As you may have noticed, I’ve lately been on a theme of reflecting about my attitudes about my body. I know I am not alone in having a love-hate relationship with my body; so given that I am in a helper/healer role, I aspire that some of my insights and experience will be helpful to you as well.

This week I had an opportunity to step into deeper acceptance and even embracing of some of the imperfections of my body.

I had a photo shoot this week.

I had to take new pictures for my website and a project I’ll be sharing with you soon. These pictures are to be my image for the next few years. I wanted to look my absolute best.

Enter body challenge #1:  I’ve gained about 10 pounds in the last year.

I’ve been in a sweet relationship for just over a year, and with that come all of the fun activities of courting: Eating out, picnics, making dinner together, and even discovering soft-serve ice cream (or “creemees” as we call them in Vermont.) In a nutshell, I’ve been eating a lot more than I normally would as a single woman.

The result: extra pounds that don’t quite fit in the same summer clothes I wore last year. I’ve been thinking about shifting things around a bit to shed a few pounds, but the reality is that I really haven’t. And frankly, I’m really allowing myself to get to a place of true body-love as opposed to diving into a weight-loss program per se. (I’m also in the midst of creating a new program to help people with their weight and so the last thing I want to do is to start dieting, which is not what I stand for.)

Enter body challenge #2:  An allergic reaction that gave me puffy eyes on the day of the photo shoot.

Blow-fish look is NOT the look I want to have as my image for the next few years! I had to wait and see whether I would reschedule my photo shoot or if the swelling would go down. Everything was feeling perfectly aligned to do the photo shoot so I started surrendering to the idea that I might not have perfect eyes in my pictures!

I chose to allow my body to be perfectly imperfect for my photos.

I drank lots of water and (at my sister’s suggestion) asked the angels to help me resolve my eye puffiness. I also did some lymphatic drainage massage on my face. It did indeed get better by the time we took the pictures.

My eyes weren’t perfect. My weight is not where I want it to be. But I can still choose to feel joyful and be fully me.

What was magical was that I decided to embrace my body exactly as it is in this moment, and I think the pictures will come out great. I am trusting that my heart, my joy and my caring will come through in the pictures.

How about you?  What is not perfect in your body in this moment?

Can you accept it as it is right now?  Perhaps the answer is no. If you can’t accept it, how can you be at ease with where your body is at right now? The more you can be at ease with what is, the more you create an opening for shifting. It’s paradoxical; but the more you fret and resist what is, the more entrenched it becomes.

If it’s your weight that is bothering you, stay tuned because later in August I’ll be sharing lots of tools to help shed weight but also to come to a place of acceptance (and even love) for your body.

Like my puffy eyes, things shift more easily when there’s love and acceptance. You’ll see.