I just read a really interesting article by Sacha DeVoretz (@SDeVoretz) on the Huffington Post called Am I Too Big For Yoga?
Ms. DeVoretz asks some thought-provoking questions in the article – like why do yoga magazines and yoga clothing manufacturers feature tiny, wispy little yogis when in reality so many of us have curves and may not be a size 2…or 4, or 10…? I remember a moment during my yoga teacher training when a beautiful, exotic looking woman who looked pretty tiny and very fit to me broke down in tears because of her very real struggles with her body image. And I sometimes feel the same way – like even now, with the strongest body I have ever had, that I still don’t measure up. I’m a mom and a yoga teacher and my body shows both. And I should be proud of each curve, right?
In the article, Seane Corn responds to the authors questions by saying that yoga meets you wherever you are – on the days when your pants don’t fit right or a quick glance in the mirror shows that maybe your belly isn’t what you want it to be. I guess my challenge might be in letting go of the shiny silver mirror and what the media or my yoga mags say I should see when I look in that mirror and instead embrace that “the mat is my mirror.”
Each time I step on to my yoga mat, my reflection turns inward, away from physical appearance and towards the practice of yoga. The mat doesn’t reflect my outward features, but the state of my heart. Are my poses open? Am I ok being with myself and my feeling in each asana? Is my mind
open to learning what each practice has to teach me? These are more important questions, I think, and each practice brings me closer to accepting and loving my body just the way it is – curves, scars, and all.
