How do you ‘worship’ your ‘temple?’

14th July 2008

How do you ‘worship’ your ‘temple?’

I picked up a copy of Minding the Body the other night at the bookstore. It’s an anthology of essays by female writers that deal with, one or another, “the female body.” Native American writer Linda Hogan’s essay “The Interior” is included and I wanted to share with you some of her thoughts on the subject:

More than symbol, more than the bread and wine of Christ, the body is a knowing connection, it is the telling thing, the medium of experience, expression, being, and knowing. …What the body knows and where it takes us is navigated from an inner map not always carried in daily consciousness.

…The body, made of earth’s mud and breathed into, is the temple, and we need to learn to worship it as such, to move slowly within in, respecting it, loving it, treating ourselves and all our loved ones with tenderness. And the love for the body and for the earth are the same love.

Regardless of where you are in your journey towards self-acceptance and inner peace, we can all commit to doing at least one kind for our bodies today, even this minute. As for me, I plan to treat my body kindly and compassionately today. I will ignore the scale that I have furtively placed beneath the bathroom cabinet for those sudden and acute cases when I feel like my butt has magically expanded by 10 pounds overnight. I will base my lunch and dinner choices not on caloric content, but on what my body tells me it wants and needs. And if my aching muscles are still sore, as they are now, after nearly two weeks straight of hauling dirt and rocks and planting and digging, I will feel no compulsion to push it further, nor will I feel guilt or shame in relaxing with my husband and kitties and delighting in a good book instead.

How about you? What will you do today to ‘worship’ your ‘temple?’

Click to Bookmark

This entry was posted on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Body Image, Body-Affirming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On July 14th, 2008, Fatadelic said:

I intend to have a relaxing soak in the tub and go to bed early.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 7:09 am

2 On July 14th, 2008, mrs.millur said:

Wednesday is the magic day- Grace will be 6 weeks old, and the child care centre at the gym will take her, and I can have an hour to myself– to enjoy how good it feels to walk for a while with no baby in either my arms or belly.

(yes, I’m a freak who actually enjoys time on the treadmill)

So in anticipation, today I will take Grace to the public library, and look for a good audio book.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 8:04 am

3 On July 14th, 2008, April D said:

Sometimes we all just need that reminder! Today I am going to look my stretch marks in the mirror and touch them and love them as part of me as much as I can. I get to visit with the GastroEnterologist today who might be able to tell my why my whole life has been spent in gastrointestinal distress so I plan to treat my body nicely to suit what they tell me I might need to avoid (Unless it is FOOD in general in that “You bad fatty” spiel…then Dr. and I will need to have some words…but I am hoping that isn’t the case!)

So. Tummy stretch mark appreciation and going to bed early for me

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 8:14 am

4 On July 14th, 2008, Christine said:

Mrs.Millur, I don’t think you’re a freak for enjoying walking on the treadmill — if it makes you feel good, then that’s great! I love walking on the treadmill, preferably with a book in front of me.

Today, I’ll be staying home from work to take care of my body and mind, instead of working through a killer migraine and its after-effects like I would normally. Maybe I’ll go for a walk on the treadmill too!

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am

5 On July 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

I like the treadmill, too, especially in winter. I get several magazine subscriptions each month and week but I never have time to read them. The treadmill or the stairclimber is my time to catch up on all my subscriptions.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am

6 On July 14th, 2008, nuckingfutz said:

Actually, I’ve always wanted a treadmill for the house but never could afford it. It’s the kind of thing that I could easily get lost in doing as long as I had something to hold my attention (book, magazine, movie maybe?). Yet another thing to put on my “when we win the lottery” list.

As for my temple… well, my temple is pretty busy today. It’s been doing housework all day, in about 10 minutes it needs to go pick the girls up from school and then make dinner when it gets home, and then later it has a meeting to go to at Number Two Daughter’s new school (the equivalent of high school). My temple won’t be closed for business until late, so I don’t know if I’ll have time to do any worshipping today. Maybe a nice hot shower and some pretty scented lotion for afterwards? If I’m not too tired, that is.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 9:56 am

7 On July 14th, 2008, Andy said:

I’ll load up the Goober in the stroller and go for a walk, if it’s not raining.

And I’m going to eat something I really want to eat, as opposed to something that’s just convenient.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am

8 On July 14th, 2008, attrice said:

I would love to put an elliptical in the house, but there’s no room for it. Treadmills are nice, but I have a terrible history of falling off of them – seriously like 7 times in my life all in very crowded gyms.

