10 - Perception & Connection

When you start to learn to pay attention--to wake up to really WHAT IS--your perception becomes more true. And that’s when we can start to change things we want to change and move through emotions/moments/situations that we want to move through. Becky teaches us about inter-connectedness and how we can find the truer perception by expanding what we are connected to. We discuss how Candace has changed her perception about her body by noticing what she was connecting the thoughts about her body to. Once she changed, or expanded that connection, she was able to have a truer perception of her body. Becky leads a meditation to help you expand your interconnection and gain more wisdom. If you are feeling stuck, try changing your perception. Want to learn how to change your perception? Listen to the episode. 

"We are convinced that our perceptions are correct and complete, yet often they are not. In the Chinese character for perception, the upper part is 'sign' or 'appearance' and the lower part is 'mind.' When we perceive something an image of that thing, or a sign is created in our mind and in many cases the sign is illusionary and it is very easy to confuse our mental image of something with its reality. So it’s important to not be too sure of our perceptions." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

My Body is History 
by Candace Little 

My great great grandmothers worked out all day,

their dresses filled with sweat.

In making a meal, they burned more calories than they consumed...now tell me is that not the best kind of diet to get?

I’d bet they fit in 10,000 steps each day,

meeting their target heart rate was a breeze

and they cut out all processed foods, sugary treats, and drinks

with total ease.

Why then, were they

wider than

their husbands?

Their roundness plain as day?

Their skirts around their thick wastes even with no baby on the way?

Why then

did they have soft stomachs? Jiggly arms and expanding thighs?

It’s because the world we live in now

is selling health as a disguise.

My history tells me the truth.

My present sadly lies.

My future is something that I get to build. With my soft stomach, jiggly arms, and expanding thighs.

This is a story about my body.

But not a story of love or acceptance or pride.

It’s not a story

of bravery

or feeling free.

This is just a story

of a woman

Who finds more truth in

the past than

in the present.

This is a story of a woman

who is done

listening to the lies.

And I hope it’s a story about many  women

who are about to realize

it’s a blessing for us to have our grandmothers with us

In our arms and our stomachs and our thighs.