What does a yoga body look like? Look in the mirror. That’s what a yoga body looks like!
Every once in a while, I look in the mirror, and although I am generally happy with my body, and just try to take care of it, keep it healthy… I often think to myself that I don’t have that typical “yoga body”!
I’m not long and lean – but then again I never was.
I’m not hyper flexible – but then again I never was.
I’m not your very calm personality – but then again I (really!) never was.
I say these things for ALL OF YOU who think that you need to be thinner, more flexible, more mindful etc… before you come to a yoga class. Our Instagram-society has made the *image* more important than the reality. I want to dispel the myth of what a yoga body looks like. I’ve had curves (that means boobs & a butt) my entire life, and most of the time, I appreciate them. When I was younger, of course I wanted to be taller, thinner, and flatter in a lot of places! With time, I’ve befriended my body because it’s the only one I’ll ever get. I try to treat it well (most of the time), I appreciate what my body CAN do, and I don’t dwell on what I CAN’T do.
I’ve had a “bad back” since my teens. I’ve learned to treat it properly and give it the care it needs so that it can serve me with love. I’ve learned practices to soothe the tension it holds, give it more space so it can breathe and move with greater ease. I don’t call it a “bad back” anymore. It’s my back and I’m grateful for it!
Teaching yoga for the last decade, I’ve learned how important words are. How we speak to others, and how we speak to ourselves. Most of us find it easier to be kind to others, than to ourselves. We’ll shower strangers with compliments and turn around and beat ourselves up over something we said, something we did, something we ate, etc…
Yoga is not offered to help us get better at the poses. That may come with time, but that’s not why we practice.
We meet up on the yoga mat to get better at life. We learn to listen to our bodies (they are always talking to us, but we don’t generally hear them); we learn to soothe the anxious mind, calm the nervous system, and allow our tired spirits to be reenergized. We learn how we can be more responsive to events, versus reactive. We learn to center & ground ourselves in the now. The only moment we have control over.
Yoga is meant to be accessible to all. I like to say that “if you breathe and you have a body, you can do yoga”.
Friends, our issues live in our tissues, so the practice of yoga (and it is a practice) will help you feel better overall, mind, body, and spirit.
So please don’t wait to lose weight, become more flexible, more mindful, before you join us.
Yoga is here to greet you exactly the way you are. We leave our egos off the mat, and honour our bodies just as they are.
♥