The Bathtub is a special place. It can be so healing and it can also be your worst nightmare. Let’s talk about it.
Baths were originally designed for cleansing purposes not a place to clean the body. http://otal.umd.edu/~vg/amst205.F96/vj53/fproject5.html Interestingly enough, that’s exactly what happens when we get into the bathtub. We cleanse ourselves and in that process our vulnerabilities show up much of the time. In this case, the vulnerabilities are about how we feel about ourselves and our bodies. As we sit in the bathtub we can see all of ourselves, unlike much of the time in a shower. We are forced to look at our body closeup and personal. What do you see? Do you see a beautiful vessel that you own fully - appreciating, loving, massaging, and fully embodying it or do you see a fat, wrinkled, cellulite infested, ugly thing that is worthless?
How you feel about your body matters. The messages you feel, think, and tell your body affect how it responds to many things. If you love your body and treat it kindly, the majority of the time you will find that your body feels good, is an amazing machine allowing you to do so much, gives you messages, and really allows you to sparkle and shine. The opposite is tragic. People feel badly, their body doesn’t function well, disease is prevalent, and it’s just plain not fun.
What are some small things you can you do to change the body messages from body hate to body love?
1. Take the one part of your body you love and pretend that it has it’s own light force while you are in the bathtub. Imagine that light force spreading throughout your body and illuminating it all. Keep that vision for a few minutes if possible and send your body loving messages. Tell it how much you appreciate it for all the things it carries you through in life and how amazing it works for you when you really need it. Try to create a daily practice of this for at least a few minutes each day when you wake and soon you will start feeling so much better.
2. Pamper your hands/feet. Massage your hands and feet in the bathtub. All your nerves end in your feet and many are in the hands as well. When we massage our hands and feet we are actually getting a body massage because each area of the foot and hand represents a body part!
3. Massage your body parts. Who doesn’t love a great massage? One of the most healing things you can do for yourself is to massage yourself - it’s all about enjoying yourself. Feel how great touch feels on your body and how your body becomes alive when it’s feeling loved! This is something that really feels deliciously intoxicating! I recommend YES BUTTER, an amazing product made of organic plant-based oils for healing! It feels silky smooth, smells like dark chocolate mint, and infuses beautiful messages into the cells of our body.
If you’ve been in body image pain, there’s help. I help both women and men really learn to change how they feel about themselves to open up and heal the blame, shame, and negativity they have been telling themselves for far too long. Feel free to contact me at bodyliberator@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Bonnie Gayle
