By Sarah Sparks
Your body is your sacred temple. Without it, you could not have a human experience on earth. When we look around, there is always an opportunity to see greatness, wholeness, and peace in human beings. Some of us may see this greatness right away; however, if you’re like me, it can take some time and life experience to respect and honor the body you have today.
I have given my body quite a “run for the money” because it is connected to my emotions. But, before I go on, I must admit that I am no expert on the physical body. I write and share this information based solely on my own experiences. Take what you want from this article, and leave the rest for someone else!
Now, back to what I was saying. I connect with my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. My body then reflects those thoughts, feelings, and emotions. For instance, during the summer semester in college that I lived alone, most of my friends went back home. I stayed to take extra courses and teach group fitness classes at the recreation center on campus. With a lot of time on my hands and not too many folks to enjoy it with, I would eat too much out of boredom and loneliness. Even though I was teaching three hours of group fitness classes each day, I was still gaining weight because I ate too much. I was not respecting and honoring the body that was given to me.
During another period of my life when I was “fed up” with my job, I began to lose weight because I didn’t eat enough food and was going for long runs to relieve stress. I purposely wasn’t eating enough because of the negativity I felt at work; I desperately wanted to experience change and was struggling to move forward. Again, I was not respecting and honoring my body.
I finally began to respect and honor my body when I became pregnant.
I was listening to what my body desired, what it craved, what it longed for. When my body craved sugar, I ate an apple and some protein. When my body craved carbohydrates, I drank a smoothie. When my body craved salty foods, I ate kale chips. When I was tired, I rested. When I was excited, I danced. My point is: I listened to my body and I acted upon what I heard my body saying it desired. What a welcome change in my life it was to connect with my body!
I became more in tune with my body during those 10 months by using HypnoBirthing®, which enables you and your body to work together in a Zen-like state during labor. When it was time to give birth to the little human who had grown inside me, I allowed my body to do what it knows best. I removed all my fears and thoughts about the birthing process. I relaxed my body and allowed it to take over and do the job it was made to do. I knew my body was a sacred temple, and I was about to experience one of the greatest human experiences on earth. My labor was only 45 minutes, and I didn’t need any drugs to manage the pain. I had an all-natural childbirth experience—exactly what I hoped for and what my body desired.
As you know from reading other articles I have written in Transformation, I like to keep things simple. So, simply put: listen. Listen to your body. Act upon the guidance you know your body desires. You only receive one body in this lifetime; respect and honor it. When I listen to my body, it makes this human experience much easier. May you begin to see the greatness, wholeness, and peace all around you—and within your body.
Namaste friends, Namaste.
Sarah A. Sparks, MPA, is the speaker and relationship mentor for Create The Spark, LLC. Sarah has her BA in Human Resource Management, a certificate in Training: Design and Development from the University of Northern Iowa, as well as a MPA from Drake University. Sarah worked as a leader for two local governments in Iowa from 2004-2010, in the capacity of an Operations Transit Supervisor and Safety Coordinator, and as a Parks and Recreation Director. While serving these communities, Sarah mentored and trained numerous employees. Through this experience, she discovered the belief in one’s self is what limits someone from creating the life she desires. From that point onward, Sarah made it her mission to guide those who want to be mentored to create the life they desire by having the confidence and trust in themselves to make the right decision and say what they need to say, with love! Email Sarah at createthespark@gmail.com or visit www.createthespark.org.