Body Talk... My recent post reciting a love letter to my menopause belly spoke to a lot of you. So many of us journeyed through life bombarded by societal, cultural or family messaging that has impacted the way we speak to our bodies and show up in the world (and in the bedroom!). And then menopause comes along and those messages are amplified. We begin to fight what feels like a losing battle against the sociocultural ideal of the forever youthful, slim and fit body. In my own family of origin, I witnessed the women around me preening and looking after their bodies with just as much reverance as disdain. This influenced the way they viewed other bodies. One of my most vivid memories was the ritual of gathering to view the Miss Universe pageant - admiring, scrutinizing, celebrating and feeling validated and when one of our own won 🇨🇴 🇪🇨 🇻🇪 🇲🇽 And so I grew to view my body as flawed, inadequate or needing to be more of something. I have been both skinny shamed and fat shamed and have criticised every body part at some point in my life. I began to notice that the self loathing, comparisons, envy and constant striving for the ideal body also distorted the way I viewed other bodies. After giving birth to my daughter 19 years ago, I chose to show up differently in my body - kinder, more loving and accepting- because I knew the thoughts and beliefs about my body would impact her. When I began guiding women to connect to their bodies through embodiment, yoga and movement, I knew I had to be at peace with my own body to appreciate and embrace the full spectrum and beauty of all bodies in front of me. The yogic scriptures refer to the body as “sukrta” – well made, beautiful. Sukrta describes the essence of our wholeness, perfection just the way we are, in this moment, free of internalised beliefs, cultural and systemic conditioning. Moving towards compassionate acceptance of our changing bodies is not always easy but considering our bodies and ALL bodies as well made and beautiful expressions of our wholeness can be a start. What stories about your body are you ready to let go? #bodywisdom #bodytalk