Bless My Body Temple
“Regardless of what you feel about the physical form that you stand in, your body is a joy and it is a significant one. It is what allows you to have your experience on the physical plane.” — Paul Selig, Book of Love and Creation
A friend was describing her book club to me. She said they called it a book club but it was actually an organ recital because they spent more time complaining about what was going wrong with their internal organs than they did reading the book. Funny — and completely relatable.
Let’s face it, pain in the body takes all our attention. Recognizing physical limitations can take an emotional toll on us, feeling frustration, loss of control and a deep sense of grief when we lose the physical abilities we once had. We are called to reach in and expand our compassion for ourselves. Sometimes we are much more tolerant of our friends and loved ones than we are for ourselves. Take the time to be gentle and understanding with yourself. Speak words of kindness and understanding to your body.
Remember that whatever we put our attention on increases. As we complain about what is not working, we notice more of what is not working. It’s like a car speeding down a steep hill: If you don’t stop it in the beginning, it will just pick up momentum and speed out of control. Before you know it, our aches and pains have completely taken over our thought process.
Martha Graham, dancer and choreographer, says, “The body is a sacred garment. It is your first and last garment; It is what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor.” I acknowledge my flexibility, strength and energy—even on those days where it feels like I don’t have any. I appreciate the parts of that are in good working order and send love to those parts that are aching and in pain.
I bless my body temple which houses my living Spirit within me. My voice is an instrument for peace, my hands a medium for service. My feet and legs transport me so that I may be vehicle to express Divine Love in the world.
I invite you to use this attunement from Paul Selig in the Book of Love and Creation as part of your daily practice:
“I am now realigning my knowing to become newly aware of my responsibility to heal my body as is required by my choices to feed myself, care for myself, and inhabit my surroundings in wellness. I am now coming to know my body is a joyful vehicle and I am celebrating it in Divine Love and thanking it for being with me on this remarkable journey in consciousness.”
Breathe. Move. Give thanks. And bless your body temple.
Affirmation: I praise my body. I raise my body. In the name of Love.
