Talking About Bodies

One of the things parents often aren't aware of, is how they teach their kids about being in and with a body, by how they react to their own bodies. Ever notice how your children are constantly in tune to you and how you respond to life and its situations? Do they see you honor and be grateful for your body? Or do they see that you are never happy with how you look, how you feel, how you move? Do they see you frustrated with your body? 

What if you could be different with and in your body that would not only create more ease and joy for you but would also be an example to your children of how they can be in their bodies. As a matter of fact, what if you looked to your children for some ideal clues of how to be with and in your body with joy, not judgment or complaint? 

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Kids don't judge their bodies. They move with the ease and joy of living and being in this physical presence. Just watch them. They fall, they get back up, they don't complain and call their bodies "stupid" or "in the way." How many toddlers have cute little Buddha bellies that never seem to be a hindrance to them, physically or emotionally. 

It isn't until they start to watch how adults are with their bodies, that kids begin to take on mimicking those around them. They would never think to judge a difference in someone, until it is pointed out or brought to their attention. All adults can learn that this type of innocence is priceless and worth returning to. 

Imagine going through a day without judging your body, comparing it, feeling disgusted or frustrated. Imagine bathing your body in gratitude for all it allows you to experience in this world. How much gratitude can you have for your body? 

What if you acknowledged that your body is a reflection of the choices that you make, the beliefs that you carry and the conclusions that you have bought from other people. When your body isn't reflecting what you would like it to be, ask what it requires you to be and do to create the change that you would like to have. Your body knows what it needs, when it needs it and how much. What if you started to ask it and be open to listen to what it says? 

Most of us haven't been taught to listen to our bodies, let alone to talk to them. A good place to start might be to write a letter to your body. If your body were your best friend, what would it be thinking? If you haven't treated your body with respect, honor, gratitude, trust and allowance, it may be feeling a bit left out and abandoned. Writing a letter to your body, will allow you to express your apology, your appreciation and your desire to reconnect. From this place you have begun to establish a connection. You might even find that you want to write more often to your body, just as a way of staying connected when you sense that your brain is taking over. Remove all judgments you have about how you have been with your body, how your body has been with you and start with a clean slate. You might be surprised with what the two of you create together, not separate. 

As you improve your relationship with your body, your kids will see a loving and caring way to be with their bodies. As you share with your children, the importance of allowing your body to "do the talking" when it comes to food, movement, clothing, and self beauty, they will connect to what is true for their body and will learn the value of listening to it. 

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