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3 Ways (Yoga Included!) to Shift Your Body Image, by Anna Guest-Jelley, MA

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

A friend recently asked me how I made the shift towards a more positive body image.

And I froze.

Despite writing about this often and thinking about it even more, an answer didn't easily spring to mind. I think that's because it's a monolithic question in a lot of ways, and I've done SO many different things that it's hard to narrow it down.

Drilling Down

After shaking off my initial brain freeze, I did the next best thing I could think of: spout off some platitudes—therapy, journaling, blah, blah, blah.

Now, those things aren't blah blah to me—not at all. They're actually two of my most important tools that I use on a regular basis. But they were blah blah to her at the time because I knew she'd heard it all before, and she was struggling. She wanted to hear something different, and I knew I wasn't being as real as I wanted to be.

One More Layer
There were a few other friends in the room, so the conversation continued for a bit without me. I listened to them with one ear and to myself with the other—asking myself, "What has REALLY made a difference to me?"

And then it hit me.

As soon as I could, I jumped back into the conversation and told my friend, "One of the biggest things I did was completely change my environment."

That got her attention.

Creating My Life
From there, I went into further detail. First up, I let go of toxic friendships—the ones that drained me of energy because they were all one-sided. But also the ones where all we talked about was how much we hated our bodies and needed to go on a diet. Now, I didn't just call up these people and break-up with them in one day; my process wasn't that quick. But over time, as I saw our relationships more deeply (or, rather, saw their lack of depth), I had less desire to spend time with these people. And we gradually drifted apart—no passive-aggressive melodrama necessary.

Second, I also changed my home. I got rid of all the clothes I was hanging onto for the hopes of fitting into one day. I couldn't believe the shift that created for me energetically. I quite literally felt freer after unburdening myself of the expectations infused in those clothes. I also hid my scale from myself. Of course, I knew it was still there, but more often than not I didn't think about it when it wasn't the first thing I saw every morning. Again, over time, as I fell out of the routine of weighing myself two-three times a week, I missed it less and less.

The Myth of Giving Up
As I read through this list, my inner critic thinks, "You didn't change your environment. You gave up!"

And, my, isn't that a pervasive myth? We even have jokes about it—how people get older, married, in a busy job, have kids or whatever (it really doesn't matter the reason, does it?)—and they "give up." In this scenario, giving up is meant to mean on the way they look. What a sad social construct.

First of all, I think this is ridiculous, offensive, and designed solely to support the diet and beauty industries. Second, you know what looks better on people than a smaller pair of pants? Not hating themselves.

Truly, don't we all know those people whose bodies don't fit the standard beauty norms but who everyone thinks is radiant and gorgeous? I know I do. And it's not because of their clothes or makeup. It's because they have a light within, and they shine it out with confidence.

Where Yoga Comes In
Another thing I did to make a body image shift is commit to my yoga practice—for real. Up until that point I'd had an on again/off again relationship with it, but as I realized how yoga taught me to connect with my body on the mat, I quickly saw how it was supporting me in the same way off the mat. So I set about finding a way to practice every day, even if some days that looked like one deep breath with mindfulness.

The more I talk with people about how yoga affects their body image, the more inspired I am by how it creates a positive shift for so many types of people in different ways. Although yoga culture these days can sometimes contribute less positively to body image issues, the actual practice of yoga reconnects people with their bodies and gives them a way to relate to them that might otherwise be difficult or even in accessible.

Making the Shift
I know it can sounds like a lot, perhaps even too much, to change your environment. And I can hear the reasons as to why you could never cut that person out of your life. And that's probably true; it is for me. I still have people in my life who aren't 100% supportive of my body lovin' journey who I choose not to cut out (primarily because they're family members). So what I do with them is shift the conversation as much as possible, redirecting the topic when it shifts to bodies, calories, and dieting, as it often does.

You'll also notice that with everything I did, I said "over time" or "slowly." This didn't happen overnight?not by a long shot. So if there are things you might like to change in your life, figure out your own pace and method.

And start making the shift.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2014. All rights reserved.

