What a joy - to live in a body that feels good!

I take this for granted too often and lately, as I am witness to the changes my body is experiencing due to time on this earth and day-to-day choices, it seems I only notice 'when it hurts'. Today, I promise myself to pay attention regularly, to notice the highs and the lows and particularly how my lifestyle choices contribute to that dynamic.

I have a colleague who started keeping 3 journals - one for her psycho-emotional health, one as a food diary, and another related to her menstrual cycle and related symptoms. Sounds exhausting to me, I can barely keep one journal up to date! But, through this practice of regularly recording, she was able to distinguish how various foods influenced her mood and the experience of her cycle and now she adjusts her diet to support her body and her mind as the days come and go.

Recently, I had a client who realized that what she thought was happening 'to' her body due to her illness - something that she has limited control over, might be due to the stagnant and repetitive patterns she was holding physically and emotionally since being diagnosed with her illness.

Can you imagine? Feeling defeated because you thought your body had been permanently 'limited' and then realizing that you actually had the ability to live the life you've been longing for all this time?

This lyric from the Eagles often comes to mind when I contemplate such things ~ "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key."

What's the key? In my experience and witnessing of myself and others I think that movement and mindfulness are KEY to optimal health and well-being. When we apply consistent movement in the name of love for our body and intentional attention to what we eat, say, think, and do (and the list goes on) and notice how these lifestyle dynamics affect our physical, psycho-emotional, and social health... we have a key that unlocks the door to intimate self-discovery and empowerment.

The joy on my client's face when she realized that her destiny is not to be imprisoned by her illness unlocked doors in her body and in her mind. That freedom was expressed with a light and lifted face, open arms, and a graceful float out the door of the studio back into her life.

What will you do today to support your best health and well-being?