impRAWvise 

Hey there! It’s summer time again and I am so excited. Its been getting really nice outside lately and I have personally enjoyed being more out there, in nature, with my dogs of course, who absolutely love and adore our longer walks, whenever possible, therefore I have decided to address a gentle and sensitive topic in todays post. As summer comes, we might get a bit more in tune with our bodies, therefore today its all about our relationship with our amazing bodies that simply do so many things in order to keep us safe and in balance and many times, in our modern, fast pace world we might simply forget to take proper care of ourselves, of our bodies, and just take it all for granted. But, there is still hope, as we can always choose again and shift our mindset and get to experience a more profound way of connecting to and listening to our bodies and our intuition as we get more in tune with ourselves and continue to thrive. It is not always easy, but with time and practice we do get to make better and more informed choices as well as get to know and understand ourselves better in order to be able to make those conscious choices. Summer is not just about getting a perfect beach body, but it does trigger a sense of self awareness, but it can also be a great starting point to pay more attention to the messages that our bodies has been sending us, sometimes for a very long time, but we simply refused to listen to.

It took me almost 10 years, to be honest, to actually get to this point of loving and accepting my body exactly as it is and being grateful for all the amazing things that do unfold naturally on a day to day basis. As someone who has been through many challenges with eating disorders, I have struggled for a very long time with the topic of body image and self image, and this combined with anxiety and panic attacks has just been a very overwhelming experience from time to time. But, with therapeutic support, lifestyle changes and medication, when needed, I did get to a better place, not only when it comes to my relationship with food and food and lifestyle choices, but also when it comes to my own relationship to my body, being grateful for getting to experience this amazing life, cherishing the physical as well as the mental and spiritual aspects of life in a modern world, and taking time to reset and replenish whenever necessary. Its all about the beauty and magic of mostly the raw vegan food, but also as a lifestyle, that with time and patience helped me get to enjoy my food and food choices and have a healthy balanced lifestyle on an overall level. Its a mind-blowing experience for me now, as I witness the shift and the complete transition that I have been going through over the years in order to have a better and healthier relationship with my body, and now I am super grateful for the vegan and raw vegan lifestyle for helping me navigate those times of change with ease and grace.

I am not a fan of the body positivity concept, I do believe that on a deeper level, we do have to acknowledge what our body needs, but not every single time we get in tune with ourselves is going to get us to experience a major shift or a-ha moment. Sometimes, it just feels good to indulge in some not so health supporting choices, but most important is, I consider to find an overall balance. I don’t think that there is any one size fits all, or any perfect diet or lifestyle, and for sure, if you have read my other blog posts you know that I am all about abundance, not scarcity when it comes to food choices, restrictionist approaches can only work when there is a clear intention set and when it is indeed a so called threat, but otherwise when it comes to food choices in general, I do believe that moderation is a key word as well as an overall balance. But, still in order to be able to implement this, we do have to learn to make healthy, good choices on a regular basis, in order to give our bodies the ability to be resilient in times of change. Otherwise, if we just keep feeding ourselves in a way that does not support health and wellbeing, or we keep our minds stuck in a similar space, it is just going to became, at some point a stressor on ourselves on a long term basis. I also don’t think we should hide things under the rug, we all do it sometimes and it is perhaps a coping mechanism that might be helpful for some, but the truth is that change comes from accepting and being at peace with the current state of being as well as acknowledging at the same time what needs to be different in order to feel better and do better in life in general.

Our bodies have their own unique wisdom and just witnessing this miracle of life is simply amazing and unfolding so naturally and beautifully. When we do get to cherish, respect and celebrate our bodies, we do get to feel better and experience a better life experience on all levels, mental, physical and spiritual. When we are more present in our bodies, and aware of our own feelings and experiences as we process them internally as well as when we are more present, more connected to the moment and our surrounding and the people that we surround ourselves with, everything gets better. We can then feel it in our bodies when we connect with someone on a deeper and more truthful level as well as seeing it with more clarity when there is a disconnect. Sometimes it’s simply a situation that is not serving us, and by becoming more aware and present, we can make a conscious choice to keep in our lives what supports our own wellbeing and let go of what is not in sync with ourselves. Sometimes it might be easier and lighter to express this transition and some other times we might be simply perpetuating old patterns still in search of a solution, perhaps a new outcome that simply refuses to unfold, and then it is time to take a step back, reflect and get in touch with our truth and with our true selves. Being present in the moment is the best thing that we can do on a regular basis in order to build a sustainable, healthy, balanced lifestyle that helps us thrive and enjoy the moment as it unfolds.