Showing posts with label body image. Show all posts

Body Image and Yoga

Yoga has kind of become my life. I started training to be a yoga teacher in January and I graduate in 3 weeks! I don't even know how that's possible. It's gone so fast!

If you would of asked me a year ago if I wanted to be a yoga teacher, I would of laughed at you. Now look at me. It has completely changed my outlook on life and what it means to be healthy in my own body.

Today I want to to talk about body image and all the reasons women specifically avoid going to yoga classes. This is important to me, because once, this was me. I would avoid going to a class because I didn't feel like I fit the "type" that did yoga.

It sounds silly, but there can be a misconception on who should be doing yoga. In todays world, body image is thrown down our throats. We are too thin. We are too fat. We don't have thigh gap. We have muscular legs. It seems no matter how you look, something isn't quite right.

As women we are always feeling pressured to look a certain way. This brings lots of self doubt and often makes us feel bad about something we may not even have control over. We detach ourselves from doing things we love or have interest in because we don't feel like we are good enough.

Not the best photo, but you get the point! - More professional photos coming soon!
 
Ladies, let me tell you something. ALL BODIES ARE NOT BUILT THE SAME. Studying anatomy through this journey has shown me that there are people out there who can do certain poses, and there are people who will never do that pose. It's not because they are not in shape, it's because their bodies were not build to get into that pose.

Our bones are not all the same length or even shape. If you are trying to get into a pose and you are experiencing bone on bone action, that is no joke. You can't force a bone to go somewhere it wasn't meant to go. I know plenty of "skinny" women who can't touch their toes. They were not build to do this. And you know what? It's perfectly fine!

Yoga is not about getting into that perfect shape, it's about doing what your body needs. Reap the benefits of the pose, and quit looking around to see how everyone else looks. I stopped doing this, and now I can get lost in my own practice. My body feels amazing and that is all that matters to me.

Once I got into this mind set, it made me realize that I am doing what my body needs. Not what someone else's body needs. In one of the last classes I went to, I looked up in a challenging pose. What I noticed floored me. Everyone in the room was struggling. It wasn't just me.

Yoga is hard sometimes for everyone. No practice is ever the same. We all have good days and we all  have bad days. I know there will be students in my classes that will be more advanced than me. I am okay with that. It is not a competition. We can all learn from one another.

So as I close this thought, I want you all to know, if yoga calls to you, just go for it. Your body will thank you. I also want to let you all in on a little secret. I am building a business plan to offer yoga to women who are afraid to take that leap. Build a safe space for them to come and be themselves and to still love their body, no matter what your "shape" is.

I feel like my purpose is to help other beautiful ladies love themselves as much as I have learned to love myself through this journey.

Share with me your experiences with yoga, and what if anything keeps you from going to a class. I would love to hear your stories! Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Trish List signature

Body Image

Unless you are living under a rock, you probably noticed a pretty ridiculous photo showing up all over the internet. You know the one of Kim Kardashian breaking the internet? I will not post the photo here because there is no need. You probably have fallen upon it if you frequent the internet at all. It was really hard not to see a photo of it, even if you really didn't want to.

Anyways, the point of this post is to talk about body image especially during the holidays. We as humans are very visual creatures. We thrive on the things we can see and sometimes that does more harm then good. As a society we believe the images of women that are thrown in our faces daily are the normal way to do look. Take for example; most magazine covers or characters we see on tv are super thin and have perfect makeup all the time. Now women believe they need to be super thin with a ton of makeup on to be desirable. 

Don't get me wrong, I am huge into fitness and being healthy, but I also know it is almost impossible for every women's body to be a size 0. Young girls see these images and think they need to look that way to fit in. I am a short person clocking in at only 4'11''. I will always be so called "small" but I am in no way ever going to be a size 0. I have wide hips and thick thighs. It doesn't matter how much I work out, they aren't going to just disappear and become tiny with a thigh gap.

Fast forward to the holidays. There is a lot of food and a time to indulge. You can still indulge without going overboard. You should never be afraid to eat a Thanksgiving meal because you believe it will make you fat. You constantly hear people complaining they gained 10 pounds over the holidays. This is just so hard to do unless you eat a few thousand extra calories everyday during that time period. Ladies you will be fine to indulge a little.

Now back to the photo of Kim Kardashian. She is known for her larger backside, and you know what? That is great. I'm glad she is not ashamed of it. However, I am not all that thrilled that she did it in a way that was super fake. They have photoshopped the crap out of it. It makes me angry that we can't just be ourselves when it comes to showing the world what we got. It sends the wrong impression when we rely on photoshop for ever single picture we take, to make us look "good". How are people supposed to recognize you when you are just being you?

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays. Have a piece of pie. Get a little more stuffing. You can do all of that in good moderation. Be happy and enjoy every minute of it. Love yourself and others will too. Remember looks and beauty change with age. If you spend to much time focusing on it now, you will miss out on life.

Love you all! Have a great Thanksgiving and have some pie! <3