“Abundance”. The sound of it signals freedom, safety, first class flights to the Maldives and fluffy, down comforters. The word itself delivers on its own prosperous promise. The promise of ‘more than enough’.
I have some great news for you. We are all abundant. We are whole and complete and contain within us the potential of the wisest, wealthiest and most talented who have ever lived. That said, the world around us, our childhood experiences and our own egos have harassed us into believing that we are incomplete. That what we dream of lives in some far off land, accessible only after we’ve learned more, worked harder and earned the right salary or SUV. This mental commotion muffles the sound of clarity and truth that is here to guide us straight to the things we seek in our lives. Our challenge, should we choose to accept it, is to quiet the irrational noise of our inner bullies so that we can access the voice of wisdom, inside of us. When we are able to hear our truth we are able to align our actions with what is real vs. the stories that we tell ourselves. In this way, we magnetize our hearts calling in everything we desire. Calling in abundance.
There may be no area of our life more wounded by our mental mercenaries than our relationships with our bodies. Whether we are plant-based athletes or are simply trying to take conscious care of ourselves and our families, the undercurrent that runs beneath our wellness choices is too often the voice of lack. We are taught to believe that in order to claim our healthiest, most beautiful bodies we must first endure physical pain and impose limits. We’re told that we must withhold, restrict and in some cases even, abandon our own need for compassion and healing. Dieting, of itself, is the very expression of lack and scarcity. It asks that we live in a state of withholding which fights hard against the very thing that our precious bodies are asking of us. To feed, nourish, provide for and love them. This misalignment makes dieting a clear and present barrier to our most beautiful, abundant bodies.
In order to cultivate healthy behavior that’s rooted in abundance we must first build a compassionate, kind and loving connection to our bodies. We must be willing to listen and respond to what they ask of us. When we establish this conscious relationship with our bodies we not only call in our healthiest, most radiant physical self, we establish a powerful dialogue between our hearts, bodies and minds. The conversation that we have with these aspects of ourselves helps to carve the neural, emotional and spiritual pathways that inform the quality of our actions and call in abundance, in all areas of our lives.
Here are some ways we can consciously nourish our body and lives, abundantly:
1. BE STILL, LISTEN AND ALIGN
Meditation offers us an opportunity to quiet the chatter of culture, our social media feeds, limiting beliefs and our egos. It creates space for us to hear the messages that our hearts and bodies want for us to receive. In this space, we are able to ask our bodies what they need and receive clear guidance. We can literally talk to our bodies by saying, for example, “I love you, body. Thank you for your strength and for taking such loving care of me. What is it that you need?”. Often, you will find that the answer reveals itself instantly. It may want a glass of water, to stretch or to take a nap. This practice of quieting our minds and connecting offers us an opportunity to respond with an action that aligns with our bodies vs. ignoring what they ask of us. You can communicate with your body in this way during your meditation practice and at any point during the day, for example, before a meal or when determining if/how to exercise. The more often we connect, listen and respond consciously, the more fluid and easy it becomes to maintain healthy relationships with our bodies and experience our abundance.
2. FILL ‘R UP
We are wired to believe that in order to have a beautiful body, we must subscribe to some brand of limitation, relative to what we eat. When we change our perspective from one of restricting and limiting, to one of filling and nourishing, we immediately shift our consciousness out of lack and into abundance. To make this shift, make a list of the clean, naturally occuring, whole foods that you love and energize your body. Give yourself permission to eat as much of these vital foods as your body would like, without limit. For example, if your favorite green smoothie feels great in your body, allow yourself to enjoy as much of that green smoothie as you want. By changing your perspective you flip the script from lack to abundance and speak a clear message to your body that it will always have enough, that you will never be hungry or and that you are abundant.
3. CONSCIOUS SELF CARE
Between our jobs, the DMV, caring for our families and the time we spend on our devices, we often exist in a constant state of energy depletion. Taking conscious care of ourselves allows us to replenish our energy supply and fill our proverbial cups so that we are able to show up as full expressions of ourselves and have enough left over to share with others. When many people think of self care they see spa weekends and sunday brunch. However, conscious self care can be experienced through small acts of kindness toward ourselves such as reading a book and having a cup of tea, listening to a beautiful piece of music or inspiring podcast or talking to a good friend. The important thing is that we ask ourselves what it is that we need and then provide it, intentionally, consciously and while being present. To be clear, self care can, in fact, mean a two hour massage, if that’s what your body is asking of you. However we have many opportunities throughout the day to spontaneously tune in to what we need and care for ourselves in meaningful ways that don’t require planning or a slush fund. Conscious self care is a powerful way of cultivating our connections to ourselves and experience our abundance.
4. GRATITUDE
Our bodies are beautiful, miraculous, loving sources of abundance that speak to us in every moment. When we connect, nourish and care for ourselves consciously, we begin to see that our bodies and everything in our lives offer us something to be grateful for. When we express gratitude we acknowledge receipt of the goodness in our lives. We speak clearly our recognition of our abundance and, in this way, create space for more. That said, start by isolating a specific time during the day to acknowledge the things you are grateful for such as first thing in the morning or before going to bed. You might also want to use the stop lights on your drive to and from work to literally signal a moment to stop and be grateful, or intentionally express gratitude before and after every meal and workout. Eventually, you will begin to organically acknowledge the gifts that you receive throughout your day and live in a more fluid state of gratitude.
There is no limit to the abundance that is available to you. May you embrace this truth and embody the fullness of your most beautiful, healthy and abundant lives.
Namaste!