The greatest lessons of my life have come from my father, the most wonderful and loving man in my life. Since childhood, he reminded me—literally hundreds of times—that “your body is your temple, you only get one, so take care of it, it’s sacred.”
With the passage of time, this has become one of the most difficult lessons to learn. Each body is magnificent and special. It’s a gracious gift and, most importantly, it’s yours, truly and completely yours. Each body is a beautiful masterpiece and should be seen as such. Your body is your home.
Society has made it more difficult to love our bodies as they are. Mass media is constantly encouraging us to look like someone else, and we’ve begun to idolize false body images. During the holiday season this becomes even more apparent. This overwhelming urge to look different, be different, and live different starts to surface.
When will the beginning of a new year be the beginning of a mindful revolution?
December is the month this dialogue begins: about which gym should we join, which diet should we try to drop a few extra pounds, and how the New Year will bring big changes. I admire setting goals and aspiring to eat and live healthily, but where do we draw the line? At what point does wishing we looked different overtake loving ourselves? When will the beginning of a new year be the beginning of a mindful revolution? Now is the time, and love, acceptance, and gratitude is the way.
I often instruct my yoga students to play with my favorite move, which I named “the Jiggle.” I kindly ask my students to lie on their backs and lift their arms and legs up toward the sky. What they don’t expect is my instructions to vigorously shake their arms and legs. I don’t just ask for a little shake, I want the full on j-i-g-g-l-e. If it feels like they are holding back, I suggest making loud, funny noises or laughing out loud. Before you know it we’re all laughing hysterically and our jiggling is out of control. It’s uncomfortable at first, but most things are.
Here’s a little secret: Everyone has jiggle! Learn to love the jiggle! Yes, that’s correct—everyone. The moment we stop wishing we looked like someone or something else and begin to appreciate our bodies is when we initiate a mindful transcendence, when we begin a new journey of self-love and abundant happiness.
Let’s make a new plan. I cheer to 2016 being a year of self-discovery and acceptance.
Absolute Happiness = Absolute Acceptance. It’s as simple as that. Learn to accept and be happy, love the jiggle and you’ll love your body, you’ll become confident and people will be attracted to your glowing energy. This holiday season, don’t wish to be different, set a new goal of acceptance and love. Always remember, your body is your temple. You only get one, so take care of it. It’s sacred.
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