Our First and Only True Possession
Our own body is the most precious possession we have in this life. Our one and only true possession. Yet how often are we looking after it in that way, with this mindset? Fine detailing it, refining it and polishing it with all the care it deserves for the life that it gives us?
We do some things to the outside for its presentation, perhaps we even do some small things to improve the way it serves us, but mostly we wait until it goes into problems before we give it any real attention. All of our distractions are to things outside, generally only sickness or injury bring us back and remind us that this body is it. The only one in this lifetime we get.
We can become so disconnected for the most part from our own bodies! The first step of good health is the awareness that you are the only custodian of your body, if you are able, you are responsible for its day-to-day health. Getting to know the vast universe that is our own physical body, physiological and psychological, is our own job, not anybody else's.
When we step onto the mat, we are invited to observe. To notice where the body is holding. To notice where the mind is gripping.
This practice of observation extends beyond the mat. Just as asana helps us release physical tension, and pranayama helps us clear the pathways of the breath, self-study helps us dissolve the unseen patterns that keep us disconnected from our deeper self. This is where yoga invites us in so beautifully. The practice isn’t only about flexibility or strength of body, it’s about the same of mind. It gives us the chance to listen, to feel, to notice the subtle messages our body is always giving us. With each breath, with each posture, we learn to reconnect to this vessel, to refine the relationship we have with ourselves.
Caring for the body in this way is not vanity, it’s reverence. It is honouring the only home we truly have in this life. It’s recognising that every moment of attention, every conscious breath, every mindful movement, is an act of deep self-responsibility.
As an extension of this work, we also offer our Dissolving Patterns program, a space where we explore the subtle habits and tendencies that affect our wellbeing. It’s another way of bringing awareness and care back to ourselves, so that the body, mind and breath can move together in harmony.
How much time in your day is dedicated to the focused caretaking of YOUR body? And what small step could you take to deepen that connection today?