January 2015 DEEP Body Love (Dive * Empower * Emerge * Play) Time to Play!

I love this image, it reminds me of reflections from within.  If this is what occurs for us in how we feel about ourselves and our body then we are living our gorgeous life the way we are meant too!

Heartfelt acceptance

Body, mind, spirit connect

Feel alive in bliss

Following on from January's Newsletter DEEP Body Love and January's Blog DEEP Body Love - Here's what I know ... this blog invites you to play!

Heartfelt dialogue

Why not have a go at this. Choose a time and a place where you will not be disturbed, knowing that you are giving yourself a few moments of just being, even 5 minutes, you will be surprised. Enjoy!


If you journal then you have probably used these types of prompts before, if not, I encourage you to be curious and play, simple as that. Try not to allow the left, logical brain to take over! Choose a book, paper, journal that gives you a smile when you think you are going to play with it.  If a blank sheet challenges you, draw a big heart to fill the page and write in the middle or do some scribbles and write over the top!!    
Have some crayons, actually the bigger the better as this often helps you to show up and play. I have many different types of pens, gel ones, glitter ones, felt ones.  When you answer 'Heartfelt dialogue' questions, it seems to encourage a more spontaneous answer.  You may choose to experiment, writing with your non dominant hand, big crayons, fine tip pens and see what happens. 

For our topic lets pick 'body' - our body.  The following are prompts that I invite you to complete. Write the actual prompt and then in a relaxed, playful way, allow your pen to move and reveal whatever comes up, no matter how silly or different it might sound. Suspend all judgment and see what happens.  Your are just playing, right! Have fun! 

So address your body:

• How do you like living in my world?

• What would you like to be different?

• How can I help you?

• How can you help me?

• How can I improve our relationship?

• How can we have more fun together?

• What I need from you is?

• I want to thank you for being here for me no matter what.  I want you to know that I am doing the best with what I know at the time and when I learn something different I will try different things.  I am learning.  I love you even though I may not it. 

Now, give yourself some time to be in this space!  Just notice what you notice. How may this experience connect you even just a little in developing a nurturing, nourishing relationship with you?  Even asking that question and letting it go will be of use! 

When I first did an exercise like this many years ago, I cried, to be hones,t and spent the next few days beating myself up and consequently my body up.  However, this is all part of the journey, we came through it and started a healing, more compassionate journey together.  

You may have a different experience. That is what I love about ARTbundance - (created by Marney Makridakis - Artellaland) where this exercise is from.  It is so personal to you, everyone has a different experience, in fact if you did this again tomorrow, next week, next month, you would probably have a different experience yourself. Well you will!  Give it a go and see. 

Why not gift your body this song and notice how she feels!  Enjoy. Celine Dion - I'm Alive

Give and Receive Support...The DEEP Body Love Facebook Page

May I invite you to my DEEP Body Love Face Book Page so that we can all support each other to feel alive, no matter what and embrace ourselves fully with the good, the bad and the ugly and oh so very beautiful too!

Wishing you DEEP Body Love

Love 
Liz 

January 2015 DEEP Body Love (Dive * Empower * Emerge * Play)

Here's what I know about the role of connection to your body and why it matters! Continued from January's Newsletter DEEP Body Love

There are several types of hunger! 

  If you, like me have been on and off diets for years it is probably very difficult to tell the difference between physical hunger or any other type of hunger. I feel this applies not only to 'dieters' but also to others who perhaps were prescribed healthy ways of nourishing the body by experts, such as: measures/amounts, combinations of food groups, what time of day to eat, exercise, etc and I really could go on.  Why this matters is because these methods/suggestions have very little to do with body connection.  They are mainly guided by the brain, what has been learned, read and regimented!

This is one of the reasons I have experienced, along with thousands of you, weight loss and putting it back on again or simply not knowing what to eat, being so confused. Is it any wonder! 

It is possible to be free from thinking whether or not you are eating the right thing! Our body is the most most reliable guidance system on the planet,but  it really does take time and patience to 'befriend' our bodies and to gain mutual trust.

Often, you think you're hungry but you know you just finished eating.  So are you thirsty or is it a different type of hunger? As mentioned there are many types of hunger, however I will be focusing on: 

•   Physical hunger - when your body needs fuel.
•   Emotional hunger - when the emotional brain kicks in.
•   Spiritual hunger - when you are not living your passion, your values, enjoying life.
•   Habitual-sensory hunger - we all know about habits, boredom, procrastination and external stimulus - smells, sounds, sights, tastes that motivate us to use food when it is unnecessary.

If we are not aware of what type of hunger is alerting us to nourish ourselves, then how can we truly satisfy the appropriate hunger AND if we do not know how to nourish each aspect of that hunger, how can we satisfy ourselves!

We have learned habits over a life time that have often been passed down from one generation to another.  We have a number of stories and beliefs that impact on how we attempt to nourish and satisfy ourselves, hence the complication but it is so possible to learn to reconnect to our bodies and to use her as our guide. 

