“The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.”
- Yoga Sutra 2.54 Translation by TKV Desikachar
Body positive. We’ve heard this term being bandied about for the past few years, and 2016 was no different. Though we’ve heard reed-thin models gushing about body acceptance and famous (and drop-dead gorgeous) celebrities blathering about accepting your true self – what is exactly does it mean to be not conventionally good looking and still being body positive? It’s easy for the rich and famous to say these things, for they fit into the mold of society’s definition of beauty. But what about us mere mortals? With our jowly chins and jiggly bellies, not so great skin or too tall a height?
The American Holistic Medical Association was founded in May, 1978, to bring together those few physicians who were open to looking at the whole person—body, mind, emotions and spirit. To some extent, this reflected the foundation emphasized by my medical school Chair of Medicine, Eugene A. Stead, Jr., whose favorite statement was “What this patient needs is a real doctor.” He never defined the meaning but demonstrated it in his teaching. Listen to the patient!
As a little girl, I took joy in watching my mother come home from work. One of my greatest accomplishments was getting my first job at 14. It was grueling work, and for whatever reason, I liked that I could help pay some bills, and still have splurge money left to buy clothes and candy. I took pride in the fact that my mom was a provider, and seeing her provide instilled a strong work ethic in me.
I spent years working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and later also as a nutritional coach. Over time two things became very clear. The first was that most people were coming to me for weight loss (even if they claimed other reasons) and the second was that their results had very little to do with me.
In a world in which fear reigns (at least they want to make us believe that), it is not a solution to fight this fear - fighting generates more struggle and fear.
I do not mean that we should close our eyes, although with the current propaganda in the media this is often a good solution (the actual destruction/death by terrorism in Europe is very insignificant compared to other causes of death).