Today, many people talk about how hard it is in this world to nurse a good relationship with your body. There’s much more to it than the pages of fashion magazines and advertisements.

We live in a society that praises beauty, fitness, and youth. To a certain extent, this can be useful, as long as it motivates people to lead a healthier life and feel better about themselves. And indeed, this could be a good thing if it makes you take good care of your body with an active lifestyle, body/skin care routine and a healthy diet. But for most people, this is not the case. For many, it’s a battle that you don’t have a chance to win. Many are just trying to keep up with the pace, which makes you feel that you’re less valuable if you don’t hit a certain level.

But until we see ourselves and others as physical bodies, it won’t change, or not really. Because when you’re surrounded with images of young, lean and beautiful bodies, it’ll be hard to see the beauty of either yourself or others. One may say that it doesn’t make sense to blame the images, because if we are on good terms with ourselves, they won’t affect us negatively.

But are we on good terms with ourselves?

I’m not a huge fan of action movies, but I’ve noticed a shift in them during the last decades: the female characters tend to become younger and younger as time passes. Now it’s perfectly normal that out of the two main characters the man is twice the age of the woman. Of course I don’t mean that relationships with considerable age differences cannot work or be based on love. But making a tendency out of this has many hidden messages about how we should think about age in the case of men versus women, or what values we should contribute to a woman. These hidden messages can have a lot more influence on us than we’d think, because they ‘attack’ the subconscious.

Working as a Karma Killer Yoga instructor, what I see is that when it comes to ourselves, many of us struggle with grievances, uncertainty, blame, and dissatisfaction, and these provide a fertile soil for the above hidden messages. 

Of course, many voices tell you that you shouldn’t beat yourself up because of a couple of extra pounds, your physical imperfections, or your age, and that is a good thing. No make up photos, allowing less favorable body parts to be seen, and talking about the subject all help. Whenever I heard someone say how I should be OK with my height or my breasts, and how we are all beautiful and so am I, I always totally agreed. At least in my mind. But, to be honest, I didn’t feel better at all. Or maybe for a few minutes. Still, next time I looked in the mirror, I still wasn’t satisfied, no matter how I tried to convince myself of the opposite.

So what helps, then?

As long as we see ourselves and others merely as bodies or physical beings, it’s very hard to accomplish the total acceptance, empathy, and respect that leads to that radiant being we all aspire to be. And we cannot avoid becoming this: it’s a code in the core of our being that wants to enfold, wants to shine. This has nothing to do with whether you are an introvert or an extrovert on a personal level. It’s only about meeting yourself on a very deep level and living the truth of that encounter. 

The closer you are to your core or your higher self, the more appreciation is born out of it. Then your body is not just a facade allowing you to grab and collect things that you want, like image, status, or appreciation, but it really is a living, moving temple.

Five ways Karma Killer Yoga helps me to this day

1. By bringing my focus within. We hear so many times that real beauty comes from within, shines from within. This sounds good but in our culture, we have to face factors that hinder its manifestation instead of encouraging it. Most people don’t know how to be in or with themselves. How do we accept and be comfortable with ourselves when we have difficulties with just being alone, without any task or activity (even if it’s just scrolling our feed) to drive our attention away from inside, and direct it onto something else. If we don’t give ourselves the chance to connect with our inner beauty, then how can we expect to live it, shine it, and make it be seen by others?

As for me, although I’ve always liked to be alone even without any distractions, the quality of my focus changed a lot. It’s become more self composed and self assured. Now, whenever I focus within, I find so much more appreciation and acceptance, that it has a positive impact on what people see when they look at me.

2. By helping me keep my balance. This one is strongly connected to the previous point. I’d been an easy victim of the change of circumstances. I remember often I would walk on the street in a good mood, until I would see someone who either looked really good and put together, or cool in any way, and I would feel intimidated immediately. And my good mood would suddenly be gone, I would begin to criticize myself for a wide range of things from how I look to being stiff or clumsy; somehow smaller, less pretty, good, or worthy.

