Your body; the one place you’ll live in for your entire life, no matter where you go, what you achieve, or how much your circumstances change it will always be with you as long as you breathe. It is the temple that holds your thoughts, your emotions, your stories; the only home your soul has known in this lifetime.

And still, how often do we forget to care for it the same way we would a precious house or sacred space?

Before you knew language, you knew sensations such as touch, scent, sight, sound and taste. From day one your body has been communicating with you. Every cell of your body holds information. Have you ever taken the time to listen?

Like any home, your loving body requires maintenance — it feeds on rest, nourishment, movement, and compassion. It needs to be listened to when something isn’t working quite right, and appreciated for all the wonderful things it allows you to do each day: breathing, walking, creating, loving, laughing. Living.

However, many of us choose to treat our bodies with criticism rather than gratitude. We fixate on how the body looks rather than how the body feels. We ignore its cries for attention and care, running it into the wall while wanting it to look perfect. But how about feeling perfectly at peace?

Would you talk to your beloved childhood-home that way — pointing out only its faults, and ignoring its warmth and history?

Your body knows before you do; it speaks to you in somewhat mysterious ways. Your job is to tap into the wisdom it carries, and let it guide you through every one of your life experiences. Your body holds your resilience, your healing, your presence, and your awareness. It tells your story before you have expressed it in words.

Treat your body like a precious home. Cleanse it with sleep and nourishing foods, feed it with grace and care, move it with joy, and decorate it with self-love. But most importantly, speak to it with kindness.

You wouldn’t scream at the walls of your house for not being perfect would you?

So offer your body the same gentle care.

You can change your outer appearance in so many different ways — but you still live there. So make it a space that feels safe, empowered, and alive. After all, no matter where you go and who you are, your body goes with you. Carry it with your heart.