Loving Your Body: How to Increase Body Awareness for Your Health and Well-being
There’s a direct connection between body awareness – how and what we think about our bodies – and our health and wellbeing. In my work, it’s rare to find someone who actually loves their body.
Often we forget about our bodies when things are running well and we feel good. We go through each day on autopilot, paying little to no attention to what our bodies do for us. Once we feel ill or have an injury to our body, that’s when we tend to focus on the body – and usually in a less than positive manner.
Wherever you are today, I invite you to practice body awareness to get to know your body on a deeper level. It’s alive, and all the thoughts you have about it are registered within. If we think that our thighs are too big, then that energy gets transmitted to that part of our body. If we think that our circulatory system is amazing, then that gets transmitted to our body.
When was the last time you brought awareness to your right arm? Left hip? Intestines? Liver? All of these body parts work hard for you and want and deserve attention. Just think if your partner ignored you all the time. That’s kind of what it’s like when you don’t pay attention to your body. It feels left out.
Each day I invite you to say, “Hello!” to your body. Check in with your body to see what kind of nutrition it wants. More protein? Greens? Gluten free? More water? Check in to see if it needs more rest, exercise, love or appreciation.
If you acknowledge your body and give it the fuel that helps it to work at a high level, this will translate to overall better health and wellbeing.
For a moment today I invite you to send love to your body; just for a moment love all of your body. Put aside any thoughts you have about your body not being good, right or enough. Put aside those comments you may tell yourself like, “My legs are too big,” “I want a flat stomach,” “I hate my (fill in the blank).” Can you send love to these parts of your body? Can you just for a moment accept your body just the way it is?
Oftentimes, checking in with your body awareness can produce what I like to call “aha” moments — moments when a sudden flash of insight arrives. As you pay more attention to your body, perhaps you’ll notice that you get a slight headache when you eat soy or your stomach hurts when you eat dairy. Perhaps you’ll notice that you get a migraine after interacting with a certain person or that your eye twitches when you enter a particular store. The list is endless. I encourage you to start this important dialogue between you and your body.
Coming to peace with your body through body awareness practices can make a huge difference in your life. Sending love and appreciation to all that your body does for you can raise your vibration and help your overall health and wellbeing.
In the comments below, share how you like to connect with your body.
If you’d like more support in increasing your body awareness during your fertility & motherhood journey, schedule a spirit baby reading.