Hello hello, Soulies.
We are so very close to Spring and on most days, you can feel the warmth in the wind.
It’s around this time of year that some of us start thinking about getting into better shape for Summer. I’m always late to the party on this getting into shape thing. I’ll try on a dress, that might be a little tighter than it was last year, or the bra strap latches get slightly adjusted. Sometimes I think, “hmmm, I probably should have committed to that sit up routine I wanted to do, to try and shift some of the post baby belly weight” considering my youngest is 8 in a few weeks… I would say I have failed at that one. Bahahah
Recently I attended the TedX Talk in Maldon. The topic for this series was “Uncomfortable Conversations” There were guests talking on all sorts of topics but one women in particular really stuck in my mind. She walked out onto the stage in a red silk robe. I knew something interesting was about to unfold because you could tell she had nothing on underneath of that clingy red robe. It clung to her voluptuous body and left very little to the imagination.
She walked up to the microphone and slowly slipped her robe off her shoulders where it landed on the ground around her feet. She stood there, stark naked in front of a gawking crowd.
I learned forward in my chair to witness her courage and make sure I didn’t miss a word, as I felt, if she was bold enough to make that statement with her body, then I was intrigued to hear what would come out of her mouth.
This woman is an artist and also a live model for artists in different mediums, be that sketching, painting and sculpture. She talked about body image and the day she was first asked to sit as a model. She had all of these body hangups and worried that they would see all the things she hated and judge her. The first time she sat for a room full of 15 artists, she sweated so much with self-consciousness and the pressure to hold the same position for hours that she became more worried about the sweat marks she’d leave when she stood up, than of the rolls on her body that felt too squishy.
At the end of the class, all of the artist turned their work around to reveal 15 totally different visions of her body. Each artist has focused on a different part of her being. There were images of her eyes, her jaw and nose, the line of her shoulder, the curve of her hip, the way her legs crossed, her bum, the curve of her breast, one even featured her waist, and the fore mentioned squishy rolls, but the impressions were so sincere and gentle that she was moved to tears of beauty.
How had these people captured her so beautifully without even knowing her?
She considered, perhaps they weren’t blinded by all the things her inner critic says that she is supposed to be. They simple saw her lines, the grace and flow.
No emotional attachment, no critic, no self-shame - just the beauty of lines, curves and space.
Over time she also became able to shut down the inner critic stories and removed the emotional attachment to all the things she is meant to be, of how she is “meant” to look.
Now, she only sees the beauty and the gratitude of having an able body. She double dared us (and now I am passing it on to you) o go and stand in front of the mirror - Naked, and witness yourself through the eyes of the artist. See your curves, your lines and your flow and shout some love at yourself and your body because you are precious and unique.
If you train your body or want your body to be better, make the goal to be about how it will make you feel and the benefits of being stronger and more able.
Don’t do it to fit someone else idea of how you “should” look.
You are a piece of living, waking art.
Thanks for reading and I hope this sparked a reminder to embrace your beautiful body through a new lens and give it some love today.
xoxox Gayle.
