08/21/2024
Yesterday, a couple of dear friends came to my class. Afterward, one of them noted that it was the first time she had ever been in a class where pretty much everyone's bodies looked like hers.
When I think about all of the time I spent afraid of my body changing, afraid of what it would steal from my life to exist in a big body, it took me so long to realize how much I didn't even want those things.
I lost the performance of health, and gained more accurate measures: good sleep, delicious food, long days of rest, genuine connection fostered through play and conflict and understanding, the ability to feel the wind on my skin without the dread of someone's eyes on it.
My classes and my practice will always welcome fat bodies, disabled bodies, q***r bodies, sick bodies - because we will all be that at some point in our lives. Our bodies will change and we have to use our yoga and our communities as a place where that is welcome, expected, and loved wholeheartedly.
Have you touched your belly today? Really touched it? Have you given yourself a few long, deep breaths?
