Learning To Trust My Body
Three years ago I had a really profound weekend at a weekend Yoga Training. It started with one of the teachers challenging us with this question “How can I treat, think and talk about my body in a negative way and then expect it to do amazing things when I ask?"
My brain exploded. I’m sure I had heard this before and probably even asked myself this question, but it seemed like a totally new concept at the time and it blew my mind. Mostly because I realized this is definitely something I needed to reflect on more.
The day this quote popped up as a memory on Facebook, I had just written in my journal about how I felt like I couldn’t trust my body. I woke up thinking about this because I just went through a month of waking up each day wondering how I’d feel. Would my back hurt? Would my allergies be bothering me? What strange stomach issue is going to happen today. Once you get into this mindset it becomes a habit and before you know it you are focused on all the “bad” stuff our bodies are doing (or good stuff they aren’t) and it can spiral from there.
Now, I know I’m a yoga and dance instructor and it’s expected that I have a great relationship with my mind and body, but the reason I focus so much on physical and mental health is because I HAVE TO. Isn’t that how most people become so passionate about topics? It doesn’t come easy to me and never has. I have to work hard to maintain mobility and strength and I’m always working on my mental health to find ways to reduce my anxiety, which is sometimes crippling. I feel like there is always something going on with me healthwise and I have to constantly stay on top of it. I think this is one reason I’m obsessed with anatomy, movement and breath. These are the tools that continue to help me the most.
Anyways…I started thinking about this the other day and then it dawned on me…what if my body cant trust me either? I mean…I want to KNOW that I’ll feel great when I wake up each day, that I’ll have the energy I need, that my mental health will be steady and calm. I’m expecting SO much consistency out of my body, but am I offering it consistency for what IT needs?
The answer is a big ole nope.
Well, trust goes both ways, right?
According to Webster Dictionary - Trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
So what is it my body needs to be assured of in order to do the job I want it to do? Well, these are the things I’ve been exploring. As I mentioned last week, my body loves Abhyanga (oil massage) and responds SO well on an Vata Ayurvedic diet and adaptogens. I’ve also been starting my journaling session each day with something specific about myself that I am grateful for.
This week I want to challenge you by asking, “What is one thing you can consistently do this week to win some trust with your body?” On Friday, take a moment to reflect on how your body responded. Let’s chat about it in our Facebook group next week!