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Are you having a hard time letting go of self-limiting beliefs? Is your inner-critic relentless? Do you have anxiety about being good enough? Have you been shamed about your abilities, body type, gender…? This guided visualization can help you let go of the toxic beliefs that others projected onto you, beliefs that never had anything to do with you. Through this process, those beliefs, and the painful toxins they've created inside your mind and body will be transformed into precious gems. When we see negativity and criticism for what it is (fear and control), we set ourselves free.

The hungry ghost is a metaphor used in addiction recovery, borrowed from Asian spiritual traditions. The image is a being with a large empty belly and a tiny, skinny neck. This being is eternally hungry, because no nourishment can get inside. For emotional eaters, the metaphor describes the desire to eat, even though there is no physical hunger. The hunger is vague, a tension in the body that may not even feel emotional. And while the tension is persistent, it's hard to connect with a specific feeling or event.

In this guided visualization, you will connect to your hungry ghost, gently offering opening and spaciousness to the tight or tense places. This makes room for the emotion to come so that it can be expressed and then dissipate, as all feelings do.

If you can listen to this podcast when you are having the empty ghost feeling, you may find it effective at relieving the desire to eat. You may also find it easier to understand what the tension in your body is really trying to tell you.

If you are a chronic dieter, struggle with an eating disorder or feel like you can't trust your body, you may need help re-connecting to your natural signals of hunger, fullness and cravings. Listening deeply to your body's signals allows you to become a natural or normal eater. You no longer have to rely on diets or plans to tell you when, what or how much to eat. You were born with hunger, fullness and cravings to guide you.

Similarly, you may have been using exercise as a way to lose weight, to earn calories, or to punish yourself after eating too much. Here, you will reconnect to the pleasure of moving for fun and play.

You can live a healthy and fulfilling life without obsessing about food, weight, or exercise. You can become a natural eater and a natural exerciser.