How much does your body do for you?! For Pride month, let's cultivate an appreciation for your amazing body and all the things it allows you to experience!

Listen on Substack | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple

In this episode, I discuss:

• 00:58 - The struggle with body acceptance.
• 02:00 - The trouble with toxic positivity.
• 03:11 - Meditation for body gratitude.

Episode transcript:
"...Today's musings are a little more about gratitude, and moving a little more specifically into body gratitude. This is again, in honor of Pride Month. As I mentioned last week, a lot of us struggle with these things. A lot of us struggle with accepting and loving our bodies. But for folks who are part of a marginalized community, that may be even more difficult. For folks in the queer community, whose gender maybe falls outside the realm of what society tells us is normal, may be very, very difficult.

And so I want to focus today a little bit on loving acceptance of our bodies. And if you find that that maybe creates a little bit of resistance in you, that is just fine. I would invite you to notice that resistance. Notice how it shows up in your body. Notice how it shows up in your breath. And as best you can, continue to move through the meditation, noticing those resistances and then letting them go.

And this practice of gratitude, gratitude meditation, loving acceptance toward our bodies, of course, it is not a cure all. And I want us to take note of the fact that sometimes these gratitude practices can show up a little bit like inauthentic toxic positivity. If we're just all gratitude and love and light all the time, everything will be fine. And my intent is rather to have us spend some intentional time being mindful of the relationships between our minds and our bodies and getting that useful information. And maybe that changes how we act toward ourselves, and maybe sometimes that even changes how we act toward others. But again, it's not the end-all be-all that's going to cure all the ill of the planet.

So I want to dive right into this meditation today. It'll be a bit of a longer practice than I've offered up to this point. And similarly to how I've offered before, I'd like you to really think about what makes the most sense for you to be comfortable in moving through this process.

So if that is stillness for you, maybe you are seated, maybe you are lying down. If you are a mover, maybe you are walking slowly through a familiar space.

And whatever position you are choosing, I'd like you to start by noticing the connection of your body to the surface you are resting on.

Noticing your feet on the earth, or your glutes on your seat, or your back, or wherever you are resting and lying.

Take a moment to scan your surroundings.

And then, if it's comfortable for you, allowing the gaze to lower, the eyes to close.

Take a moment to notice the sense of your natural breath.

Notice the feeling of an inhale, and the feeling of an exhale.

And getting ready to move into a body scan where we add in a little bit of intentional gratitude to various aspects of ourself and the things that they do for us.

And as we move through the body, again, I invite you to notice any resistance, negativity, doubt, guilt.

Allow yourself to feel those very natural feelings.

And then also to notice and feel any spaces where it is easier to cultivate or acknowledge gratitude, or love, or softness, or ease.

Peace.

And I invite you to begin by wiggling your toes, by noticing your feet, and by beginning to cultivate a sense of appreciation for your feet and all that they do for you, all the places they've taken you, maybe allowing you to walk or run or dance, and say to your feet, I am grateful to you, feet.

And then allow that appreciation, that sense of gratitude to flow up through your ankles, your lower legs, knees, thighs, and hips.

Cultivate a sense of deep appreciation for your legs, all the places they have taken you, all of the things they have allowed you to do.

In this moment, are they supporting you in sitting or in walking?

How have they allowed you to move and explore the world?

And say to your legs, I am grateful to you, legs.

Allow that awareness to travel to your hips, your low back, and your whole spine.

Your spine supporting you, strong and stable, holding you up, helping you bend and turn.

All the things that your back does for you has allowed you to experience.

And say to your back, I am grateful to you, back.

I am grateful to you, back.

Allow that sense of appreciation to travel into your belly.

All of these organs inside your belly that work together every day without even a conscious thought from you.

And say to your organs, I am grateful to you.

Thank you.

And allow that awareness to draw up to your heart.

Your heart keeps beating, keeps you going, all day, every day.

I am grateful to you, heart.

Allow that appreciation to travel to your lungs.

Lungs, keep you breathing all day, every day, without any thought or effort from you.

I am grateful to you, lungs.

And allow that awareness to travel up and out to your shoulders, down your arms, wrists, hands, fingers.

Wiggle your fingers, and pause and honor how much your hands and arms do for you each and every day.

To carry, to touch, applaud, hold, squeeze, caress.

And say to your arms and hands, I am grateful to you.

And allow that appreciation to travel back up your arms, into your neck, into your head, and to your face.

Allow that sense of appreciation to settle onto your eyes, and cultivate gratitude for all that your eyes do for you, and allow you to see and appreciate faces, smiles, the beauty of nature, a sunrise, a sunset, your own beautiful self in the mirror.

I am grateful to you, eyes.

And allow that sense of appreciation to settle on your ears.

And think of all the things that your ears allow you to do and to experience.

Hearing the sounds of music, of laughter, of nature and life.

I am grateful to you, ears.

Bring your awareness to your nose.

Cultivate a sense of gratitude to your nose and all that it does for you and allows you to experience the smell of an ocean breeze or flowers, newly cut grass, or maybe your favorite smells wafting from the kitchen.

I am grateful to you, Nose.

Nose.

And then bring your awareness to your lips, to your mouth, to your tongue.

Can you create a sense of gratitude for all they do for you and allow you to experience, to taste, to kiss, to sing, to speak, to whisper, to laugh?

I am grateful to you, Mouth.

Allow awareness to come back to the anchor of your breath.

Notice your inhale.

Notice your exhale.

Notice again the feeling of your body connected to the surface that you're resting on.

If you're seated or lying down, bring some gentle movement back into your body.

Begin to bring your eyes back toward fully open.

And if it's interesting, if it feels helpful, maybe spend some time reflecting on this practice, journaling on this practice.

Notice what was easier, what was more challenging.

If you met resistance, what was that like?

How did it show up?

Where did it show up?

And then maybe also think about how you might like to continue this practice, or how you might like to take a little more body gratitude, body appreciation into your daily life.

I hope you have a most beautiful rest of your day, and I will see you next time..."