Listen.  When I invite people into a conversation about their body, what I mostly get in return is either a completely blank stare or a nice, big recoil.  Basically, we’ve all been trained to see our bodies as separate, as incredibly negative things or objects which need to be controlled, managed, manipulated, stretched, tucked, reduced, enlarged, and basically molded into whatever fad of the moment will make us appear to be acceptable and worthy human beings.  In other words, what we now believe matters more than anything about the body, is how it looks.

An immeasurably ginormous amount of personal and collective energy is right now, this very moment, outpouring into the vast wasteland of “how do I look?”  The most insignificant part of your body - the outside - is where most of you and everyone else around you have learned to focus your undying attention, all the time, almost every minute of every day.

But the outside of your body is only a tiny fraction of the whole of what it really is.  If you were to dig even just a little bit beneath that surface you are constantly trying so hard to whip into shape, you might surprise yourself with what you find. 

Let’s try this.  Take a look at your body from the inside out…  

As it turns out, your body is one of the most miraculous creations ever.  It is rich with the density of muscle tissue which propels you through all the aspects of your life.  Those muscles overlay bones which give you shape and structure and support.  Joints are layered with connective tissue that responds every time you take a step or bend over or breathe.  Your heart beats ceaselessly, reminding you of the rhythm of the cosmos with which you are deeply and forever connected, while at the same time, sending vital life force to every magnificent bit of you.  Your lungs take in and expel life-giving air, allowing you to actually experience yourself here on earth. Through the perfect complexity of your digestive system, you have the ability to efficiently take in nourishment and expel toxins.  And you are, at the foundation, made up of literally billions of cells - each of which has its own, unique and particular purpose which, in the end, is all about keeping everything working as properly and as gracefully as possible.

So, when you are contemplating the invitation to get back into your body, you are contemplating nothing less than re-inhabiting the miraculous wisdom and sacred majesty of an organism unlike any other, anywhere else in the whole of the Universe.  And who wouldn’t want that on their Cosmic resume? 

Now, this does not mean that you need to ignore the outside of your body.  It’s just that, if you are ever going to truly make friends with what your body looks like on the outside (which is definitely an aspect of waking up), you get to make friends with what your body really and truly IS on the inside.  In fact, that’s actually how most things will work best for you here - inside out.  Get it on the inside, and the outside automatically reflects the pattern back to you in form.  And that is true whether you are talking about your body, or relationships, or how much money you have in your checking account.  More on that later, though.  For now, since you really get how important your body is to your journey of awakening, let’s look at how you might joyfully go about getting back in there!

As a beginning, here’s a practice I like to call:  “I Want, I Want!  I Need, I Need!”  

Every day, a hundred times per day, your body is sending you messages.  It tells you when you’re thirsty and when you’ve properly topped-off your internal tank.  It tells you when your bladder is full, when your stomach is empty, and when you need to rest, breathe more deeply, or put down that last piece of chocolate.  It tells you when you’re too cold and when you’re in danger of burning up.  And it tells you when you need to pick yourself up off the couch, get outside, and weed that garden!   All day long, your body is talking.  The question is; are you listening?     

If you’re like most people today, you’ve probably learned to ignore most of your body’s messages - and you don’t even know you’re doing it.  After all, when was the last time you heard your boss or your teacher or your partner remind you to listen to and honor all of your body’s messages immediately - no matter what else is going on?

So…here’s your assignment:  Quite simply, you are invited to take care of what your body needs as close to the moment you notice that it needs something.  That’s it.  Simple, right?  This means that when you notice you’re cold, you get a sweater.  If you’re thirsty, you get a drink.  If you’re hungry, eat.  And if you’ve gotta pee, do it.  Now.  Not ten minutes from now.  Not right after you finish that document your boss is in his office waiting for.  And not after one more game of Spider Solitaire.  Right.  Now.

Because here’s the thing.  Every time you ignore one of your body’s messages, your psyche registers a version of one or more of the following: “I do not matter.”  “Everything and everyone else is way more important than me.”  “Life here is hard and painful and challenging.”  “No one cares about me.”  “I can’t keep up.”  Chances are, after receiving perhaps a hundred or so of these messages every day, your unconscious view of yourself is pretty much in the toilet.  And that means you are probably intensely looking for validation, support, approval and acceptance from outside of yourself.  And, have you noticed?  That simply never works.  Ever. 

It is your job to validate and accept yourself, as you are, right now.  No one will ever be able to convince you that you are OK, except you.  And getting back into your body with the intention of respecting and honoring its needs, is taking one huge step in doing just that.  Once you have committed to caring for your body, and I mean really caring for it on the deepest levels - which are way beyond deciding that this year for sure you are going to lose that ten pounds you’ve been talking about losing forever - you will actually inhabit your body which will, quite simply and completely, change everything.

For, if you are in your body, listening and responding to what you hear, you are taking charge of yourself again.  You are no longer allowing anything or anyone else to come before or between or underneath your own self and that self’s needs.  You are saying that you do indeed matter, that you are, without a doubt, a vital and important Divine aspect of Consciousness, and you fully intend to treat yourself as such, thank you very much! 

Also, it just so happens that if you’re back in your body, you regain access to feeling (remember feeling?).  And if you are feeling, it is then - and only then - possible for you to identify your own experiences of “resonance” and “alignment” (or dissonance and non-alignment), both of which are THE guiding principals in taking back your own power to choose that which is truly right for you. 

So, it might be helpful to experiment with seeing yourself as the airline steward here to serve on your very own personal jetliner (this would be your body).  You get to saunter down the isle asking yourself if there is anything you need…  More pillows for your nap?  A sexy bubble bath?  A steaming hot beverage?  Your favorite decadent, yummy snack?  The idea is to deeply and fully start giving your body the attention it needs and craves, right when it needs and craves it.  I mean, after all, this is the only body you get this lifetime.  The only one.  And you’ve been ignoring it (not that you really meant to, of course) long enough.  Don’t ya think?

Now, start listening to what your body has to say, and get back in charge of yourself!  I mean it!  Right.  Now.  

Oh, and by the way…  Take up this practice, and I guarantee you will change your life…and isn’t that really what you’re all about?