Many thanks for your absolutely wonderful website and the good advice you give. I wonder if you could kindly suggest some spiritual exercises I can do on a regular basis to help strengthen and protect my aura and also enhance my magnetic energies so that I will be able to attract positive situations, events and circumstances. Thank you very much for your kind assistance in this matter. Blessings of love and light!

Jessica

Astrea:

Since a strong Spirit helps the mind and body to function properly, it's as important to do some simple exercises to strengthen our auras as it is to take vitamins and eat right. Assaults can come in many forms, so protecting your aura is as important as protecting your body. I'm not trying to be negative, just to convey my belief in staying on top of psychic protection and being strong.

While I'm sure there are many different exercises to strengthen your aura, here is a simple one that is easy to learn and employ.

You can begin either standing or sitting. Mentally surround your aura (not just your body) with a three-dimensional egg of white light. If you began seated, rise. Move about and take the egg with you while keeping it in place around you. Notice the ebb and flow of energy as your aura brightens and fades.

On the second day, take the exercise outdoors. Expand the egg and your aura with it. Change the shape as you encounter different objects. Feel how different things in the environment offer various degrees of resistance to your aura encased in your egg.

When your aura fades as it expands, brighten it. If it becomes too bright, bring it closer inside the egg. If it encounters a discarnate spirit or a blank space in the universe (and you'll feel that if it happens), bring your aura in close to your body.

On the third day, go back outside and as you expand your egg, wrap it around the objects you see, taking your egg and your aura to the most extreme distances you can. The further your egg extends, the more pastel and transparent your aura will become. Brighten it.

Do this in sections that correspond to your chakras by concentrating on the different bands. Watch how your egg changes shape and becomes more fluid. Observe how different your aura appears when it reaches out to a tree than when your egg comes into contact with a cat or some other creature. (Humans are especially difficult to wrap around. It's also best to only share what you're doing with carefully chosen individuals so that you don't wind up in a rubber room!)

As you get better at pushing and pulling your aura into the place you want it, begin to peel your egg. Start at the bottom, just like you would with a real hard-boiled egg, so that the peel comes off without leaving the underlying skin or any chips behind.

As you expand your aura's protective strength, you will find that people will meet you with more joy and cheerfulness than before, for people who care for their auras exude a certain Grace that makes the people around them feel calm.

*****

Susyn:

Thank you for your kind remarks. There are many spiritual exercises you can perform to stay in tip top metaphysical condition. The more you do them, the more youíll become like a magnet that attracts blessings to you.

Daily meditation is essential to maintaining your spiritual connection to a higher source. Think of it as your one-a-day vitamin to make sure that all systems are balanced. I recommend ten minutes or more each morning upon awakening, and ten more before bedtime.

It also helps to have a special place where you meditate each day. Create a sanctuary or altar for your personal use, and include candles, stones, incense and fountains to personalize it.

Once a week, I perform a clove bath ritual. This ritual helps seal your aura and cleanse away negative energy that has attached to you during the week. Fill a pan with four cups of water and add a handful (about 1/4 cup) of whole cloves to it. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on the stove for about an hour, adding water as needed to maintain the four-cup level.

This can also serve as wonderful aromatherapy for your home. After an hour, strain the liquid to remove the cloves, and then add it to your bath water. Soak in the tub for 20 minutes, immersing yourself entirely three times. When you have finished, youíll feel spiritually renewed and energized.

Once a month, perform a cleansing of your house and surroundings. You can use a smudge stick to purify and bless your home, which will clear out any negative energy or discarnate entities in the home. Moving from room to room, wave the smudge stick around door frames, windows, and electrical equipment, including computers, televisions, phones and electrical outlets. As you do so, ask that all dark energies leave the premises and that lots of love and light fill each room.

You can also add a metaphysical air freshener to each room. To create this air freshener, pour a small amount of sea salt into a bowl or dish and place a quartz crystal upright in the salt. This will keep your home free of lingering or stagnant negative energy.

I also encourage you to immerse yourself in daily spiritual study to expand your heart and mind as you explore the endless information available on how to improve your world with metaphysical practices. Begin with the spiritual practices that interest you such as tarot, astrology, channeling or psychic mediumship.

Performing all these practices regularly will give you optimum spiritual health and well-being, which will open doors to greater awareness, empowerment and wisdom.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.