Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to youo Odyssey Podcast, where your guides, Tara and Karen invite you on a transformative journey toward wholeness and personal growth.
Each week we'll discuss topics related to the human experience and offer insights to help you along the way.
Please note this podcast should not replace medical care or advice.
We are not licensed healthcare professionals or mental health therapists.
If you enjoyed today's episode, subscribe so you don't miss out on our future discussions.
So, explorers, let's dive into today's episode.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Hey explorers, it's Tara. Karen and I are so glad you pressed play today.
We've been exploring gratitude all month, what it looks like in our relationships, our healing, and even our grief.
But today we're turning inward. We're talking about the part of gratitude we often overlook.
What it means to thank your body.
You know, the one that's carried you through every season of becoming. That one.
[00:01:23] Speaker C: Your main ride, your vehicle.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: Your vehicle. That one.
That one. We talk a lot about gratitude for the things and people outside of us. Family, friends, blessings, opportunities.
But the body itself is often left out of that conversation.
We want to shift that, to see gratitude not just as a mindset, but as something we can feel, something that lives in our muscles, our breath, our heartbeat. It's about recognizing the sacred partnership between you and the body that lets you live, move and create.
We'll dive into reclaiming gratitude for our body, how shame disconnects us from our physical selves and practicing somatic gratitude in everyday life.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: Embodying gratitude in our body. Yeah, I love that.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: So many of us grew up learning to look at our bodies through criticism, comparison, or performance.
We were praised for shrinking, changing, achieving, but rarely for simply being.
[00:02:31] Speaker C: We don't recognize. Well, I think as humans, but for sure, in our culture, like, what a beautiful vehicle container that this is.
How lucky we are.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: How lucky we are. Gratitude asks us to shift the lens from judgment to reverence.
I love that word, reverence.
Your body isn't an obstacle on the way to worthiness.
[00:03:00] Speaker C: It's not an obstacle on the way to worthiness.
You are worthy in this moment in your body.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: It's home.
Think about everything your body has carried. Late night tears, belly laughs. And in Karen and I's case, the weight of children, the stress of survival, the beauty of new beginnings.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: Yeah, the joy of being out in nature and feeling that expansiveness and just using all of your senses. Like there's just so much that goes on with our bodies and in our bodies. We're in communication with our bodies all the time.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: Gratitude for Our bodies sounds like thank you for breathing, thank you for healing.
When we start to speak to our bodies with that kind of compassion, we, we begin to rebuild trust in ourselves.
[00:03:58] Speaker C: That's something I say every day, especially on my walks. Thank you for the use, full use of my limbs and my senses that I can be out here experiencing this thing, this, just this world, this nature, like just thank you and to really lean into that gratitude and just that knowingness.
[00:04:21] Speaker B: Yeah. So shame teaches us to separate from our bodies, to treat our bodies as enemies instead of allies.
It tells us our bodies are too much or not enough and forces us to apologize for taking up space.
That's what shame will do for you.
[00:04:43] Speaker C: That's an insidious. Like I noticed like even recently when I was going down, I think I told you about that shame spiral. I was going down was late and out of communication with my son's coach. All that.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:56] Speaker C: You can't, you know, I was like, I was going out myself. I got in my. I like consciously got in my body, went for a walk and just talked it out, talked through it.
Cuz I felt like it was separate.
[00:05:10] Speaker B: I felt like I was separating myself.
[00:05:13] Speaker C: From my body and I wasn't loving myself. So as I was walking it was like I was like reconnecting and I was reassociating and forgiving myself. But it was a very embodied like moving my body, speaking the words out loud, getting curious about why. That was my reaction. What was that trigger? Like, what was that? And then just leaning into that and being compassionate and giving myself grace and forgiving myself. Like wow, you're being hard on yourself. Let's think about why that might be so. And just kind of.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: And like.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: And I did emotional freedom technique. I literally worked through it, talking it and like 10 minutes and I was good.
Like what a gift.
Connect to our bodies and ourselves and like and bring it back together. When we do feel that separation, that disassociation.
[00:06:04] Speaker B: And here's a truth explorer. Our bodies are not mistakes.
They're records of our living.
Every scar, stretch or softness tells a story of endurance.
When we're stuck in comparison or perfectionism, we forget the body's sacred purpose, presence.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: That's the whole point.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: Yes. That's what we're here for. Gratitude breaks the cycle by restoring relationship.
I am not at war with my body anymore. I can honor what my body has endured.
Healing begins when we stop demanding our body be perfect to be worthy of appreciation. Right.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: Just being in your body, present and mindful and connected to your body.
That is a gift, right? That is the gift.
