I began a journey to befriend my body a couple of years ago. For years I had pushed, prodded, neglected, abused and ignored my body. Until it declared defeat and gave up. I have a tendency to live in my head. Of course, the more I live in my head the fainter my awareness for my body becomes. So when things started to shut down, I pushed harder, thinking and believing I could makemy body do what I wanted it to do.
But my body is much wiser than my thoughts could ever be. What I didn’t realize was that when my body was tired, all of me needed rest; when my body hurt, all of me needed time to heal; and when my body yearned for something, all of me yearned for it. It took complete depletion for me to understand. Now I know and embrace that taking care of my body not only has direct consequences on my physical wellness but also on my emotional, mental and spiritual wellness too.
So I began my journey to befriend my body with a modest intention - to do something each day to care for myself. Not something forceful or harsh. Instead, something that fuels and nourishes my body, as well as my mind and spirit.
I found this to be surprisingly challenging at first. I questioned whether small acts were enough. I questioned if I was doing the right thing or doing things right. I felt inadequate when I couldn’t muster up the energy or motivation for conventional measures. It all seemed to defeat the purpose of my intention.
So I made a decision – to accept where I was, listen to my body, honor what I heard and approach all of it with gratitude and love.
Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Our practice is to live our daily life in such a way that every moment, every act becomes an act of love.” That’s what I want for myself and that’s what I want for you if it’s your desire. So I’ve decided to share my daily acts of befriending my body – my acts of self-care, ways of relating to my body, and my new approach to my health and wellness.
My hope in sharing “My Daily Acts” is that you may be inspired to start befriending your body too; that in befriending your body, you might inspire someone else to be kinder and gentler to their body; and so on. Maybe it will spark an idea, a nugget of inspiration, or a thought of gratitude within you.
What I now know in my head and know in my heart is that every act of self-care, whether big or small, counts.
It is enough. It is right. It is love.
How You Can Participate in “My Daily Act”:
1. Connect with me and share your daily acts, thoughts, and comments on:
www.BefriendingYourBody.com
www.facebook.com/BefriendingYourBody
www.twitter.com/kelliehall
2. Twitter – Tweet your daily acts using #MyDailyAct
3. Instagram – Tag your photos with #MyDailyAct
4. Flickr – Tag your photos with “MyDailyAct”