You are a brilliantly unique work of art. The cells, the brilliant specks of stardust, that make you up have never before come into this particular orientation and never will again — and the consciousness within this masterpiece that is your body is so powerful, so enigmatic that we can say almost nothing about its qualities for certain. For this very reason, I want you to take a step back and admire, if you can, all of the beauty that you are, not in individual pieces but as a whole — taking, in this moment, your consciousness and body as one, like a wave and an ocean, inseparable and beautifully powerful entities.

With this, I pose a little experiment for you — and perhaps a ritual that you may adopt in your life as one of peace, for such is what it has become to me. You don’t have to do all of it, and you don’t have to do it for long — truly, you don’t have to do any of it if you don’t wish to. I’m just here to pose ideas that may interest and help you; it is wholly your choice to partake in them.

Essentially, the experiment is this: make every decision about what goes in and on your body consciously — I will soon clarify what decisions I mean by this, but first let me explain. Your treatment of your body, the masterpiece that it is, is a reflection of your treatment of and love for yourself. It is a part of you — nay, it is you; you are your body — and the manner in which you treat it will affect the way you are able to love yourself. This may sound a little dogmatic, straightforward, or sex-ed-teacher-esque, but it’s truly much more spiritual than that if only you let yourself feel it. This is where the experiment comes in.

I’m going to list below a few things you can do to consciously choose what goes in and on your body, as well as a few ideas you may want to think of when you’re trying them. You can do a bit of a thought experiment here just reading them, or you can physically do them if you so choose, or you can simply not do anything — I’m happy to have you here nonetheless, and I thank you for making it this far. I truly appreciate your presence, and I hope to help you in even the slightest amount.

1. Make and eat an unprocessed, leafy, wholesome meal — preferably, a tall glass of water, a nice salad (I typically opt for spinach), your fruit of choice, and perhaps avocado, pees, or any other vegetables you happen to fancy.

The big idea: every meal is an opportunity to thank your body (and, therein, yourself) for the work it does while also giving it the power to do more. A nice, wholesome, leafy meal like this allows you to do that in the cleanest and most productive manner, taking energy as close from the source as possible (since plants are the first to convert sunlight into usable forms of energy) and bringing you that much closer to the earth on which you stand. It is not only productive in this way but it’s also impeccably clean — there are no unnecessary fats and sugars to be had but rather only pure, unadulterated goodness, that which spends so much less time sitting in your stomach than processed foods and meats do. It’s a treat for your body in this way and, thus, since you are your body, it is a treat for you.

2. Shower with all natural, preferably organic, soaps, with the intention of cleansing the day away

The big idea: Just as eating all natural foods is easiest for your body to handle, all natural soaps are easiest for your body to process. Our skin wasn’t made to be covered in and cleansed by chemicals but rather by the simplest of natural ingredients, being water, essential oils, and fruit/plant extracts. Fret not, friends, you don’t have to make your own soap to do this — they sell plenty of lovely all natural soaps at every cornerstore and Walmart out there. Companies such as Dr. Bronner’s, Tom’s, and Burt’s Bees put out a wide array of wonderful shampoos, conditioners, body soaps, toothpastes, and deodorants, along with a hodge podge of other self-care products. Each of these earth-made products is free from harsh chemicals and all the better for you and your skin, and will also have the added benefit of not making you feel sticky/dry as I know some soaps tend to do. Because they are so simple, they truly feel exceedingly clean and light, and are a good way to ritualistically wash the qualms of the day away with the grounded beauty of the earth.

3. Exercise to the most of your comfort — and, if nothing else, stretch (or even practice yoga!)

The big idea: Without frequent enough exercise, your muscles, immune system, and bones will weaken, and your heart muscle will even weaken as your blood pressure remains rather high. I can fully understand feeling less-than-motivated to go out into the heat/cold/sunlight/public and jog, so this is why I offer quite the fun alternative — yoga! A healthy regimen of yoga (or, stretching, if you don’t feel like searching up yoga poses) will at the very least give your muscles a nice routine stretch and wake your body, and you, up to the fact that you’re a living, moving being in a great big earth. It helps you, also, to take control of your body and your health, helping you to feel more empowered and grounded to your body.

4. Take some time to meditate, whether guided or otherwise

The big idea: Being present in every moment of your life is both the end goal and the path, I feel, of these health-building exercises, and the very best way of doing so is meditation. I would highly suggested guided meditations if you don’t have experience with them, or simply if it might help you focus better on it (I know it helps me). Meditation is a very good way to bring yourself into the moment, ease your mind, and be one with your body — in that way, each of these experiments/tips, I think, is its own form of meditation, if only you allow it to be, for each necessitates careful attention to action and deliberate existence.

I feel this is a good place to end this short slew of tips and tricks on caring for your body for I don’t want to drone on too much on the topic. If you haven’t an interest in things stated here exactly, but want to do something like them, feel free to twist the little experiments into things that work for you, keeping in mind the basic premises they center around — being very conscious of the fact that what you do to/with yourself will directly reflect upon you. Remain mindful in each of your actions and you will soon see the weight of your own actions/existence first on yourself and then, as a result, upon others.

I thank you for taking the time to read through all this and I only hope I could have been of some help to you. If there is anything I can do, say, or write on to help you, I’ll be more than happy to act on suggestions made in the comments section.

I wish you all the love in the universe, my friends.