Because the more present behind your eyes are, the more you're feeling sensations and, and also noticing things, the more real or impactful it is and the more accepting and kind you are.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: I think to yourself, yes, yes.
So when we let gratitude enter the space of body appreciation, it interrupts the old narrative. It reminds us that healing doesn't come from fixing our bodies or tweaking this or moving that. It comes from listening.
Listen to your body.
[00:07:30] Speaker C: Yeah, we were just saying this, right? If your body says, I want to.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: Take a nap, you should probably be taking it. You should probably take a nap.
[00:07:36] Speaker C: However you make that happen, I don't care if you have to sneak out to your car.
Yes.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Just a quick little nap.
So I also wanted us to explore some practices for somatic gratitude. But before we dive into the practice, I wanted to get us all on the same page. So. So we're speaking from the same definition and I was so like geeked out. Like I. I understand to somatize and things like that, but I never thought about it in connection with gratitude.
[00:08:05] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, haven't either until right now in this moment.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: So somatic gratitude is the practice of experiencing thankfulness through the body. Not just thinking grateful thoughts, but feeling gratitude in our breath, our movement and our senses. It's about reconnecting to our physical selves as a sacred partner in life, not a fix it project.
[00:08:27] Speaker C: Oh, so that's what I've been doing.
[00:08:29] Speaker B: That's.
[00:08:29] Speaker C: You've been.
[00:08:30] Speaker B: That's what I've been doing.
[00:08:32] Speaker C: I'm so grateful to this and that.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: My little sense of smell. And I know that my negative.
You have been practicing actively. Somatic gratitude.
[00:08:42] Speaker C: That's cool.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: So what does this somatic gratitude practice looks like? As Karen said, it could be a morning check in.
Maybe. Before you get up out of the bed and run on about your day, place a hand over your heart and whisper one thank you to your body.
Yes.
[00:09:01] Speaker C: Asking your body what it might need at this moment. Would you like some water?
[00:09:07] Speaker B: We would like a spot of tea, some sodium.
Check your levels.
[00:09:13] Speaker C: You need to exercise. You need to move your body.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Yes.
Thinking of movement in terms of mindfulness is also a way to practice somatic gratitude. Walk, stretch, or dance. Not to change your body, not to make it look or be differently, but to be with it.
With your body.
That's exactly why we dance in your body.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: Ah, I'm so grateful I can do this.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: Another practice is how we respond to criticism when we catch those critical thoughts. Respond Instead, with gratitude. Thank you, skin, for holding me together.
This shift in our inner dialogue can begin to heal. Years of disconnection acknowledge the positive impact.
[00:10:01] Speaker C: That cartoon is having on your life, like, without you even realizing it.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: And I think the biggest somatic gratitude practice is to speak gently to ourselves. Talk to yourself about your body in a way that you'd speak to someone you love.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: I love the way you're. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Yes.
Wow.
[00:10:25] Speaker C: That color looks so be like, oh.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: The sun in our skin today. Look at it.
Oh, yes.
And gratitude is how we remind our bodies. It's safe. It's safe to rest, safe to breathe, and safe to belong.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: It's safe to be you inside of you.
It's your kingdom. That is your castle. That is your queendom. You know, it's your sacred, safe space. And if you aren't feeling safe, safe for yourself in there, then maybe look at how can I create safety for myself in connection with my body in my body and in connection with my emotional thoughts, my energy.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: All right, this is fun. This is beautiful. You need a definition for somatic gratitude. Like, oh, my goodness, you are such a dictionary. I love the research you do. I love.
[00:11:22] Speaker C: And guess who doesn't.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Explorers.
[00:11:25] Speaker C: That.
[00:11:25] Speaker B: The lady that. That one right there.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: That's why it's such a beautiful partnership. She geeks out going to the stars, and we meet somewhere in the middle.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: So I have a song for this episode that speaks to what it means to come home to yourself.
I invite us to let this song remind us that our body is not something to fix, but something to be grateful for. Something to thank. And the song Body by Julia Michaels.
[00:12:01] Speaker C: A love song to the body.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: Check out this week's song on the YO Podcast playlist on Spotify.
[00:12:16] Speaker C: I love any kind of movement that brings you really present right into the moment.
And you combine that with gratitude.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: It's not.
[00:12:26] Speaker C: You're not just in your body, but you're actually, like, proactively, like, sort of thanking your body as you're feeling and being in your body.
Like, I'm just so relaxed right now.
That combination.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: Not just.
[00:12:41] Speaker C: I'm feeling gratitude as I'm in my body.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Yes, it feels really good. She said, I just want to love my body. It's so such a honest and, like, the song felt raw. Like, and it captures the tension between, like, the messages that we hear about our bodies and ourselves and the grace of learning to love our body.
