One thing I have learned is that my only true chance at liberation is to face my fears and EXPOSE them to render them powerless over me. This blog is an integral step in this process for me. Oftentimes, facing our fears isn't a tremendous act of bravery but rather just being tired of being stuck in a certain situation fabricated and intensified by the mind.
For those of you that have read my Fat Yoga Teacher blog, you are aware of the challenges I've been facing regarding weight gain and body image. The struggle is REAL, even for (especially for) a professional yoga instructor. And I am frankly tired of beating myself up and being so critical and mean and judgey toward my body! I am tired of my self-esteem being so intricately tied into how I look and most importantly how I perceive others to judge me or be attracted to me (or not) for my physical shell. <<< it's exhausting being so neurotic. not exactly sure what I just said.
I am tired of feeling bad about my body because it's not 22 anymore and it's not as tiny or firm or conventionally "attractive" or "sexy" as the media tells me it should be. As I tell myself it should be. So as an act of liberation, I exposed my body in a bikini on a paddle board in the midst of a public lake. Without the crutches of shorts or a coverup.
This was super scary stuff for me. But it also felt amazingly liberating! Doing yoga requires a lot of bending over and twisting and other movements that make you feel vulnerable and exposed - but doing them in a bikini in the middle of a lake while the instructor paddles around taking pictures takes it to the next level.
But it felt really good to accept my body exactly as it is - focusing on how strong and capable it is rather than the optics of it. We are our own worst critics! The horrible things that we say to ourselves we wouldn't even dream of saying to those we care about or even to perfect strangers.
So let's liberate ourselves, ladies! Let's stop judging ourselves and other women based on their looks! Let's stop looking at the extremely doctored images in ads and feeling inferior! Let's transform our ATTITUDES towards our bodies and let our bodies be free of judgment and perceived shortcomings. Let's stop conforming to conventional wisdom of beauty and appreciating it in ALL shapes, sizes, colors. Let's enjoy foods that we love without GUILT or punishment. Let's move our bodies in ways that feel good; nourish our bodies in ways that produce happiness; speak of our bodies only in reverence.
Once we start LOVING our own bodies with all its perceived flaws and imperfections, the less threatened we will feel by others. What we see in ourselves is what we also see in others. How we judge ourselves is how we judge others.
Annica! Annica! Annica! BE HAPPY! BE HAPPY! BE HAPPY!
But it felt really good to accept my body exactly as it is - focusing on how strong and capable it is rather than the optics of it. We are our own worst critics! The horrible things that we say to ourselves we wouldn't even dream of saying to those we care about or even to perfect strangers.
So let's liberate ourselves, ladies! Let's stop judging ourselves and other women based on their looks! Let's stop looking at the extremely doctored images in ads and feeling inferior! Let's transform our ATTITUDES towards our bodies and let our bodies be free of judgment and perceived shortcomings. Let's stop conforming to conventional wisdom of beauty and appreciating it in ALL shapes, sizes, colors. Let's enjoy foods that we love without GUILT or punishment. Let's move our bodies in ways that feel good; nourish our bodies in ways that produce happiness; speak of our bodies only in reverence.
Once we start LOVING our own bodies with all its perceived flaws and imperfections, the less threatened we will feel by others. What we see in ourselves is what we also see in others. How we judge ourselves is how we judge others.
Annica! Annica! Annica! BE HAPPY! BE HAPPY! BE HAPPY!
