Losing weight the normal way is easy compared to this.
Changing my diet, exercising, buying prettier clothes, all of these things sound lovely once I achieve some weight loss goals, but trying yoga?
At first, it seemed like a less humiliating way to get exercise and gain the benefits of spirituality — to infuse some enlightenment into the mix? Sure, why not, sounded good to me! So simple, really.
But I didn’t anticipate what might come up in working up a light sweat on a mat.
The clothes, for one thing. To squeeze my body into something so form fitting, let’s just say that was surprising.
Once I thought about entering my first yoga class, many old insecurities flooded me.
All these images swam in my head… Those tiny bodies, looking much better in tight clothing than I do, the teacher’s scrutiny during instruction. Could this be another instance where I’m judged for being heavy, which equates to unhealthy in other people’s eyes?
There was only one way to find out — GO.
My self-talk at present is encouraging myself to be brave and that means saying “yes” to things. My bucket list is completely about that significant word.
YES — I went to yoga.
YES — I opened myself up to just breathing.
YES — I saw a radical way to meld my mind and body.
Just saying that one word over and over again forced me to understand how much is truly opening for me. That I can finally see that others aren’t really judging me, but in fact, I judge myself before others even get there.
My body is not perfect, my goofy behavior most definitely doesn’t always go unnoticed, yet I’m grasping onto more possibilities than negatives. My body is my mind, and my mind is my body. They are interconnected, as much as I’m connected to everyone I encounter.
So I challenge you to consider having your own year of YES.
What types of things do you want to accept into your life?
Love,
Sammy
Single Wide Female (SWF)
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