[00:13:06] Speaker C: And it's so interesting to think about learning to sort of see, connect to your body.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: Like someone who loves you see, and.
[00:13:14] Speaker C: Connects to your body.
Kind of third party that back into your imagine.
I'm going to love my bio.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: This person I was like. And even as, like, I'm listening to the song, I'm not even thinking about it as a person, but, like, as a being. Because we are divine.
[00:13:33] Speaker C: Right.
[00:13:33] Speaker B: We were created perfectly imperfect.
[00:13:37] Speaker C: So there was parts of the song where I couldn't tell if she was talking about a partner or she was talking about herself.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Right, right.
And I was like, oh, I thought, yeah, that was fun. Thanks, Julia. That was beautiful.
[00:13:52] Speaker C: Thanks, Julia.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: All right, so it's time for today's question, and I feel like this is going to be easy. Like, it should be an easy answer. Let's see. Stop it. Okay.
[00:14:04] Speaker C: It's when she thinks it's going to be easy question that I start crying.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: Crying. She's. She's sweating. Her body is ready. I'm a little.
Okay, Seriously. Okay.
What's one way you can thank your body this week? Beyond how it looks?
[00:14:23] Speaker C: I'm becoming more mindful of what I selectively put into my body.
Not because I want to, like, lose weight or. Or say that I'm taking care of my body. It's not for that reason. It's for honoring the divine temple that it is. That is a shift that I'm experiencing currently.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Yes. I love that through, like, nutrition and just the total wellness. Like, really looking at the whole picture of your body, like, what you're putting into it.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: How do I feel after I ingest this thing?
[00:14:58] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:15:00] Speaker C: And maybe have that in form.
Not doing that, that.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: I mean, a good. A good gluttony session.
So I. I think my answer echoes yours. Like, not. Not doing these things to change or change externally. Like, it's really internal, like, being fully appreciative of my body and all of the seasons, it's carried me through and will continue to carry me through. I've definitely been in the habit this year building, like, good wellness habits.
It becomes a habit. It's like, oh, I walk X number of days. It's a habit now. It's a habit now.
[00:15:41] Speaker C: Part of how I take care of my body, you know, and you find that it's so often those things that you're stating that you're doing to take care of your body just takes care of other aspects.
[00:15:52] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:15:52] Speaker C: On that walk, you're like, oh, I figured out the answer to that problem. Yeah, I talked this through.
Or, you know, whatever it is, it's amazing.
[00:15:59] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
All Right.
[00:16:01] Speaker C: The divine temple.
[00:16:03] Speaker B: It is a divine temple. Treated as such explorers, your body has been your constant companion. It's your right. Before you even got here, it was.
Your body was and is the first place of belonging. It deserves your compassions, patience and thanks.
[00:16:27] Speaker C: First place of belonging.
That's powerful.
Yes.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: I have a quote from New York Times best selling author, activist, thought leader, spoken word artist and founder of the Body is not an Apology global movement Sonia Renee Taylor. She said, your body is not an apology.
It's a miracle.
[00:16:56] Speaker C: Acknowledge and treat as.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: A miracle. Your body is a miracle.
[00:17:02] Speaker C: The fact that you are here at all, spirit or body, is a miracle.
Acknowledge as such beautiful, simple guidance.
[00:17:09] Speaker B: Our bodies have held every version of us. The tired, the joyful, the learning, the healing, the child.
Yes. And this gratitude we're inviting you to practice isn't about perfection. It's about honoring the miracle that keeps showing up for you day after day, season after season, appreciating what is. Yes. When we choose gratitude over criticism, we transform the way we live inside of ourselves.
Until next time, stay. Stay kind to your body. Rooted in compassion and remembering. This body of yours is nothing short of a miracle.
[00:17:53] Speaker C: The image came in of, you know, we serve our bodies, serve us right. It is the closest relationship you will have inside this human body.
So think about it. Treat it as you would want to like feed your child or give it enough fresh air and exercise. Think about it in that way and take good care of it and it will take good care of you. It's a long journey.
Make sure you have the vehicle in proper working order.
So thank you for being here with us today explorers in your body, in your heart, we love you so much and take good care.
Thank you to Queenies in downtown Durham for the use of their community podcast studio and for welcoming us to so warmly. Each week we'd like to give a shout out to Coco Cinnamon, the birthplace of 1023 Media and the yo podcast. Please support your local women owned minority owned coffee shop in downtown Durham.
Brought to you by Durham based 1023 Media, a heart centered woman owned multimedia company. Sam.