So how did this change? At first, I just started noticing that I couldn’t be thrown off my balance that easily. Fewer things, fewer situations could trigger me. And even when they did, it became a lot easier to get back to my balance. Then I began to notice that I spend more in, than out of balance. And when I do, there’s a sense of peace that has an impact on others as well.

3. By raising my energy level. I practice Karma Killer Yoga exercises on a daily basis, and besides that I use the energized crystals, water, and frequencies by Anamé Program. These are all designed to keep my energy level high. I’ve noticed that whenever I feel a drop in my energy level, I’m more critical of myself (and not in a positive way😉). I also tend to blame myself more and be less satisfied in general. Self love, self respect, and compassion all come with a higher energy level, so this one is definitely a key element.

4. By improving the way I connect with others and with myself. I used to have this notion that people didn’t like me. Not all of them, of course.🙂 But you get it, I just often had this feeling of not being appealing to people. Sometimes, this feeling would be so strong that I was convinced of it even when, in many cases, the opposite turned out to be true. And that’s not a good basis for shining your light, I guess we can agree on that.

Translating this to the language of the body: when you feel not likeable, you’ll be small, as if you were squeezed in a small box. Wishing to be unseen. With the practice of Karma Killer Yoga, something tight within me has loosened a lot.

5. By clearing out the inner negative programming which says that I’m not good enough. Or others are not good enough, for that matter. When you go around having a mostly negative narration in your head about yourself and others, that will inevitably be apparent in your posture, your gestures. Such an attitude leaves its marks on your face, your gaze, your muscles, your body. And yes, it’ll have an aura that other people sense.

The exercises and the breathing technique of Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program are designed to clear that programming, whether they stem from painful experiences or just from interpretations of neutral situations. Also, thanks to the cleansing and energizing process, each chakra and the aspects of life connected to them can find the optimal way of working. And together they provide a shine of your being that nothing else can. It has the beauty and the dignity of integrity and self-identity.

And what can the different chakras do for us to reach this? As they are responsible for different aspects of our lives, they will naturally provide help to different aspects of our being as well, ranging from the physical through the emotional to the spiritual side.

True radiance happens when all these three levels are included, free of karmic imprints – or obstacles we may say -, and they become balanced and energized. Besides giving you an overview below with the help of some of the chakras, I’d also like to show this matter to you from the point of view of Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program compared to that of psychology.

BODY

The root chakra, among other things, is responsible for your relationship with your body. As a result of working with the root chakra, you’ll have a better and more intimate relationship with your body, not based on criticism but acceptance and support.

On the page of UW Health, you can find an article titled Building Better Relationship with Our Bodies. Let’s see how they approach the topic and what tips they can offer.

Worries about weight and appearance begin in childhood. Girls as young as six talk about wanting to be skinnier. Boys in middle school take supplements and even steroids to develop more muscular bodies. The pressure to look a certain way is often reinforced through marketing and advertising, and through the carefully selected images popular on social media. A growing number of influencers try to demonstrate how lighting or posture can change how their bodies look in photos, while ads and mainstream images are becoming more inclusive. Even so, there still remains unrealistic expectations and the underlying messages we’re faced with is that our bodies are simply “not good enough.”

UW Health psychologist Shilagh Mirgain, PhD, cites extensive research showing just how much influence images can have on our own perceptions. Seeing images of models in mainstream magazines and ads – even just briefly – can lead to increased feelings of depression, stress, shame and insecurity.

“It is difficult to get through an average day viewing these images, let alone begin to comprehend the impact exposure to hundreds of thousands of images over a lifetime can have. The constant message we’re being sent is ‘You don’t measure up,’” says Mirgain.

Mirgain notes that problems with eating disorders have increased over 400 percent since the year 1970. And while it’s often perceived to be an issue affecting females, one in three individuals struggling with an eating disorder are male. Developing a positive body image and healthy mental attitude toward our bodies is crucial to our health and wellbeing.

While it seems like accepting our bodies for how they look should be an easy thing, Mirgain notes that it takes patience and doesn’t mean we’ll never feel inadequate or uncomfortable.

