Movement as a {Self}-love Language
There’s no way around it - Winter is hard. Although it’s a beautiful, restorative time, it can be heavy and it can be hard for a lot of people. I, personally, feel this a lot during these months; some days it feels like my mind and my body are trudging through molasses.
Maybe there are a lot of you out there like me. As Winter settles in, the Winter blues are soon to follow. With that comes less energy for exercise; and with that, comes an immediate feeling of shame and a compulsion to ‘push yourself’.
In that moment, I have a choice. I could either shrink into the lies this fear is creating by punishing myself - immediately restricting and forcing myself to do a strenuous workout. All so that I can choose to support a reality where I am less lovable if my body changes.
Or I could listen. I could embrace my body’s craving for tenderness. Embrace the call for compassion. Listen to my body speaking to me. Listen to my body the way I lovingly, tenderly, and sincerely attempt to interpret a two year olds communication with me.
Which approach feels like love? Which approach feels like truth?
This reframe is not a means to bypass movement. In fact, it’s a chance to empower you to tune into your intuition and discover how your body is craving to move energy through it; it’s an exercise to make movement a part of your daily {self}-love language.
During seasons that are lighter, I typically have more energy to burn. I am constantly in motion. I am fueling to maintain a certain pace. I often crave running, cycling, hiking, walking, and yoga - anything that has me moving and allows me to metabolize the energy of longer, warmer days.
Then comes winter. During these darker, heavier months, on some days, walking even a couple miles feels exhaustive. Like I need to recoup and refuel extensively. But instead of compassionately listening to our body’s howl to ‘hibernate’, we often plug our ears and comply with the immediate compulsion to resist our body’s communication. To oppose. To push ourselves harder as if we know better than our body.
The exciting news is, all it takes is noticing one thought. Awareness alone creates a point of intersection - a moment of mindfulness that catches your attention and shakes you awake. I get to choose whether I live a life stained and encumbered by the heaviness of this fear - over and over again - OR whether I choose a language of compassion, of acceptance, of unconditional love with my self and my body. I have a choice as to which path I turn onto. One leads to the same patterns, the same fear fueled hamster wheel. The other, over time, leads to freedom, intuition, and an unshakable, unwavering, unconditional self love.
I get to choose in those moments to be more tender with myself. I get to choose to listen to my body. I get to choose to talk to my body with compassion and unconditional acceptance. I get to choose to move my body AND listen when it tells me HOW to move it.
You and your body are in constant communication; you are your body are one. The more intentional we are about listening and creating a relationship with our body’s, the more we’re able to use movement as a means to heal, optimize our health, and ultimately deepen our relationship with self.
The next time you notice yourself wanting to push, wanting to resist your body’s roar for rest, I invite you to place both hands over your heart and say to yourself:
I love you
Thank you for holding me in this time
How can I love you today?
How can I move you today?
And then listen
For tools on how to reframe your relationship with exercise to create a compassionate and sustainable relationship with your body and the movement it is craving, download your FREE Holistic Holiday Guide below.