Are You Perfect Yet?

I've been making a vow to myself to practice yoga more; to reap the mental and physical benefits; to build a strong, aesthetically pleasing body from passion over movement, rather than jumping and lifting and forcing my body into a particular shape as defined by work out videos or fitness magazines. 

This is easier said than done. I, like you, I'm sure, want to look attractive and be at my physical best. There's nothing wrong with that; I'm all for enhancing attractiveness (if this is a goal you care about, as I do). But, when we're scrutinising our bodies, wondering why that stubborn area of fat won't shift, or why your waist isn't this size or your ass that shape, stop and think about where that insecurity is coming from.

If you take care of yourself through diet and exercise, the chances are that you are already a wonderful, healthy and attractive version of yourself.  

How did health and beauty become such a narrow, ego-tripping category? Why do we limit ourselves to such constrained definitions, when beauty is, in fact, so gloriously varied? 

And, crucially, why are we plagued by these insecurities, and what do they mean? 

Well, this:

Those body hang ups of yours are nothing. They should be meaningless, if you are healthy (as in, you eat well and move well) and your body allows you to experience the things you love in life. (Or, perhaps your body isn't healthy, but is doing its damned best to be; that power, and how you care for it in that time, should also leave you body-hang up free. It's trying to do something amazing and keep you experiencing this planet, and that's beautiful, right?)

It's this culture of sexual objectification that has us trying to jump through hoops to fit something that was never intended to benefit us. 

I love beauty, I love health. I love eating so that my skin glows and my hair is thick, and moving so that I can create strong legs and a strong core. I'm not denouncing that. I'm denouncing those narrow standards that are the reason your best friend, who is so gorgeous already, looks in the mirror and says, 'not enough!'.

I think we could all do with a little more awareness as we move around the world with the ways in which we are manipulated to think about our own bodies, our own self value, and those of others...

We create our own bodies through our diet and exercise choices, but, we should work with them (our bodies), not against them. 

... so here's to a little self-love and appreciation. 

What amazing, simple, complicated, beautiful things did you experience through your body today?

Balancing Act

I would like to dedicate this post to my favourite Yogi: Kathryn Budig.

Yes, yes, you've heard of her, I know, but she's such an inspiration, I just want to share some of her awesomeness here today.

If there's one truly amazing thing that Kathryn promotes, it's this: balance. Life is a balancing act, whether you're on the mat, or in daily life. It goes like this: don't get stressed trying to be perfect in everything you do. You are imperfectly perfect; you are you, so celebrate it! Being healthy isn't just about exercise and drinking green juices, it's also about being good to your soul. That means a really good yoga work out, balanced with a cocktail while you catch up with friends; it means drinking a delectable green juice, and having an equally delectable dish of pasta for dinner. Let go of rigidity; it doesn't create wellness, only mental unease; embrace nurturing every aspect of your being, instead.

I recently saw a status update by the yogi queen on facebook:

Student: Master, how do you become wise?
Master: Good choices.
Student: How do you make good choices then?
Master: Experience.
Student: And how do you get experience?
Master: Bad choices.

Relax. You don't have to be perfect. Be good to yourself, explore, discover and have fun!