I’m relatively certain that most people in my life were shocked that I announced that I was pledging a sorority in my sophomore year of college.  Though the decision was not one that could have been expected by anyone, I’m so grateful that I made the choice.  I met incredible women, many of whom are my closest friends to this day.  I still proudly wear my letters, and my gratitude for the experience I had in Delta Delta Delta only grows.  

You might be wondering why I chose to blog about being a sorority girl, and what this has to do with a a blog that deals mostly with health and yoga, so here goes...

Most of us at some point in our lives have felt the pressure to be more beautiful, to look thinner, to be more “perfect.” I’m definitely not the exception.  I’ve spent a good part of my adult life obsessing over my image.  Being a yoga instructor doesn’t make it any easier.  Each month yoga magazines come out, and very often, gracing the cover is a lithe beauty balancing in some incredibly challenging pose. I’ve spent hours pondering if  balancing in handstand would be easier if my butt were a bit smaller.  

For this week, I’ve challenged myself to stop pondering that.  Each year, TriDelta sponsors Fat Talk Free Week, and at this time of year I feel my heart swell with pride that I am a member of this amazing organization. They’ve brought attention to a problem that is endemic among women of all ages. The statistics are overwhelming.  Nearly 10 million women in this country are struggling with an eating disorder, and a recent Harvard University study found that when asked if they considered themselves beautiful, only 2% of women said yes.  For this week, I’ve taken the pledge not to define myself by my physical appearance, not to think about what I look like in my yoga pants, and not to say “you look great, have you been working out more?” 

It’s not easy for me.  Especially, the part that involves myself, but here’s how my yoga practice has helped that.  In Anusara, we are taught to always look to the highest first, to see the divine beauty in others before everything else. We learn that Shri, nature’s intrinsic beauty is present in all of us.  As we continue to deepen our practice, we find that Shri only expands.  Shri is not a superficial beauty, it’s that effervescent radiance that you see in nature, that we see in someone who is truly in love.  It comes from inside and just keeps growing.  

So I’m taking my Fat Talk Free Week challenge one step further this year, and proposing the challenge to everyone who walks into my yoga class this week.  For one week, we not only take the pledge not to worry and talk about how we look, but in every pose we do to embody Shri and to glorify the body that we have right now.  Let’s be honest, it’s an amazing body that is able to carry us through ninety minutes of asana practice. No matter what it looks like. 

You with me?

xxoo,

Marietta