Appreciating Your Physical Body

The greatest art form that exists on this planet is the human body - a magnificently structured temple of sacred architecture. Are you grateful for your body? Some people are but most people take this wonderful gift for granted. Many people complain about the shape of their body - I'm too fat, too thin, too short or too tall. They spend a great deal of time in front of the mirror focusing on what they perceive as imperfections of their body rather than focusing on its magnificently balanced perfection. Being grateful for your body and for the multitude of its powerful gifts can make the difference between experiencing wellness or illness in your life.

One of the reasons why some people beat themselves up about certain areas of their bodies is because they are comparing themselves to a fantasy of a magazine cover they think they are supposed to look like. After working with thousands of people, I am convinced that for every part of our body we don't like there is a part we admire. If we are putting ourselves down in one area I can guarantee we are proud of another area. We may not like our thighs, but we admire our eyes. We may not like our thin hair, but we admire our skin. We may not like the shape of our body, but we like the shape of our lips and our smile and so on.

I worked with a supermodel in Canada who I thought was beautiful from head to toe but she didn't think so. She focused on exactly half of her body she didn't like. What's not to like? Well, she thought one of her eyes was off to one side if you looked from a certain angle, her breasts weren't balanced, one of her eyebrows was plucked too much and was too thin, one of her teeth was crooked, or so she thought, her hair was always folding on one side - you get my point. Her body had a balance of things she liked and disliked, and so does everybody else's. We need this unique balance to keep us humble and to keep us growing. If we only had things we liked about ourselves, we would get puffed up, overly proud and alienate ourselves from other people. Have you ever met people who thought they were all that, the people who were marvelous in every area and didn't need to grow or evolve anymore? That's right - you probably wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.

Begin to train yourself in becoming grateful for all parts of your physical body that you currently dislike. Think about your head - How can you be grateful for it? For your hair? Your scalp? Your eyes? Your skin, nose and lips? Ask yourself, ‘How does this serve me?' When you are grateful for all parts of your head, work your way in your mind through your body from head to toe, identifying each and every part inside and outside of you. Keep asking yourself how that part of your body serves you until you are truly grateful for every part of it.

No matter what your physical body looks like, you have things you like and dislike, or even admire and despise, about yourself. Everyone practices the same math of fifty-fifty, right down the middle. Both things you like and dislike are going to serve you in your life and the wisdom is appreciating this balance and being grateful for it. When you do this and take the time to see all parts of your body are serving you in your life to appreciate it for what it is, you empower yourself. Recognize the magnificence of your physical body and find a way to look at it in a new way - with awe and gratitude.