Gratitude Massage and Luxurious Body Butters + Lotions

Happy Easter + Passover, my love!
(if you celebrate these)

I’ve written some thoughts + wishes for you around this holiday over on Instagram. I’d love for you to read them HERE.

I’m beaming in this weekend to introduce you to one of my favorite self-love practices – a Gratitude Massage – something you’re definitely going to want to incorporate – this week, and always.

This upcoming week we experience the energy of the waning moon, culminating in a New Moon in Aries on Sunday, April 11th. The waning moon is the same energy as Fall – both the outer Earth season and your inner hormonal season (the luteal phase of your cycle).

You may find yourself a bit more emotional, critical, irritable or fatigued this week as your body + spirit intentionally bring into your awareness that which may need “shedding” (like the leaves falling from the trees). Shedding is not an easy process to be sure; and it’s natural to feel resistance towards releasing habits, patterns, ways of being, relationships or thoughts that aren’t serving your highest good (but can feel more safe & like “home” than the unknown of change).

The emotions you feel are usually symptoms pointing you towards a root cause that needs examining. This could be the way you’re incorporating movement (or not), the food you’re eating, how you’re spending your time + energy, your emotional or mental landscape, where you’ve overextended yourself or things that are out of alignment with your true desires (to name a few).

We can then use the energy of the new moon to release what must be shed to aid your expansion + growth (stay tuned for a juicy, sacred intentional ritual I’m sharing later this week to do this!).

As the energy of the waning moon can intensify or bring up emotions + feelings, I’ve often found this can turn into a deeper criticism towards oneself, ones performance or one’s body. As such, this GRATITUDE MASSAGE serves as a wonderful antidote for this natural inclination.
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Most of us woman grow up having a negative relationship with our bodies. We’re taught at a very young age that they should look one specific way (skinny & small), otherwise they must be manipulated & changed by any means possible.

This creates a relationship rooted in self-loathing and/or the constant evaluation of your worth based on HOW your body looks (versus how you feel IN it). It makes you look upon your body with dissatisfaction and perpetuates low self-esteem, “never enoughness” and often keeps you stuck (because you can become hyper focused on changing your body versus living your life fully, seeking pleasure + joy and figuring out what personally & uniquely lights you up).
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I say no more, first of all. Second, beloved – you are so much more than your body (and how it looks) AND your body is your sacred home (?? @sarahjenks). If you acted on THESE beliefs, what different actions would you take to care for it? How would it change the way you speak or think about it?
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For me, this Gratitude Massage became particularly potent during my postpartum with Felix, when I began implementing it more regularly.
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It’s a powerful way to embody appreciation (a, extremely transformative emotion) for your sacred home, while standing for her worth – as she is now – and for all years & ways she (your body) has been there for you, held you up (literally) & carried you throughout your life.
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✨ Gratitude Massage ✨

WHEN: do this any time you’re putting on lotion, body oil or body butter. You can also use a luxurious salt or sugar scrub in the shower, doing this ritual then instead.

HOW:

• Start at the feet, taking your time to massage the lotion/oil in, expressing gratitude. Ex: “thank you feet for walking me thru every moment of my life”.
• Continue up the body, taking time to massage appreciate each limb // joint.

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Other Examples:
– “Thank you belly for housing my creativity & intuition.”
– “Thank you arms for holding my babies.”
– “Thank you legs for carrying me.”
– “Thank you face for expressing my joy.”

It can also be as simple as, “Thank you. I love you. I appreciate all you’ve and continue to do for me” for each body part you touch.
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When you offer appreciation in place of criticism (especially to your most “hated” places), you’ll notice the feelings you experience IN your body shift drastically. And this, quite frankly, can be the beginnings of change that ripples into every other area of your life. Cheers to that!

 

Sending you love & appreciation for your amazing body + spirit. xoxo. – W

Here are my absolute FAVORITE lotions, body oils + butters and sugar scrub:

• My All-Time Fave Body Butter: Primally Pure Almond & Vanilla Body Butter. Be sure to use my discount code (LINK HERE).
• My All-Time Fave Lotion (super light): Beauty Counter Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer
• Beauty Counter Melting Body Balm
• Beauty Counter Luminous Hydrating Body Oil
• Primally Pure Body Oils – Jasmine or Blue Tansy (I like this better in the summer and/or on my arms & chest).
• Beauty Counter Sugarbuff Body Polish

*If you’re new to Beauty Counter, get 20% off your first order using the code CLEANFORALL20 and select me as your consultant!