dear body,
A meditation to thank your body for all that it allows you to do and that it does for you + a love letter to my own body
“look down at your body whisper there is no home like you, thank you” - Rupi Kaur
HELLO FRIENDS
Today’s newsletter includes two parts. Listen, read, or do both!
I am on a journey of learning to trust my body. Over the past 8 years, I have had problems within my body that I have yet to receive a diagnosis for. Overtime, I’ve lost trust in my body and its ability to heal. Continuously thinking it will only get worse or my symptoms will never get better. That’s all I focus on, instead of appreciating all the other things my body does to keep me happy and healthy. I am working on reprogramming my mind to trust my body again and I guess this letter to myself is a good place to start.
Dear body,
Thank you to my eyes that let me see all the beauty that surrounds me.
Thank you to my ears that let me listen to all the sounds of nature, people talking and laughing and life happening around me.
Thank you to my nose that allows me to smell coffee in the morning, fresh flowers and rain after a storm.
Thank you to my brain and mind that allow me to think, learn and hold memories. The ability to process, feel and show emotions.
Thank you for to my mouth that gives me the power to speak my thoughts and share stories. For the ability to taste all my favorite foods.
Thank you to my heart for beating within my chest and getting the opportunity to love others and most importantly myself. The heart that beats faster when I am excited, scared, or anxious.
Thank you to my lungs as they work endlessly to help me breathe and provide me with the adequate amount of oxygen.
Thank you to my neck, back, and spine for supporting me and keeping my body whole and moving.
Thank you to my arms and hands for letting me hug and hold the people that I love. For giving me the ability to complete basic everyday activities such as writing, feeding myself, getting dressed, and everything in between.
Thank you to my stomach and all the organs around it that help keep my body functioning. For digesting food, absorbing nutrients, filtering out and releasing what it doesn’t need.
Thank you to my legs and feet for stability and providing a firm foundation as I ground and center myself. For the ability to walk, run, hike, dance and complete all the other activities I love to do.
Thank you to my whole body for allowing me to do the things that I love and for carrying me through this beautiful, wonderful, sometimes sad and heartbreaking, but still absolutely magnificent journey we call life.
So I have a question for you…
What do you do to show your body appreciation??
Write it in a journal, keep it to yourself or if you feel comfortable share it below in the comments.
I got rather emotional recording this meditation, writing this piece and especially writing the letter to my body. I encourage you to write a letter to your own body.
If you enjoyed this newsletter and feel others would enjoy it as well please share!
-Leanna
Thank you, I find these reminders to appreciate my body rather than shame or judge it really helpful and more easily digestible when seen through the lens and permission of someone else.
I've struggled with a disordered relationship with myself - manifesting through a disordered relationship with food/eating, exercise and body image. I find that when I take the time to listen to my body and its sensations, I'm appreciating it. This can show up by feeding it fermented foods, going for a walk, breathing deeply (& doing breathwork), and just pausing and inhabiting my body. Feeling the sun on my skin, my feet on the earth, the rumblings in my stomach, the tension in my forehead and allowing them to be present without changing them.
It takes great strength to embark on a journey of learning to trust one's body. I can't believe I listened to the entire video, its a refreshing feel. Thank you for sharing this intimate and uplifting letter. Wishing you peace and continued strength on your path of healing and self-discovery. Looking forward to more of such posts.