Imagine opening your car’s gas cap and filling the car with a squirt bottle of sunscreen. Or a roll of dimes. Pickles anybody?
Of course that’s not the fuel our cars were made to accept. Our vehicles are machines that take us anywhere we need to go and since we rely on them so much, it’s wise to give them exactly what they require to run smoothly for a long time to come.
It’s dawned on me recently that the same exact thing can be said for our physical body. Our body is a vessel and is a gift to us. It also takes us anywhere we need to go and we rely on it for everything we want to experience in our lifetime. It helps us to carry out the purpose of our life. Therefore, wouldn’t it also be wise to give it exactly the fuel and care that it requires so it will “run smoothly” for as long as we need it?
I have long realized that the numbers on my scale were slowly increasing. Ever since I started eating ice cream every night when I was pregnant, it’s been on the upswing. I have wanted to take care of it, but somehow it always seemed overwhelming to focus on. So I kept putting it off.
Now I am studying a path of spiritual self-development, which is about improving oneself but not for the sake of oneself. It’s not so much about mastering desires (though that is a large part of it) as it is about fulfilling your own potential. Mussar teaches that everything we encounter in our inner world is an aspect of the soul. Emotions (and emotional eating), patience, desires, etc. It is a process of changing your intuitive responses to situations, “making the heart feel what the intellect understands.” (Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian, 19th c.) The task is to try to free ourselves from our primitive natures and have our higher self, the soul, lead the way.
For example, it’s become a habit for me to read in bed before I fall asleep at night. I almost always munch on Cheerios or M&Ms as part of this. All my weight gain could have come from just this one practice as far as I know, because I don’t tend to make terrible choices otherwise. So changing these external actions is part of it. The more physical changes you make, the more likely it is to become habit. (So my new habit is chewing gum while I read.) There’s also a process of changing from the inside out, but I’ll skip over that here for now.
In every decision and choice you make, there will be a moment of choice. Do you react with instinctual anger or do you pause and respond patiently? This is true with eating, of course. We can choose to go the way of the higher self or the lower self. We can have the salad or the hamburger, and as long as we are making the choice from our higher nature, there is a time for each.
So I’ve started Weight Watchers, but I’m also examining my habits and tendencies as a way toward change. Losing this excess weight should not be in some vain attempt to look better or receive more praise. It should be an exercise in wholeness. It’s yet another way I can empower myself to change my life for the better. (I will have to remember this when people begin commenting on how much better I look.) I wish to focus on my own inner dignity and self-esteem. The focus is on a soul-level, not so much a body-level. There should be no judgement of myself or of others. There should be no separation of the mind, body, and spirit, for all are part of our soul.
In this spiritual curriculum, being aware of the physical seems just as important as the emotional. I am paying attention to how I treat my body just as much as I am focusing on my measure of humility or compassion. They seem linked… emotions affect our bodies and vice versa. I wish to be grateful to my body that it does all the miraculous actions it performs every moment. Our bodies are our connection to earth and a key part of our experience.
Please share your own thoughts on this. Do you think of your body as part of who you are as a whole or as separate?
You’ll find more of my posts about Mussar here.
Great post with terrific insight. It all seems so simple to control what we eat and get enough excersize. But alas I think we all could do better. I to have started a weight watchers program and slow and steady is the path. Good luck with yours and I love your artwork!
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Good luck with your program too. Slow and steady, yes. 🙂
I appreciate the gas tank analogy however once many years ago a trainer used that example of why we shouldn’t eat at night. She said,” You wouldn’t fill up your car with gas just to let it sit in the garage all night would you?” And I thought to myself, “Yes, I would because it would save me time in the morning!” 😉
But seriously, yes, your analogy was priceless!!! Putting a roll of dimes or squirting sunscreen and expecting it to run well. Not gonna happen. Great post!
Elda recently posted…I Cannot Wait To NOT See You Again!
Sigh. Eating right before sleep is the hardest one for me to conquer. 🙂
Naomi, You are the second person to mention gas tanks to me this week. Okay, I am paying attention! I struggle with resting well and with eating well. I think it is difficult in our culture to have conflicting and constant media messages about body on top of everyday life challenges. Thank you for your post.
Janet recently posted…Choice-ful Spiritual Cookies
So true, Janet! With the abundance of consumer choices pointed at us all the time, it’s difficult to stick to what we intuitively know is enough.
First of all, I love the top piece of artwork! Is it yours? Love it! Second, I love the philosophy of “fulfilling your own potential” and “that everything we encounter in our inner world is an aspect of the soul.” So in-line with my personal beliefs. Thanks for sharing and all best on your journey!
Heather Koshiol recently posted…Share: A Mindful Look at my 2015 Vision Map
Hi Heather. Yes, I made that art as part of a year-long art class in 2013. Thanks for your comment!
I love the feeling of looking better to myself. I definitely didn’t like what I was seeing when I had that additional weight. I also love the ease of movement I have now that I’m not trying to move those extra pounds. I feel younger than my chronological age, and I plan to continue to do the work to make these positive changes permanent!
True, it’s been difficult to face the mirror and my own self-judgement. I am looking forward to being lighter on my feet! I thank you for modeling healthy living for me. That was a huge motivation to get going.
This is SUCH an issue for me. We started the 10,000 step program while we were on our cruise in January and I have missed my target only 2-3 times ever since. It has kept me from gaining even when I haven’t made the best food choices. Overall I’m down a few pounds and my clothes are fitting better. I’m doing it for a variety of reasons (including health) but if I’m being completely honest it’s mostly because I want to wear cute stylish clothes w/o looking/feeling ridiculous. Shallow but true and at this point in my life I care little about why – just that it gets done.
Janet recently posted…Old Dogs/New Tricks
Since reading your comment, Janet, I’ve been saying to myself, “get it done” and it’s really helped me!
Excellent insight! I think people use automobiles as a kind of substitute for their real bodies. Cars make you feel so big and powerful, and it’s so easy to get the latest and greatest model. I am glad you’re going to work on this area too. Mussar is much more diverse than I imagined it could be. It adds a spiritual dimension to every aspect of your life. I’ve never tried Weight Watchers but I hear it’s quite a good program. Does it include exercise? Taking care of your physical self is certainly not selfish, but I can see how those ideas could be confused, especially by people who are jealous of success.
Yes, especially here in Texas with these ridiculously large trucks. They even lift them higher than that! WW encourages exercise and they even sell a DVD set. You can earn “activity points” for exercise. I’ve been walking more and will definitely be adding some sort of regular program. Baby steps. 🙂