Yoga for body awareness and acceptance
There's a constant buzz around the negative effect of our Insta, filtering society has on those of us that aren't perfect.
Arguably that's all of us, or none of us depending on your outlook.
I now wonder, how much of this unrealistic input is due to a need to create a different reality as a buffer acceptance? Either due to negative self image, or self protection.
The creation of an environment that protects and nurtures us can be an extremely effective self care method. I think the issue comes when a fake and unattainable self portrait is propogated to a wider audience.
Celebrities are universally lauded and used as role models despite there being significant evidence of many celebrities living less than fulfilled lives.
What has yoga got to do with this? Yoga gives us a powerful presence in the body. We breathe and move awareness, head to toe and into our inside organs as well. As we move, we gain an appreciation for each flexible muscle, each expansion and depression of our lungs, the beauty of watching legs, arms and torso move beautifully. Our bodies are incredible.
For those mirrors in studio yogis, we can gain a visual image of the beauty and fluidity of our movements.
The icing on the yoga cake is that we can use breath and movement to regulate our parasympathetic nervous system, heart rate and cortisol among many other unseen benefits.
When you look at it like that, yoga is a tool that means you don't need a filter, but where you can relish the beauty and power of what is.