What a body we have!!
I am no exercise nut. My knee hurts on a regular basis, (I injured it a couple of years ago trying to train for a 5K) and I just had my first of three cortisone injections for the “crazy pain” that’s going on in my lower back. Exercise is not what I would prefer to do at this point in my life. But I do, nearly everyday, because there is so much power in our bodies for healing!
I went to my first yoga class the other day and I was struck by how much we can do for our own healing- mind and body- by intentional breathing and stretching. So simple! So easy! I mean the same physical and emotional tension we feel in our bodies, when we are anxious/stressed/worried/angry/depressed, we can prevent/control/drive away by being deliberate about breathing through it or simply not engaging with it. “Clear your mind from those intrusive thoughts” the yoga instructor kept saying. “Shoo them away!” “Listen to your breath” “Be aware of the tension in your body and let it go.”
WOW! I may be late coming to this, but now at 40, even when my eyes have begun to fail me, belly fat is my new BFF, pain is more the norm than not, I am more convinced than ever that we are so blessed to have these bodies that have the CAPACITY to do so much healing, even before the therapist, or medication or prayer.
So take a walk, sit and breathe, be aware of the little crazy thoughts that come knocking at our minds and shoo them away, really USE these beautiful instruments we have been given.
I still remember when I told my psychiatrist I was ready to stop taking anti-depressants, he said “Be sure to do two things every day: LAUGH and EXERCISE.”
Thank God for these bodies we have!
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I love this post. It initially reminds me of a poem I wrote which is 17 stanzas long. However, here is the first stanza only (lol!):
My Body Is…
My body is the temple of the living God/a strong and valiant force/that stands upright/ in honor to itself/it’s more than I image/for it’s not just what I see/the mirror reflecting back to me/it’s the energy of being still/and allowing the forces of time/to fuse into one/fan the torch within/that draws the light of wisdom/creates a peace unknown/which is awesome illumination/that begins the spark of my soul/and I am created/to experience the journey of life/full of many lessons/that I relearn through my value of Christ/that which is the way/goes the way/holds the way/shows the way/the pattern is already set/I take a look and see/follow the prompt within/and I know that I am free/to move with fluid ease/and know the glory/for the way is very clear/my body/my body is…
Although, it’s been many years since I’ve engaged yoga, I do meditate; focusing on the breath, letting go of the mind, thoughts of the mind, journeying into the theta state of consciousness, just before the sleep state, delta. Allowing the Holy Spirit to awaken, strengthen, and have It’s perfect way in my life. I love walking meditation, compassion meditation, taking mindfulness walks, the more I do it, the more I become it, I Am It!
It keeps me focused on the truth that I am more than my body and I am even more than my mind. And Jesus’ words, ‘I go and the Holy Spirit comes and leads into right living.’ Praises!
Thank, dear Beth-Sarah for being Love as Appreciation and Compassion for yourself first and spreading aboard. Gloria
Oh Gloria! What a wonderful poem. Thank you for sharing it. I especially like the line… my body that “begins the spark of my soul”. I appreciate you and thank you for reading and sharing!
Thank you for your expression of appreciation of my light.