Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Invest your unconditional love wisely for once. Love your body right now. Hello and welcome to your sanity library where I aim to accompany you on your journey to yourself. All the details about the projects are in the description if you want to see the whole picture and we can dive right in. This week's practices to smoothen your journey to happiness will be about your body. First of all, what was your first first thought when I mentioned your body? Just ponder about it a little bit before we start. My goal for this week is for you to love your body exactly as it is at this moment. The first one minute practice for this week, think about five things that your body has done for you. You can start by admitting that it indeed got you this far. It might not have been been the super smooth journey and you might have felt that your body failed you at times. But are you here or not? Did your body give up on you and dropped your soul somewhere? Nope. So here is one thing to thank your body for in my particular case. I like to walk and enjoy the scenery, the smells, especially in autumn, the sound of birds and leaves in the wind. A little unoriginal perhaps, but where would I be without my legs and feet and eyes and ears and nose, notwithstanding the sense of touch that allows me to hug and cuddle my kids, who by the way, were magically created by yes indeed, my body. Is my body perfect? It's not. But do we have to wait for something or somebody to be perfect in order to give it affection? I hope not. Because if we wait for people and things to be perfect to love them, we may end up loving nothing and nobody, which would be indeed very sad. It's good to know that once you learn to love your body the way it is right now, you will be much more naturally inclined to do what's best for it. And also you will know and feel what it is. What is best for it. Maybe it is the six pack that you've been striving for the last couple of years and maybe in fact it is rather more time outside or adding a carrot to your diet. So what is the favorite thing that your body allows you to enjoy? Well, yeah, okay, that too, why not? But let me know in the comments. Another five things that your body lets you enjoy and more importantly, say thanks to your body every day. Well done mate. High five. High high five. And we will continue with a little reflection on how much we are influenced by the society when it comes to our body image. I thought I was not influenced at all until one sunny day I realized that if I lived in the times of Baroque, people would be painting awesome or less awesome nudes of me and my girlfriends at that time called acts. Don't get me wrong, I am all for taking good care of your body, feeding in the right stuff, providing it with the necessary exercise and so on. But does it really have to include six packs, zero body fat and anxiety? So make sure that you invest some time to contemplate why it is that you want to lose weight, for example, or gain weight. If this is the case for you, is it because you want to look a certain way? Because of what or because of who? It's very important to do what is right for you, which is very likely different to what is right for me or your best mate, or for that rigged guy whose job it is to sell you his dieting program. You will get to a point where you will know what is important for you without hesitation. No worries, just keep going. Which brings me to another reflection. Do you believe in unity of body, spirit and mind? That they are interconnected and inseparable? That your body reacts to your thoughts way more than you imagine? If you are skeptical, try this little exercise with me. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Thank you. And now picture a two year old child having the time of their life on a sunny day, zooming down a gentle slope on a balanced bike, laughing and giggling, with birds singing in the background. You're walking behind. Soak it all in. This feels nice, right? Then in a split second, you notice a truck heading toward the child's path. And you realize there is no way to stop it in time. Alright, that's enough. Sorry. Open your eyes. First of all, sorry, but isn't your imagination pretty powerful?
[00:04:58] And secondly, did you feel something in your body? Maybe a tightening in your stomach or a sudden rush of anxiety? If you didn't, no worries. It might just take a bit of practice noticing these reactions. Don't beat yourself up and get back to the attention exercises. But if you did feel it, I, for example, was crying like a baby and I felt sick to my stomach. So if you felt something, that's your body's reaction to a story. You were just imagining it, it wasn't even real and your body reacted anyway. So that's the reminder that our body and mind are more connected than we often think. Last exercise of this week. Dedicate your minute or more, of course, to explore your senses. Let's start with vision, because we use that one a lot and still we miss so much beauty. Did you notice the drops of rain in the grass in the morning. How beautiful and simple apple can be. Oh, little hands hugging a parent's neck. Snails. Well, maybe snails are not the best example, but up to you what you find beautiful. Again, observe and embrace your likes and dislikes. This is why we are here. Then there are also other senses as you are aware, which are all so important, but we are so deep in more important things that we take them for granted. Try imagining a life with without a sense of touch. You would not be able if you are standing firmly on the ground or floating, or if you are sitting on a hedgehog until you would bleed out and you would not be able to feel hugs and kisses and nothing. So give your full attention next time you are touching something. Is it warm? Is it cold? Is it smooth, wet, dry? Touch your skin and pay attention to how it feels. This is one of many ways how to get in tune with your body, be befriended and be one again. Also, of course listen to the sounds that you usually ignore. The song of the wind playing in the trees, the fizz of bubbles in your drink, the sound of your palms rubbing against each other. I don't know if you can hear this, but this is the sound that I like to concentrate on when I need some grounding. I have left Taste and smell for the end because whether you are more of a coffee or tea person, there is one great exercise you can do really every day and fit it nicely into your routine. Smell your favorite beverage deeply before having the first sip and then leave it in your mouth for a bit longer and really smell and taste it like so.
[00:07:44] Be there with it. Do not just pour it down, burning your taste buds in the process. Let me know in the comments what what do you think I have here if anything? That's all for this week. Keep practicing in the way and pace that suits you the most. With time you will see that giving your body attention will not only unify you as you are meant to be, but also sort of make the good times feel longer. Remember to be kind to yourself, to your body, to others, and to me in the comments when you are letting me know what you think. I am also cutting this video in shorts that will be posted daily as a little reminder of your practices. Thanks for watching and subscribe.
