to exhale.  The inhale will take care of itself.

      Exhale with the intention of letting go.  Inhale drawing both breath and blessing into your body.  Exhale the expended, useless, toxins ready to be released.  Inhale the joy of life, for life is in the breath.  Fill the lungs.  Hold for a beat or two, and then let it all go.  Let the exhale be twice the length of your inhale.  Drop the shoulder and feel the difference.

·         Relax more

Find the moments that delight you and bring more of them into your life.  As you stand, sit or lie down, feel the support of the foundation beneath you and know you are fully supported – by the earth, the chair, or the bed/floor.  Allow your body to rest upon the platform that holds you and fully be there.  Be present.

·         Sleep longer, deeper, more peacefully

How can you live more lovingly in the only body you have?  What will have to shift for you to honor the vehicle that transports you through the day, and your life?  How does your perception shift as you reach for love and commit to giving that love to yourself?  Here's another opportunity to expand self-discovery and find a whole new world.

Let the Love Light in!

Namaste