Are You Giving Thanks to Your Body?
Originally posted Nov 26, 2014
It’s Thanksgiving in the US!
As a Canadian, I already got to celebrate our day of gratitude and time with friends and family, so this Thursday is really just like any other day.
Except my Facebook feed is lighting up from all of my American friends celebrating, and I want to take a moment to be thankful too.
So if you’re a fellow Canadian headed to work on an ordinary Thursday or if you are American and you are reading this between helpings of turkey and pie,
I want to invite you to take the time to give gratitude to your body today.
In times of celebration, our default for thanks always goes to everything that is outside of us. We are thankful for our friends, family, the love that we receive and the time that we spend with one another. Our mind will also go to being thankful for the job that we have or the money we make so that we can partake in life’s adventures. This is all good stuff.
But, being thankful for the body that you have right now, in her current form may not be at the top of your list. She deserves some appreciation.
Even if you want to change every single thing about her, which I really hope isn’t the case, take a moment, and thank her for how she takes care of you, and try to stay with the thought before moving on to the cleanse you are starting at midnight to negate the second helping of stuffing.
REALLY THANK HER! Like you mean it.
She breathes, takes in food, moves, holds your babies, loves your partner, she does it all.
Place your hands on your belly and your heart and take a deep breath.
Say out loud, Thank you for taking care of me.
If your rolling your eyes right now, and saying to yourself, yeah, but I would love her more if my belly wasn't covered in stretch marks or my thighs weren't so lumpy. That’s okay, acknowledge where you want to create change or maybe allow for some acceptance to come in, (because unfortunately stretch marks are here to stay, I know all too well on that one).
And then say Thank you.
In order to successfully move forward with goals and transforming patterns of behaviour around our bodies, we must be thankful for where we are RIGHT NOW.
The shape and size that you are has and is serving a purpose, whether that's to grow a beautiful baby and nurse them. Or you have been logging in long hours to get your business off the ground and food and movement have taken a back seat.
Whatever the reason, it’s okay, Thank her for taking that on, and then open the dialogue between yourself and your body about where you want to go.
Ask yourself, Do you wish to take better care of her?
If the answer is yes, awesome, don’t wait for January 1st to start.
Dive deep into what taking care of your body really means. The answer could be a 10-day cleanse followed by a crazy yoga challenge; or it could mean that you go for a massage or acupuncture appointment every two weeks and start each day with a green smoothie.
Mine is a weekly acupuncture session, a drink that is green every day and a daily breath practice on my reformer, and my goals are to get my splits back and be able to do these crazy spider man push-ups that my trainer does.
Only you know, trust how your body wishes to be cared for.
One of my favourite reminders by Sarah Jenks is “We take care of the things we love”
There is no exception when it comes to our body
So rather than coming at this from a place of hate or dread or whatever usually comes up where your body is involved, start with love and see how she supports you.
XO Ashley