Join the DEEP Body Love Facebook Group

I have just started a new facebook page called DEEP Body Love and will be launching a new program. Here is what it is all about:

If you have been trying to achieve an 'ideal' body shape, size or weight to make yourself happy and are still dissatisfied, then this is definitely for you. You can experience a more gentle, compassionate relationship with your body and food, to unlock a greater sense of life and vitality!

DEEP (Dive Empower Emerge Play) Body Love is about accepting and loving your body no matter what.

• Dive to deep truths relating to how our body speaks to you and how it wants to be cared for and nourished.
• Empower ourselves by knowing what beliefs, patterns and habits drive us, learning how to befriend our body to hear the messages of what we truly desire and deserve.
• Emerge as the person we are meant to be, knowing the differences between emotional, physical and spiritual hunger to satisfy, nourish them appropriately.
• And Play, by bringing more fun into our lives through playing, creating, practicing, being! Taking tangible small steps to a loving relationship with your body no matter what!.

I am so looking forward to this amazing journey.  As you know with any journey there are ups and downs, twists and turns, however we will have rests and pauses but will never give up. We will take small steps that can be fun and will keep momentum. Just like a pod of dolphins.  You are never alone!

Join the DEEP Body Love Facebook Group

Please consider joining this facebook page and see what happens.  You can always leave it if it’s not for you!

DEEP Body Love Face Book Page

DEEP Body Love to you
Love
Liz

DEEP: Body Love's Theme Reframe Mistakes, Practice!

Welcome to blog 2 which continues with the theme of mistakes and practice as featured in August's newsletter: Reframing Mistakes August 2014 and Blog 1 - DEEP Body Love's Theme: Reframing Mistakes

Think of something you do easily…walk, drive, swim, ride a bike.

Just think back to where it all started.  Can you remember all the mistakes that were made? What about when a child first learns to walk or feed herself? 

In all of these aspects there would have been falls, bumps, giggles, laughter and practice, practice, practice a sense of achievement and accomplishment.  If we were kind to ourselves, we may have enjoyed the processes too!

The next time you make a mistake, pause, breathe and ask these questions?:

- How can this serve me? 

- Can I use it to develop, create? 

- Am I overwhelmed and need time out? 

- Can it help  me to do something differently to improve, change something? 

- Is it just a mistake, worth a giggle, and ready to let it go?

Pick a recent "mistake" and ask yourself one of these questions. And then reply with your answer.  I'd love to see what you come up with!

Enjoy

Liz 

DEEP: Body Love's Theme Reframing Mistakes

Welcome to this blog which continues with the theme of mistakes and practice as featured in August's newsletter: Reframing Mistakes August 2014

Just like everything, becoming comfortable with mistakes is something that comes with practice.  Practicing taking our mistakes, and framing them with kindness and compassion, that can guide us to what next. 

Mistakes are a portal to the unknown and wonderful world of discovery.  They also tell us what does not work for us and teach us to discern. 

Here are some ways to practice making mistakes:

If you have paper, fold it in half and literally spill some liquid on one side, could be coffee, paint, indian ink and then fold the paper in half to get a mirror image.

Draw and image of a spill, a splash and decorate it.  Play with it, there is no expectation of an outcome and have the intention that you are going to do it really badly.

Write a poem, a haiku really badly, allowing what ever to appear to appear, dont cross anything out and if you do use a coloured pen or doodle the cross out, whilst enjoying the process.

Create a persona of a wonderful mistakes and consult with it.

What else could you try?

Enjoy

Liz

DEEP: Body Love's Theme Spills Muse 2

Spills Muse – from Jill Badonsky's Nine Modern-Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) is a fun childlike imp who loves to play and was featured in this month's newsletter:  TEST 5 Ways to Turn Mistakes into Miracles - Phinspiration July 2014

Let's fall in love with spills by exploring them through the language of the senses…..

A spill can sound like the wonderful ocean, showing up on a beach full of shells.  Breathing, moving in and out.

A spill can sound like a child's laughter, giggle.

A spill can sound like a belly laugh right from the core.

A spill can sound like a breath of fresh air, a sigh, an "oh, now that is interesting!"

A spill can sound like an invitation to make more spills and allowing the self to follow the spill.

A spill can sound like an invitation to even more curious questions, play.

Spills lead to adventures and discoveries!  When you think of a spill – a "mistake" that is actually a good, helpful thing – what comes alive in your senses? What might a spill sound, taste, smell, and feel like?

Leave a comment with the first thing that comes to mind!

I love this song full of fun and potential. Enjoy.

Firework - Katy Perry lyrics

Love 

Liz 

DEEP: Body Love Theme's Compassion

I wonder how often we judge ourselves as good or bad.  If we had compassion for ourselves how would that change how we would treat ourselves and others.

Come compassion come

Nurturing, nourishing, kind

Connecting, being

Come compassion come

Expanding, sharing love, yes

Revealing essence 

Love

Liz