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Natural Awakenings Atlanta

Judge Not

Please be kind in your judgement of yourself.

Guests of my massage table often express that they are weak or lazy or just not … enough. I can bear witness these are not weak or lazy people, and they are more than good enough.

Sometimes, we get tired. Sometimes, utterly exhausted. That’s when some find their way to my hands. Some months ago, a professional dancer who also lifted weights and cycled came to me exhausted. He was hunched over from touring. He looked defeated. He actually called himself weak.

His tissues heard his judgement and resisted my work until I pointed out that his so-called weakness was the result of unrelenting dedication to his craft, thousands of hours of practice, and he deserved a break.

Once he heard this, he began to surrender. His skin where I was working blushed and started to move over the muscle, then the layers of muscle began to release from each other, followed by the ultimate release of muscle moving freely over the bones. It was a beautiful process to witness, and an honor to participate.

I have also had the sad experience of a guest who refuses to let go. Someone who will fall asleep while I do my work, and I feel their body release under my touch. But after they wake up, they say bad things about their own body, and I observe the body revert back to the same tension they brought in with them. They are cursing their own cells. After I worked hard to knead change in them. All I can do then is surrender, give them extra love, a little advice if appropriate, and send them on their way.

I attest that our cells do not reward us if we are being unkind to them. If we speak words of encouragement and love to our cells, they will change. They will be stronger. They will be healthier. They will operate as they’re supposed to.

I have been on my own journey to health. I lost 60 pounds in just more than two years. I didn’t do that by feeling bad and calling myself fat. I did it by telling myself I am beautiful, I am loved, I am gorgeous, and I am healthy. I did it by choosing to feel good, by walking through a room knowing that I was worthy of being there. Say what you will, along with diet and exercise, it worked.

It’s okay to work hard. It’s okay to push your body, find your boundaries and try to stretch them. It’s okay to hit the wall, get knocked down and ask for a helping hand. That’s why the divine intelligence created helpers and healers.

So, do your work. Bless your body. Don’t curse it. Love the skin you are in, and everything inside, too. It is truly the most effective way to knead change. Your resilience will shine when you learn to be gentle with yourself.

If you have a personal story of awakening that you’d like to share in Walking Each Other Home, please contact [email protected].

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