Just yesterday my friend and I were having a discussion about being a rebel. There was a time when I prided myself on being different...now I just care about being me (it just so happens that being me usually does mean being different...or so I've learned over the years). We talked about how being different from the norm can be exciting and empowering but also lonely. Today I want to remind everyone of one simple fact -- you're not alone. There's someone feeling the same thing, thinking the same thing, being the same as you. Even if that person hasn't or isn't going through the same thing or experiencing the same circumstances as you, he/she has the same feelings, doubts, fears, secrets.
So often today, the media paints a picture that people accept as the norm and anything/one that deviates from it is somehow bad, wrong, not enough. All it takes is for people to say "NO, I don't accept this" for change to happen. I'd like to acknowledge that not everyone who practices yoga looks like the folks on the covers of yoga magazines. I'd like to say that I don't accept that the norm is thin, married/in a relationship (and a male/female one at that), rich, well dressed, well traveled, has 2.5 children, a house, and a dog. I think there's no such thing as normal -- there's only you. You don't need to fit into the picture of "normal" or match up with the images in the media. You only need to be you. Be true to you. Don't try to make yourself fit into a certain size jeans, a certain relationship, a certain ideal, a certain job, a certain income bracket, or a certain yoga pose. Just be.
To honor this, I'd like to share with you the Size Does't Matter Yoga Challenge. Join in because size doesn't matter but you do. And for any Yoga Journal staffers out there -- I double downward dog dare you to put someone from this challenge on your cover (stop giving lip service to yoga for every body and actually show some real bodies). Perhaps if you did, I would once again subscribe to your magazine.
And for those of you thinking you need to sweat it out, push harder, burn the fat, make your body do your bidding, here's a little something on the value of slow movement. Yeah, contrary to popular belief, faster ain't better.
Yeah, I guess you could call me a rebel. I don't believe in living how you should. I believe in living who you are. Size, speed, normal, etc. doesn't matter. YOU do.
Namaste!
< Amazon.com Widgets
