Yoga and the Be Body Positive Model
Yoga philosophy says that we are eternal souls who have forgotten who we are. We identify with the body and the mind–we think that is who we are–and this ignorance, confusion, and wrong thinking is the source of our suffering. The practices of Yoga are intended to help us correct that thinking and see the truth. As we come to understand our true nature, our feelings about our bodies change. We come to realize that our bodies are the sacred vessels we inhabit, which allow us to live, grow, and evolve. We learn to treat them (and our whole selves) with love and kindness so that we can focus on fulfilling our purpose (or dharma).
Releasing the Pressure to be Perfect
One night during the summer of 2014 I found myself sitting in my parked car after a night out, sobbing my eyes out over my body, as I had countless times before. But this time there was something different; I wasn’t sobbing because I hated my body and all of the misfortune that I believed it brought me (although I did still feel that was true). This time I was sobbing because I was so exhausted. At the age of 31, after about 20 years of trying to “fix” my body and “figure out” how to have the “right” body, I just couldn’t believe that I was still in the same place of despair.
Self-Care During Times of Personal and Collective Struggle
Sometimes, figuring out our needs doesn’t feel like the priority. Sometimes it feels selfish to think about. Sometimes it feels impossible to think about. How does this reality fit into our self-care practices and routines?
Why I Won’t be Pursuing Weight Loss as a Solution to my Chronic Pain
There is a very loud message that comes from doctors and society at large: If you’re in a large body and you have pain, it’s your fault, and everything would be better if you weren’t fat.
How Diet Culture Sneaks Into Our Psyches
When I decided in 2014 that I was going to quit dieting, I felt like I was on the precipice of an exciting, yet terrifying adventure.
While I was certainly onto something big, important, and very different from what I knew, when I look back, I think I was actually approaching the anti-diet lifestyle with a diet mentality to a large extent.
This Year, Try a New Approach to Wellness
An alternative way to pursuing health in the new year.