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Guest post by Bonnie Hutchinson
Author of Transitions: Pathways to the Life and World Your Soul Desires
www.BonnieHutchinson.com
In our quest for a healthy life, being mindful of our diet is an important part of the journey. Besides the obvious nutritional benefits, a healthy diet is a form of loving ourselves.
Visualizations can help us experience appreciation for our body – another form of loving ourselves. Here’s an example. Feel free to adapt so it’s right for you.
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Find a quiet private spot where you can go inward for a few minutes. Sit comfortably, with your feet on a solid surface and your hands resting loosely in your lap, palms up. Adjust so your spine is straight but not rigid, relax your shoulders, and open up space for your heart and lungs.
Take a few deep breaths, right down to your abdomen. Hold that in-breath for a few seconds. Breathe out slowly and completely and hold that empty space for a few seconds.
As you continue to breathe in and out, slowly and gently, move your attention to your feet and legs. Think of all the ways your feet and legs support you and help you move. They link you to the earth. They can stand, climb, balance, jump, twirl, trudge, drive, walk. Think of all the places your feet and legs take you in a week. In your mind, say, “Thank you, legs and feet, for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Move your attention to your hands and arms. Think of how many things you pick up in a day. Your hands are major tools in your life. They allow you to hold objects, write, type, play an instrument, catch, throw, use the bathroom, shower, dress, caress. In your mind say, “Thank you, hands and arms, for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Move your attention to your bones, your spine, your skeleton. They provide structure for your entire body. Your joints allow flexibility and motion. They are miracles of engineering. Think of all the postures that your bones allow. In your mind say, “Thank you bones for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Move your attention to your mid-section, from your pelvic area to your shoulders. Think of all the amazing functions performed by your internal organs – breathing, pumping blood to all parts of your body, taking in food and liquids, digesting, experiencing sexual pleasure, releasing waste and toxins that are not useful. Think of the astonishing chemical and neurological processes that make all that possible, without you even having to think about it. In your mind say, “Thank you, organs, for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Move your attention to your neck and head. Think how your throat and mouth allow you to speak and eat; how your face expresses you; how your brain keeps everything in your body running, records all your experiences and imagines possibilities. Your brain is more capable than the most sophisticated computer. In your mind say, “Thank you neck and head, for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Move your attention to your five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Think how amazing it is to smell flowers; taste sweet and sour; see beauty, hear music, feel textures, temperatures, pleasure and pain. Think how your senses bring you information and enjoyment. In your mind say, “Thank you senses, for all that you do and all that you make possible. I appreciate you.”
Finally, consider your entire body from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. In your mind say, “Thank you, body, for all that you do and all that you make possible. Thank you, body, for keeping me alive.” Flood your body with appreciation.
When you feel ready, come out of the experience, refreshed, replenished, appreciating your body and ready for whatever comes next.
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To reinforce the positive energy of this visualization, you could also write on a card, “THANK YOU, BODY, FOR KEEPING ME ALIVE,” and post the card where you will see it often.
If you’d like to learn more about Bonnie, please visit www.BonnieHutchinson.com/excerpt for a complimentary chapter excerpt from her book Transitions: Pathways to the Life and World Your Soul Desires (available on Amazon).