Body image and self-confidence are very important topics in my life. For many years I struggled with my appearance and my belief in myself that I was capable and strong enough to make any positive change in the world. I deprived myself of the food I enjoyed and the activities I loved to do, like swimming, because I felt embarrassed about myself and I did not feel worthy of that enjoyment. Now that I have recovered from these struggles with a great support system, I am passionate about helping others to recognize their worth and strength. I believe strongly that yoga can help to promote body confidence and self-love because, in just a few months, it did that for me and improved my quality of life.
To begin, pranayama was crucial in my yoga journey. I had always been self-conscious of my shallow mouth breathing and how quickly I would run out of breath while working out. Once I learned full complete breathing and ujjayi breathing, my entire body felt different both while exercising and in daily life. By breathing deeply and making sounds, I felt more grounded and active. I also felt more assured in the power of my body and the importance of my life by exploring my breathing and the power of different breathing techniques. I think every person, especially those with low self-worth and self-confidence, would benefit from reflecting on their breath.
To add, meditation helped me immensely and can help with body image issues. Before practicing yoga, I thought meditation was not helpful, but that was because I was not doing it correctly. The use of the soft Drishti gaze and lifted posture create a much better experience than before I learned about the details of meditation. The daily meditation practice involves learning to let thoughts come and go without holding onto them. Making this habit regular means getting better at letting negative thoughts pass without putting importance on them even while not in meditation.
I would also like to discuss the empowering quality of asanas. Negative body image can cause people to avoid any exercise that involves others seeing their bodies move. This is why yoga is a great way for people to enter a safe space and become more comfortable with themselves around others. Seeing everyone sweat, make mistakes, and make progress together encourages everyone in the room to practice the asanas without feeling judged. This is why yoga is an extremely healthy and useful way to work on negative body image and lack of self-confidence. Everyone who walks into a yoga class is coming to work on themselves in some way or another, and that makes a yoga class a great, inclusive environment.
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