In Creating A Sustainable You, I wrote that I believe there are three essential steps to sustainably changing your eating patterns, because removing unhealthy habits – let’s call them addictions – from your life is a courageous step that deserves to be done properly.
In Creating A Sustainable You – Your Beliefs, I discussed the first step. This article discusses the second step.
Remember how courageous you are for deciding to do this sustainably, because you may have had this pattern for 30, 40 or even 50 years! So it’s important you acknowledge this. When you do you may go a little easier on yourself if things don’t change in an instant!
Once you have a firm understanding of your beliefs around food and your body (read Creating A Sustainable You – Your Beliefs), you permit yourself to let go of those, which no longer serve you. It’s like being stuck in the mud – you won’t get out if you don’t believe you’re stuck in it, will you?
When you completed this process you allowed yourself the vision of what your body will look like if you gave up these old behaviours and beliefs and consciously started to make new choices.
This is where the power lies.
When you are completely honest with yourself you will maximize the benefits of this activity. Grab your notebook and pen again, take yourself to a quiet space, where you feel safe, and know you won’t be disturbed. Read through this process first and then do it in a way that feels best for you.
Sit with your feet firmly on the floor, so you can sense the connection between your feet and the earth. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths, right down into your belly. Imagine a red spinning wheel at your tailbone – this represents the first chakra, the energy centre where we store our beliefs. Breathe into this bright red wheel and notice how you feel. Recall your beliefs around your body image and food, as you discovered in the last exercise.
Now bring your awareness to the area around your pelvis and reproductive organs. This is the location of your second chakra – represented as a bright orange spinning wheel. This energy centre is responsible for your vitality, sexuality and potency. Breathe into this area and become aware of what you notice. Often, when we have had any sort of trauma or addiction (unhealthy habit), we unconsciously block this energy centre, resulting in blocks to our creativity and generative power – directly affecting your feelings of vitality.
Once again bring up an image of your body, as if you are looking in a mirror, and notice what you see. Ask yourself:
“How would I treat that person in the mirror when I am caring for them?”
“What would be available to me if I decided to change these habits?
Now bring into your awareness someone who inspires you. Ask yourself:
“What is the quality I admire about that person?” (This quality is a disowned aspect of you.)
“What will I experience if I could fully embrace that quality? What will I have more of? Less of?”
Allow yourself to see who you are with that quality. Ask yourself what resources you already have that will allow you to integrate the quality and decide upon an action you can take that will allow you to integrate it into your life.
As you do this, look in the mirror of your mind and allow yourself to see who you truly are now that you have integrated the quality into your life.
The last step is to repeat to yourself, seven times, “I Am (The Quality)”. Now you will allow this quality to direct your choices around your body and health.
Take three deep breaths and bring yourself back to your conscious awareness. Write down anything you need to fully integrate these learnings.
You have now agreed to take ONE action, to change your unhealthy habit to a HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE habit. What’s important is that you place awareness on this one thing every day.
Remember, you are making a conscious CHOICE, which must be supported by inspired action by you. Read Creating A Sustainable You – Change to learn more about the desired changes, and tips for sticking with it, to make it a sustainable part of your life.
Create balance and harmony in your body, not trauma and chaos. And ENJOY THE PROCESS.
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