In the age where virtual reality is more important than the real world, it has become harder to understand what self love means, let alone practice it!
I was always teased for being “Too-skinny” and although I was not as receptive to this as you may think, looking back now I wonder if I was really hurt by such comments.
I was also fortunate enough to be brought up in a home where I was always told not to compare myself to others my age or otherwise. And over the years I've realized how important that has been for my self-confidence. Although this doesn’t mean I haven’t compared myself to countless Instagram influencers, I probably still do it to this day but I know that it doesn’t affect my body image!
Being healthy is more important than your weight, height or age!
If you were to ask me whether Yoga has taught me Self-love, I would have to say Yes! It took me years before I could bring myself to accept who I am, both physically and mentally. And Yoga did teach me how.
When I was a newbie to Yoga and Instagram, I would constantly look at my explore feed to see beautiful pictures of Yogis in handstands, headstands, full splits etc and wonder if I would ever be as elegant as them. Sometimes it was almost demotivating to see, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to replicate that level of beauty or effortlessness. Even to this day, I criticize myself on my practice, but I’ve learnt to make it constructive.
I have learnt to look at these beautiful pictures and take from it what I can that will be of help to me.
Yoga has helped me understand myself, I know now that my left hamstring is more flexible than my right, my left shoulder is considerably weaker than my right, my right knee is more susceptible to being hurt and so much more! You might not be able to notice these differences, but everyone has them! Our bodies are not made to be symmetrical, and everyone faces discrepancies like these, and if you ever work out then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
But do these weird quirks stop me from trying, no! And they shouldn’t stop you either. The real first step when you get onto your mat and try something out, new or old, is to be completely present and notice how you feel. Accepting these differences and working towards neutralizing them is the key to self love!
Even after 7 years of pretty consistent practice, I still notice these quirks every day, and maybe I will never be able to completely balance out both sides, but that’s okay! I can say for sure that knowing these things about myself makes me more aware.
Sometimes it may not be your flexibility or strength that’s stopping you from achieving a pose, it might just be technique! If one leg doesn’t work for you, try the other! Don’t give up!
If you can’t love yourself, I’m sure your confidence levels and body image will also take a massive hit. So what if you can’t do a full split, be confident that one day you will be able to, and work towards getting there slowly. You’re never going to learn to love yourself by saying mean things to your body, your internal positivity is what will help you appear more positive to others.
Being confident of your body, no matter your figure, weight, strength, fitness level, comes from awareness and acceptance! I promise you that with the right guidance in Yoga, you will learn to love yourself!
Don’t give up, learn to fall out of poses instead of being scared to try them in the first place!
What you practice on your mat translates directly to your life!
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