Today I just walked. Usually I either go to the gym or take a run in the mornings, but today everything was blooming and the breeze was cool and I just took off my headphones and meandered along my usual running trail. I even stopped and smelled some flowers. Now I’m sipping on a fruit smoothie I made with pineapple, banana, mango and coconut milk – the full fat kind all thick and yummy.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 11:31 am

9 On July 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

We have a treadmill and it does take up a lot of space in my office. It’s even more cumbersome during the summer and fall, because I prefer to walk and hike outside when the weather is nice.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 11:37 am

10 On July 14th, 2008, Boobsihazthem said:

I went swimming this morning before work, after getting a great night of sleep. I had a tasty tasty lunch, a chelsea bun, and I shall be making a tasty batch of gnocchi for dinner!

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

11 On July 14th, 2008, Teej said:

Tomorrow evening, I’m getting the first part of what will eventually be a full back tattoo. I’m somewhere in the middle of learning to accept and love my body for what it is, not what society tells me ought to be and my tattoo will be a constant reminder that my corporeal temple deserves not only to be seen but worshiped.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

12 On July 14th, 2008, Rachel said:

That’s awesome, Teej. I’ve always wanted to get inked, but I always said it would have to be my own design and something that is very meaningful to me. I still haven’t decided what that would be!

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

13 On July 14th, 2008, JeanC said:

I worship my temple by eating foods that are yummy and I like and moving it in fun ways. Or not moving it in fun ways (I do love to curl up with a good book or kick back and go fishing).

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 3:00 pm

14 On July 14th, 2008, MrsDrC said:

I intend to take the kids to the river and ride bikes, to get some fresh air. I intend to sit and crochet to give my mind some fresh air. I shall sneek in a quick nap if all possible.

My chores are done (vacuumed, swept, mopped my floors).

Best of all I think I’ll swing by Sonic and get get a Cranberry Lime-Aid. I got one last week and two sips in dropped and spilled it.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

15 On July 14th, 2008, Diana Fletcher said:

I am going to do what I remind my clients to do. I will celebrate my successes. I will pat myself on the back for drinking water today. I will smile when I think about walking outside this morning and enjoying the sun. I will congratulate myself on eating vegetables and fruit. I will not beat myself up for having a piece of cake after lunch. I will not think about everything I wanted to get done but didn’t. I will celebrate my healthy choices and show myself love.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 5:40 pm

16 On July 14th, 2008, Catgal said:

Ooh! I like this one. I actually worshiped my temple yesterday. My hubby and I made a special trip into Brooklyn so I could check out Lee Lee’s Valise! It was awesome! I met Lee Lee herself, and her husband, who were both so helpful. I ended up buying two sundresses, a cute top, and some undertops that are cap sleeve and only come to under the bra for wearing under low neck or sleeveless tops. These are the best invention EVER!!! I don’t know why no one has thought of this before! Only she carries them too. She saw them at a trade show and begged the mfg to make them in plus sizes. Of course they were only making S, M, & L. And I also got a nice bra that although it was expensive was hand made in Belgium. And to top it off, it all fits and looks GREAT on me! I plan on visiting Lee Lee at least once a season… Tonight I will worship my soul by having dinner with 3 of my fabulous girlfriends!

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 6:14 pm

17 On July 14th, 2008, Pair of Cha-Cha Heels said:

I’ve stayed home today and nurtured my body through my debilitating monthly cramps. I’ve shaved my legs and rubbed my achy muscles, and curled up with a good book while listening to the new Weezer album.

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

18 On July 14th, 2008, Victoria said:

Today? I listened to what my body was telling me, and saw a doctor for my chronic sinus headaches.

Other things I do regularly to worship my body?
I have a full body massage once a week. Getting regular massages has been a big part of me feeling comfortable with my body, plus it has made a big difference to my stress levels and bad back. I live in Chile, so it’s relatively inexpensive – so I know that I’m lucky to be able to do this.

I also have a sleep in and a lazy bubble bath every saturday morning after a long week at work.

As for today

posted on July 14th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

19 On July 15th, 2008, Teej said:

Victoria said: “I have a full body massage once a week.”

Yea! I get massages every two weeks or so and I agree that it’s done a lot to make me remember how much my body does for me and how it deserves to be appreciated and loved. And stress levels and back issues are also helped, so it’s a win-win on the psychological and physical fronts both!

posted on July 15th, 2008 at 9:33 am

20 On July 15th, 2008, Jackie said:

Yesterday actually I realized I gained some weight. I was really proud of myself though, cause instead of letting myself freak out and be liek “AHHHH! I can only eat salads now, SALADS!!!!”, I took a few good deep breaths and said at the very least, I need to go on the recumbent bike downstairs for 30 minutes. So I think that’s a major step for me in seeing the number on the scale isn’t OMG TEH HORRORS! Instead, seeing it as ok, so I’ve been sitting on my butt a bit too often. I mean, I did get a new video game which I am obsessed with. That tends to make you more sedentary, yah.

posted on July 15th, 2008 at 2:34 pm