What holy yoga taught me about body acceptance

Do you ever feel like it's impossible to accept your body as it is right now? Maybe you just can't wrap your head around how it can be so wonderful when you're struggling with X, Y, or Z issue. Well, I've been in that boat before, and believe me, it wasn't always smooth sailing. I thought I was damaged from stress and anxiety, and I was really unable to accept my body when I felt perpetually overwhelmed. In this post, though, I hope to share something that not only helped me better manage stress and anxiety but actually helped me foster a more loving relationship with my body as well. I'm excited to share with you exactly what holy yoga taught me about body acceptance!

let me set the scene

During summer of last year, I began going to a holy yoga class each week. I'd never taken a yoga class before, but I wanted to try something new that I heard could help with stress and anxiety. I was a wreck more often than I'd like to admit, and I knew I was ready to add some restorative movement into my regimen.

​So, I downloaded a free app called MINDBODY, typed in my information, and it generated a list of nearby classes and schedules. All I had to do was book the studio, day, and time, and then I filled out all of the paperwork (re: a waiver) right from my phone. The fact that I stumbled upon a holy yoga class (I didn't even know it was a thing) was fantastic!

What is holy yoga?

I don't know about every holy yoga class, but I can share a little about the one I take. During my class, there's instrumental music played along with worship music. The instructor reads verses for us to meditate on and walks us through guided meditations to help us visually experience the verses in our mind—all while doing various yoga poses and flows.

Here's what holy yoga taught me about body acceptance:

• ​Yoga is so much more than a stress reliever. Yes, it certainly helps with that, but I've gleaned so much from each class about stillness and body acceptance. I used to feel guilty for resting, sitting still, or not being the societal norm of “so busy that my head's gonna explode”, but now I can feel peace in this stillness and actually enjoy it. There’s something to be said for completely unplugging every now and then!
• There's room for growth. When I first began going to class, I was willing to give myself some grace and compassion to struggle, but I still wanted to do all of the poses and flows well. I realized rather quickly, though, that I couldn't do everything well, and some poses I had to forego entirely! THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. We each have our strengths and weaknesses—we're not clones of each other so this is obviously okay.
• It can be quite cathartic. The first few times I went to class I found that I would cry during the beginning and the end of class when we'd lie flat on the mat to be still and breathe. I know now that this was my body's way of processing some stuff that my mind had been holding on to for far too long. The stillness of those parts of class was vulnerable and fragile, and while it wasn't always comfortable, I'm glad for the experience. 
• Yoga can be for everyone, but not all yoga is for everyone. One week I tried going to more than one yoga class, and... it was awful. It wasn't restful for me at all. Two yoga classes in one week felt pushy for my body, and I don't feel the need to try it again. My body enjoys a variety of activities during the week, and holy yoga for me is restful and restorative. When I push past that, it feels stressful, and that's not for me! I've also identified that holy yoga with my favorite instructor is best for me. It's important to me that God be invited into my yoga practice because it's a time to restore and be still with Him, and my instructor nurtures that. 
• I've got more strength in my body than I knew. My upper body strength has blossomed, and it's exciting I can now go from Downward Dog into Plank without falling or my arms or wrists buckling. I can't say my flow is always smooth, but not falling every time is great!
• I haven't had to go the chiropractor for the entire past year. This fact has been mind-blowing to me. I used to have to get an adjustment every month or two, and truthfully, I thought this was just how it was supposed to be—boy was I wrong! When we slow down enough to take care of the bodies we’ve been given and show them the attention, love, and kindness they need (and deserve!), they actually do a beautiful job of taking care of us.

When we slow down enough to take care of the bodies we've been given and show them the attention, love, and kindness they need, they actually do a beautiful job of taking care of us.

body acceptance doesn't happen all at once

Each of the things discussed above happened in their own time. Some I realized quickly into my experience, and some I have only recently come to grasp. This is just like body acceptance—we start by taking baby steps to respect our bodies. When I began taking this class I was taking a baby step to give my body the restful and restorative movement it was craving.

Somewhere down the line this shifted into a trust that I hadn't previously had with my body. I was able to trust it to do new and more difficult poses and flows, and it could trust me to stop when difficult became painful or harmful. Then, I came to a place of acceptance with my body where I embraced that it has limits but also continues to grow and surprise me with what it's learned or developed the ability to do (through practice!). 

Please know that the path to body acceptance isn't linear. It's not cut-and-dried or as-easy-as-1-2-3. I've shared what holy yoga taught me about body acceptance, but this is a small piece of a singular aspect of my journey. There are so many areas of my life where I'm cultivating this respect→trust→acceptance, and sometimes I'm sailing on rough, uncharted waters. It's a practice, though, and I'm so grateful for it.

​Thank you for letting me share, and I hope this post helps inspire and encourage you on your journey!

Looking for resources on body acceptance? Check out my resources page for some trusted and highly recommended options!