“Accepting our bodies doesn’t mean that we’re always satisfied or comfortable with how we look or feel. It’s only natural to experience insecurities or doubts,” she says. “But we can hopefully reach a point where we experience positive feelings more than negative ones.

Here we get a rather grim reflection of our society, but it can also be looked at like an opportunity to develop. This situation shows us how toxic turning our attention only towards the outside world can be, where no one teaches us how to remain centered and how to use our own headquarters. The problems and tendencies in body image and eating disorders described above can be interpreted as a sign that maybe it’s time for us humans to start treating ourselves and our bodies differently.

Not just as pieces of flesh but also as great and wonderful spiritual beings. This shift in our perception can throw a whole different, a whole new light on how we look at our own bodies and those of others.

To help, Mirgain offers a few tips:

Focus on the function of your body, not its form. Rather than focusing on how our body looks, Mirgain suggests focusing on what it enables you to do. “Your body shows up for you every day, no matter how you treat it or the way you feel about it,” says Mirgain. Think about the ways your body lets you experience the activities you enjoy or how it has carried you even through tough times.

Appreciate your body. Mirgain suggests standing in front of a mirror for several minutes. It can be uncomfortable at first, but the goal is to work up to at least five minutes. “As you stand in front the mirror, simply notice where your eyes go and what thoughts arise. It’s easy to find things you don’t like, focus on finding things you do,” Mirgain says. “Through practice, you can learn to love what you see.”

Be Body Positive Around Others. We often don’t realize how our negative words about our body affect other people. “Be aware of what you are saying about your body and how it can affect friends, family and kids. Don’t comment negatively about your body or other people’s,” says Mirgain.

Connect your mind, body and spirit. There are several small steps we can take to help change our attitudes explains Mirgain:

Keep a list of the top 10 things you like about yourself

Move in a way that feels good to you, like dancing

Buy a swimsuit and wear it proudly

Clean out the closet and get rid of clothes that make you feel uncomfortable

Take care of your body. Health is a direction we travel in every day through the choices we make about our food and ways we support our wellbeing. Make healthy food choices, get rest, take a break to recharge. Small steps can make a big difference.

Fall in Love With Your Body. Mirgain suggests thinking about the relationship we have with our bodies. As with any relationship, a positive one can improve our sense of wellbeing. She shares what an inspiration her mother has been, “I have never heard her say anything negative about her body. She’s always been positive about my body encouraging me to focus on keeping it healthy with regular exercise and nutritious foods. She’s a role model of what it means to age gracefully as a woman who cultivates deep appreciation for her body through all the years.”

Here you can have some useful advice for how to build a better relationship with your body. The common theme is that all these tips work with the mind. According to my experience, for many people (including myself), making such a leap can be hard. There’s often the feeling of the whole system not wanting to follow the mind. You see how it all makes sense and try to see it that way, but somehow your gut feelings just don’t want to align.

What are the tips Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program can offer?

1. Choose a mantra. It should be a sentence in the present tense, only about you. I love myself or I love my body are good examples, for instance.
2. The Body Exercise. It’s a free, special yoga exercise available online that you can practice every day. It’s perfect even for beginners: https://youtu.be/_M5Yft9bYUI
3. If you have a very difficult relationship with your body, food and eating, I recommend a free, 15 minute online consultation. For that, please leave a comment here or send an email to info@anameprogram.com where we can help you with registration.

And how does Karma Killer Yoga help? It works around the conscious mind to make the changes deep inside, engraved like a code, on a cellular level. The combination of breathing, movement and concentration enables you to reach the depths where reasoning cannot reach. As a result, you won’t have to convince yourself of a different viewpoint than what you actually feel. Instead, you’ll notice a gradual shift in your way of thinking and feeling, and your consciousness will support the process instead of having to do all the work on its own.

In the next post, I’ll start with practical tips to build a better relationship with your body with the help of Karma Killer Yoga and Anamé Program, and will go on to discuss the emotional and mental aspects of a radiant look.