Welcome to the still point,
Releasing the urge to body check.
This is a meditation for moments when you feel the urge to check,
Fix,
Or scan your body for reassurance.
If you're here,
You're probably caught in a loop of body checking.
Maybe you've been pinching your skin,
Measuring,
Lifting your shirt,
Staring into the mirror,
Or mentally replaying how your body felt in your clothes.
Or maybe you haven't acted on the urge yet,
But it's loud.
Body checking is a form of self-surveillance.
It promises more control,
But it usually leaves you feeling more disconnected.
This practice is here to help you come back to your body,
To your breath,
To your truth,
Not your fear.
Let's begin by stepping away from the mirror,
The reflective surface,
The tight clothing,
Or the triggering environment,
If you can.
Go physically to a space where your body doesn't feel scrutinized.
I'll wait.
Go somewhere comfortable and sit or lie down in a way that feels supportive.
Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a slow,
Steady breath in through your nose and exhale gently through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale into your belly,
Let it expand,
And exhale slowly,
But this time letting the breath rise and leave through the crown of your head,
Clearing mental static.
Allow yourself to quickly check in.
What are you feeling physically?
Just notice.
How about emotionally?
Can you be curious about what's under that urge to body check?
Fear?
Panic?
Self-doubt?
Maybe a need for reassurance?
What's there?
And how about energetically?
How do you feel?
What does the urgency feel like in your system?
Is it buzzing,
Frozen,
Spinning,
Or tight?
No judgment,
Just notice.
Let it just be information.
Now place one hand on your belly and one on your chest or over your heart.
Stay with your body,
Not your image of it.
Feel the warmth of your hands.
Feel the rise and fall of your breath.
You do not have to look to know that you are still here.
I want you to lean in and breathe into the tension.
Inhale deep into your body,
Into the places that you want to flatten or shrink or change.
And exhale out through the top of your head like a fog lifting.
Repeat gently to yourself,
I am not a problem to be fixed.
I don't need to check my body to deserve peace.
Let's do a few rounds of breathing and urge surfing together.
Notice the urge to check,
To pull,
To compare,
To scan.
And instead of obeying it,
Just breathe.
Exhale through your crown.
The urge may rise,
It may crest,
And then it will pass.
You do not need to fight it.
You only need to stay with yourself.
Keep breathing.
Inhale into your belly,
And exhale through the crown of your head.
I am right here with you.
After a few inhales and exhales,
You can also try grounding into sensation.
Feel your seat beneath you.
Feel what's supporting you.
And wiggle your toes.
Touch a fabric nearby.
Let your body become real to you through feeling,
Not through judgment.
Now,
Place both hands over your heart.
Take a breath here.
Now,
Pee to yourself.
Even if I feel uncertain,
I can choose not to turn against myself.
Even if I feel uncomfortable,
I can stay present.
My worth does not live in the mirror.
Let your breath soften.
Let the energy of the urge begin to unwind.
Let yourself feel what's underneath.
The vulnerability,
The fear.
Breathe into that too.
You don't have to like your body to make the choice not to punish it.
You don't have to feel safe to practice safety.
You are uncomfortable,
But you're not unsafe.
Let's close our practice with one final breath together.
Inhale deep into your belly.
And exhale slowly out the crown of your head.
Clearing the pressure,
The noise,
The fixation.
And say softly,
I do not have to check to be okay.
I can be in this body today,
Even without certainty.
And hey,
You showed up.
You stayed.
You are already choosing recovery.
One urge at a time.
Great job.
