Discover a new way to relate to your body

Many of us are missing out on a rich, loving, and fulfilling relationship with our body.

We have learnt to think about our bodies only in terms of what they look like.

And no wonder. Our bodies are repeatedly told to step in line with a socially accepted image. There are a series of rules that try to dictate the width of our hips, size of our muscles, and the colour of our hair.

We’re bombarded with images that tell us the most important thing about our body is the way it looks.

Our bodies have so much more to offer us, but only if we can shift our focus. Part of healing our relationship around our body image is about honouring the multi-faceted being it is. We don’t usually fall in love with someone just based on what they look like, and the same is true for our relationship with our body.

Our bodies are a powerhouse of wisdom and pleasure.
We get gut instincts that signal to us the next best step in our life. We get insights into a whole range of feelings because of how our body behaves. Clarissa Pinkola Estes puts it beautifully: “The body is a multilingual being. It speaks through its color and its temperature, the flush of recognition, the glow of love, the ash of pain, the heat of arousal, the coldness of nonconviction. It speaks through its constant tiny dance, sometimes swaying, sometimes a-jitter, sometimes trembling.”

We also shouldn’t forget all the different kinds of pleasure we receive through our bodies. The taste of a pear, touching the softness of a rose, the satisfaction of a good stretch.

In order to tap into this bodily intelligence, and to experience more pleasure we need to move our attention away from our churning thoughts (although they are often thought of as much more worthy of our attention), and bring some of our consciousness to our bodies.

Feel into your body, and let it suggest to you your next meal, or guide you on your next move in your personal or professional life. Ask it what it needs from you to feel loved and supported.

Have a two way conversation.

Listen to its song.

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