We all know that we should take care of our bodies; in fact, we beat ourselves up for not doing enough of it, but what if we traded all that guilt and self-abuse in and proclaimed…“My Body is My Temple”? This month’s Girltalk…Taking it Deeper™ challenges you to treat your body to a month of self love. Join us, won’t you? To download this month’s PDF Discussion Guide, click here. For more information on Girltalk, click here.

A personal note from Christine Arylo, founder of Girltalk:

My relationship with my body has never been my strongest relationship. For me it’s not that I hate her, it’s that I forget about her. I can go months without looking at my toes, feeling my calf or noticing that I have this appendage called an arm. I take my body for granted, as if she is always going to be there to be the workhorse I have always expected her to be. As an achiever I have driven her past the brink of exhaustion on many occasions to ‘get the job done’ and the truth is that I have treated her more like a piece of machinery at my beck and call than as the temple that she deserves to be treated as.

The other truth is that without her, I would be nothing. I don’t exist on this planet without her. My spirit needs this form to be on this earth. None of the passions, missions, dreams I have can be accomplished without her. And although I like to think that I am in charge of her, the truth is that very quickly, if I don’t adore her the way a temple deserves to be adored, she will be in charge of me, and I won’t be able to do a darn thing about it.

Just think about any time you didn’t feel good physically — from a canker sore to a cold to a much more serious condition — you were at the mercy of your body, and the only way to change the situation was to treat her well.  Well, what if :

• We treated her well before she revolted and got sick?
• We treated her well, despite our judgments on what she ’should’ be?
• We treated our bodies like temples, and everyday that was the lens through which we made choices?

This month I dare us all to find the answers!

The Girltalk… taking it deeper April Adventure:  “My Body is My Temple”

Make the commitment to making your body your temple for the entire month of April by following these Body Temple guidelines. Start the practice now, before you meet as a group, and keep a journal about what you learn along the way. Then when you gather as a Girltalk… taking it deeper group, share what you’ve learned, using the Girltalk… taking it deeper conversation starters on page 3.

1. Every morning, before you get out of bed, close your eyes and talk to your body. Yes, have a conversation with her. Ask her “Body, oh temple of mine, what do you need today?” Okay, I know it may sound a bit hokey, but trust me, this kind of stuff works. Fake it till you make it. In other words, be willing to try it, feel uncomfortable and have a breakthrough. You’ve got nothing to lose.
2. Live with “My Body is My Temple” as a mantra and a lens to make decisions from. During each day and throughout this month, think about the choices you make from the standpoint of, “Is this treating my body as a temple?” Notice I didn’t say ‘jail cell’ where you get all controlling and start putting crazy diet rules on yourself. I said temple. Think about food, movement, sleep, affection, clothing, bathing, anything that affects you physically. Make ALL choices based on what does support your body as a temple.
3. Adore and adorn her. Temples are beautiful places that are cherished and beautified. This means nothing other than loving your body for the next month. No harsh words or judgments, just love. You start to judge? Stop and love instead. This also means bringing out her beauty. No sloppy sweats with stains or a shirt with a hole in the armpit. Think Aphrodite: What would she put on her temple? You don’t need a new wardrobe; just put on your body what a temple deserves–clean, pretty and loved items.
4. Try new. Whether it’s your food, your clothing, your body movement and exercise, whatever… introduce new practices into your daily life. Eat raw for a day. Wear a pink scarf to work, with rhinestones! Do smoothies for breakfast. Have fun by trying new stuff.
5. Share what you are learning. I’ll be documenting my journey on this blog and also on my Madly in Love with ME Facebook fan page. I know I will learn lots and you will too, and I’d love to hear what you are discovering. So go to our Madly in Love with ME Facebook Fan Page and share with the community what you are learning.

Last thing…Whatever you do, this self-love practice MUST be about self-love. This means no rule setting, deprivation, starvation, crazy diets or anything that makes you get stressed out, feel bad or be hungry or in pain. The challenge is to treat your body like a temple, while loving her and you every step of the way.

P.S. I am posting blogs all month long, so you can keep getting inspiration for your temple. The latest was My Temple Wants New Underwear.  

April: “My Body is My Temple” Discussion Guide

Be Real. Sure we’ve all heard each other moan and groan about looking fat, or feeling tired, or not having time to get to the gym, but let’s get deeper and more real about our relationship with our bodies:

• If you are treating your body as a temple today because of this Girltalk adventure, what were you treating it like before?
• How do you take your body for granted? Has she ever gone on strike? And if so tell us about what she did.
• What is your motivation for taking care of your body today – to get into a shape you believe you need to have? Lose weight? Stay healthy? What unhealthy motivations are driving you or keeping you from body temple status?
• What “a-ha” moments did you have from the My Body is My Temple daily practice? What surprised you?

Be Wise. Deep down, beyond the social conditioning and self-sabotaging thoughts, we all know what our bodies need… share your body’s wisdom:

• What habits, beliefs and patterns keep you from treating your body as a temple?
• Who do you know – fictional, celebrity, famous, or just an everyday woman – that does treat her body like a temple? What does she do? And what can we learn from her?
• If Aphrodite the Goddess of Love, Sensuality and Beauty, were to sit down for tea with you to tell you all the secrets of treating your body as a temple, what three secrets do you imagine she would share?

Be You. Take self-loving action vs self-sabotaging action with your body, and make her the temple she deserves to be!

• What does treating your body as a temple mean to you?
• What one action will you take to treat your body like a temple, starting now?
• What will you need to say YES to in order to keep that promise? What will you need to say NO to?

Have a great time Girltalking and treating your body like the temple she is!

With big heart,
Christine Arylo

Chief Girltalker

To learn more about Christine Arylo, creator of Girltalk… taking it deeper™, inspirational catalyst and self love expert, visit her at www.daretoliveyou.com, a virtual cornucopia of self-love inspiration created just for you. JOIN the international self-love movement, MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME & download her free Madly in Love with ME Guide, full of daring and practical tips on how to fall more in love with you everyday, at www.MadlyinLoveWithMe.com.