I have spent most of my life coming to terms with the body that I live in. I can safely say that for the majority of my years, I have loathed the vessel. Too fat, too short, hair too wiry, too many veins showing on my legs, you name it, I have probably thought it about my body. In my today, I am slowly, but surely, coming to a peaceful existence with this body that my spirit inhabits, its quirks and details and all of the little, and big, parts that are uniquely mine. It is a beautiful work of art that I am in the process of gaining appreciation for.
What I am also learning to do, besides embrace my body, is to listen to the language of my body. Not so much about what my body language says to others, but rather what my body speaks to me about what is going on. You see, my relationship with my body and my spirit is reciprocal in nature; what affects my mind and spirit directly influences my body, and what invades or affects my physical being influences my thoughts, my soul, my heart.
When I am physically ill, I am now paying attention to that. I am infamous for ignoring symptoms, taking care of the needs of all of those around me, and leaving my needs to long last, sometimes to my own serious detriment. I am now listening to those physical cues: a headache, stomach ache, dizziness, and even though they do not occur often, I tune into them to take care of any physical need that may be going on. What I am also learning though, is that at times, those physical symptoms are a physical exemplification of what is going on in my head, in my heart: I am thinking anxious thoughts about money; I am nervous about a work event; I am missing my partner and my daughter; I feel sad about a circumstance. When I really tune into my body, I feel the tension in my belly, the stiffness of my neck.............it is then that I know that I need to calm my thoughts and get back to a peaceful center.
My body is so precise and amazing it what it holds in terms of knowledge; it possesses my vibrant, beating heart, to keep me going for yet another set of beautiful days; it keeps my limbs strong and flexible, so that I can build and cook and create and work and play; it keeps safe my brain so that I can continue to learn and experience and explore. So, who am I to NOT trust that it knows what it is doing? It is the storage unit for all that has occurred in my life, past and present. It has an exact memory. It is resilient and flexible and accomodating.
It is my friend, not my enemy.
I am going to give my body a great big hug!
About Me
- Vanessa Leigh
- I am 45 years old, live in northeastern Pennsylvania. I have been out as a lesbian for the past twenty or so years, but more so in the last ten. I live in the country, with my partner of several years, and our daughter. We have an old fixer upper and an acre of land, apple trees and blueberries. We have five cats, a dog, guinea pig and angel fish. I am a seeker of knowledge and understanding about life, love, and myself. I enjoy meeting new people, helping others, and learning and teaching. I love to see new places and hope to travel to Europe at some point in my future. I fully believe in the capacity and ability to change the world for the better, and to share love of humankind with as many others as I can in my lifetime. Blogging has become one of my favorite pasttimes, whether posting on my own, or reading and commenting on other blogs. I am always encouraged and hopeful when I read words written by another person, that seem to speak directly to my soul. My ultimate life's goal is to travel around the country speaking about LGBT equality, and writing a book.
5 comments:
What you say is so so true, so often, more than often actually I ignore what my body is telling me (quite possibly out of stubbornness).
It is only recently that I am now paying attention and trying to work out what it is saying. My body also reacts to my emotions in similar ways to yours, I used to always say that is how I knew that I was upset.
This post of yours is one of my favourites, its inspiring and beautifully written, thank you my friend for sharing it :D Hugs & Mwah!
So glad that it fits; it is only recently that I can even talk openly about the aversion I have had to my body for so many years; now, I feel free because I am speaking from an open heart, and the judgment is melting away.
So glad to have you around!!! Hugs, V.
Am so so proud of you, I know exactly what you are talking about as you know. To get where you are now was not an easy road to take, why should we judge the only true thing we have, it was a gift to us after all :D Glad to have you around as well, you bring sunshine to night times *hugs*
Tons of hugs........ :)
Love this post!!
I am still trying to make peace with my body, but I'm getting better at it.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
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