How to Get Your Body Back

I had an experience the other day that I’d like to share with you.

It happened while I was in my kitchen making a cup of tea of tea. My baby had just gone down for a nap and the house was quiet.

I grabbed my favorite new cup from the cupboard. It was an oversized mug with a large sturdy handle, just the way I like ‘em. I delightfully swirled fresh local honey, from the cutest little honey pot my friend gave me, around and around in the cup.

I brought the tea to my lips. It was the perfect temperature. 

I could feel the warm liquid move down my throat. I could taste the sweetness. Like really taste it. The amount of honey I had dissolved into the warm liquid was also perfect.

I could feel my feet on my kitchen floor, my back up against the counter, and my hands holding the warm mug. I watched the birds outside the window happily fluttering around the back deck. 

I took a deep breath.

I was in my body. 

And I thought, this is what it means to get your body back.

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve “lost” your body, you may feel a strong urge to get it back.

As a mama of a four month old I’m a target for ads like, “15 ways to Get Your Body Back After Baby.” So naturally, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to “get your body back” and what it doesn’t mean, too.

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What getting “your body back” does mean 

It means coming back into your body. It means embodying, or including, your body.

This means feeling – the sensations, the cues, the needs, the desires – all right there – inside your body, informing you of what you need, when you need it, and how much.

It means taking the brave, rebellious, revolutionary path of  s l o w i n g  d o w n  so you can actually hear, connect, be with what is arising in your body. 

It means knowing what’s arising is wise and truthful, even when it may not be convenient, pleasant, or what we think “should” be surfacing.

It means getting out of your head and leaving behind the “rights” and the “wrongs” that further disconnect you from the more powerful information coming from the core of your body.

It means bringing your body with you everywhere you go all. day. long. as you walk down the carpeted hallway to your meeting, drive your car, brush your teeth, or log into your email. It especially means bringing your body with you to the table to taste, smell, experience. 

It means getting back to – or beginning for the first time or for the thousandth time – a kindness towards your body. And taking whatever hard, helpful, courageous, accessible steps needed to inspire sincere and kind communication there.

Perhaps, most importantly, getting your body back means acknowledging you never “lost” your body in the first place. You may have left your body, but it has never once left you.

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What “getting your body back” doesn’t mean

It doesn’t mean further disconnecting from your body through rigidity or apathy.

It doesn’t mean taking an authoritarian stance over your body by restricting or punishing it until it reaches x weight or pant size. Bodies aren’t meant to be manufactured or landscaped.

It also doesn’t mean shaming yourself or your body until you reach said weight/size.

It doesn’t mean taking a passive, inactive, or indifferent stance either, neglecting the needs of your body.

It doesn’t mean going on a diet. Nope nope nope. Those don’t work, no matter how motivated we might feel this time.

It doesn’t mean starting a rigorous exercise routine out of the blue with no warning or proper preparation.

It doesn’t mean believing your body is a problem to be solved or denying that where we start, always, is meeting ourselves where we are now.

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While drinking my cup of tea in the kitchen that day I was back in my body –something I’ve missed during this crazeof pregnancy and now, motherhood. It’s something I’ve longed for. It hasn’t always been this way. There have been many times where I’ve wanted to be anywhere but my body.

Being in our body is bold. Hard. Incredibly rewarding. It’s also the “secret” you won’t read about in the “get your body back” articles.

Here’s to you and me getting our bodies back.

With love,

McKenzie Zajonc

PS: I've officially returned from maternity leave! If you've been wanting to work these topics and you think I might be your person to do so, now is a great time to jump in. Simply set up a discovery call and let's chat.