Week 151: Self-Love - Are We Practicing It While Doing Yoga?

I can't tell you how many people over the duration of my career who've told me they want to lose weight. It is almost a given when talking about exercise. Or is it?

Research doesn't necessarily support that exercise alone will help you lose weight. Yet, the fitness industry rants and raves it as the (only) benefit of being physically active. 

Even this past week, I had a women who's sole purpose talking to me was about her losing 30 pounds. Unfortunately, each time she spoke of her weight, it was like her weight was a personal failure and she wasn't a deserving human being.

I know that feeling. I hate to admit it but there were many years of body hate. I recall taking scissors to my inner thigh and considering to cut. Of course, I knew enough (at lets say the age of eight) that that wasn't going to work. But the feeling of disgust with my body was all encompassing.

Full Disclosure: I still struggle from time to time about my body image. It is easy to fall back into old thoughts and self-talk.

Is this common? I hate to know the stats as I think it is more common than we know.

Slot in yoga...

A practice that is for oneself and within oneself. Not just the physicality of asanas but the breath work and mental meditation it includes.

I would argue yoga is the ultimate in self-love.

This week's practice drove that point home.

Initially, when I read the video title, I slightly cringed - "Yoga for Weight Loss - Hips & Hammies ". Oh no, not this message again. The expectation that yoga will cause weight loss. But as I got into the video sequence, I soon realized I was the one with the expectations.

Okay - exercise science doesn't support exercise (yoga) as a weight loss tool (unless you do many, many, many minutes a week) but taking care of oneself likely does. Now I don't have the science to back this one up but if you spend time taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, it can only make you better...and take you to a healthy weight.

"It is all about awareness and lovin’ yourself."

- Adriene
From Yoga with Adriene

I missed interpreted the video title to only be about the physical. Weight status is multifactorial. There are many reasons why people weigh what they weigh. From my experience, it is when your practice self-love, you become the best (healthy) self, no matter what your weight. 

A major reason I started my passion project, The Why I Move Project, was to make society become more mindful about their physical activity AND see that being physically active is much more that just your weight.

I am blessed each week to practice yoga. It is my gift to myself. 

Will you give yourself some love this week?
LW