Shift from a “fix-it” mentality to more kindness and acceptance with these ways to get back in touch with your body.
One thing I’ve noticed lately in my classes and retreats is that people are struggling – not just with their minds during meditation, but their bodies. This is a conflicting relationship.
Mindfulness teaches us to continue to come back to the present moment as we experience it in the body, much like the breath in the mindfulness of breathing meditation. It is good to remember that the body is always in the present moment.
In a recent yoga class I attended, the teacher, as she moved us through the poses, used the term “today’s body.” He said no yours The body or even from it The body, however It is today Body I love the unexpected playfulness of this expression. Immediately. It made my body feel more acceptable, less personal, and at the same time connected to the other people in the room and their bodies. We all have a “today body”.
Many of us struggle with our bodies: the way it looks, the way it’s built, the way it “performs,” — or doesn’t. I see that all the time in the classes I teach. “I’m not flexible” or “I’m too fat,” “I’m too old,” “too sick,” “too ugly,” “too clumsy,” “too messy,” “too…”. We’re not doing such a great job with appreciating—or at least accepting—the body.
Let go of the inner critic
When we give up the “I, me, mine” identification with our body, even just for a moment at a time, something miraculous can happen. We can relax. We can make it easy. If the body is not personal, not “mine,” I can release the idea that it’s up to me to change what I don’t like about it. Then my body is not “my fault” and I can release the felt responsibility to fix it for a moment. As soon as I can let it go, I can open up and my body awareness and perception can change significantly.
Butyou might say, the term “today’s body” is too idiosyncratic and commoditizes the body. Don’t we want to try to love our bodies more and be with them more? This The body
Yes, of course. And yes, the idea of ”today’s body” is unusual. Actually that’s the point. Think about it this way: What happens to my experience when I take it personally? If I love my body, it’s not really a problem. But what if I don’t? It can make me feel like a failure, that I can’t change whatever is bothering me in the moment. It can be as simple as not doing forward bends the way others in the class can or as difficult as having a chronic health challenge or simply hating one’s body or parts of the body.
Even if my body hasn’t changed a bit by tomorrow, body sensations and my mood will ebb and flow. They are never exactly the same.
I can take care of “today’s body” with much more gentleness and forgiveness. Or at least I can tolerate it the way it is. And since this is only “today’s body” and not “forever’s body” I can practice for today. I can just practice body awareness for the moment and not worry so much about how it might be tomorrow or next week or what my mind thinks about my “forever body.”
When we use the element of time in our experience, we unlock the fact that perceptions change. The way I feel now may not be the same as how I felt yesterday or how I will feel tomorrow. Maybe not the way I felt 10 minutes ago. Even if my body hasn’t changed a bit by tomorrow, body sensations and my mood will ebb and flow. They are never exactly the same.
As we practice mentally with the idea of today’s body we can see more clearly that everyone has a “today’s body.” We all share it. And it can make us feel more connected to other people around us.
Mindfulness Techniques for Loving Your Body
You can do these practices for “Today’s Body” sitting or lying down comfortably or as part of your regular meditation. These methods can greatly change the way you experience your body and even lead to serious body love. Try it!
- Awareness: This is “today’s body.” Feel in the body as it is now. What is that?
- Illustration: Every human has a body (and so does every animal). It feels like having a human body. or male or female body. or gender-fluid bodies.
- Loving Kindness: Use a phrase or two that resonates with you. For example: “May this body be happy and at ease” or “May these legs be happy and at ease”.
- Soft touch: Try to touch the body with compassion, such as placing only one hand on the body part you are exercising. We are hard-wired for supportive touch and often this can receive a message of compassion and support as much as anything else.
Adapted from Kristen Neff’s Mindful Self-Compassion Break
For guided audio of a loving-kindness body scan Visit Christian Wolff’s website.
