I have found it helpful, when doing this lying down, to bend my legs so keeping my feet on the ground. I can, sometimes, more easily, receive nourishing and nurturing energy this way. This may be one of my favorite tips so far. Checking in with my body is strong and deep medicine in its own way.

flag as inappropriate

Jillian,
Aging is also denied, scorned and feared by our culture. As I approach the "Crone" stage of life it becomes more important to look within for my beauty, not because my body is less beautiful but because I must relearn to see it's softening beauty and changing abilities.

During my meditations I recall the beautiful elder women that have touched my life...my grandmother, my piano teacher, my English teacher...all beautiful, all strong and full of wisdom.

I wrote this haiku after one of these introspections:

MUSINGS November 8, 2004

Gentle valleys lead
to wells deep with wisdom,
my Grandmother's eyes.

Jillian, may your search for acceptance of the changes ahead go well.
Maresa

flag as inappropriate

Accepting ones self is the first step to greater enlightenment. But, due to all of the media hype mentioned in other posts, we're often dissatisfied with ourselves, finding ourselves lacking according to what's said to be perfect.
I too once bought into this type of thinking!
Take a good look at yourself, see the Divine's perfection in who you are, change those things which you have power to change and accept those things which you have no control over.
Live for Today and what you can do to make the world a better place!
Nameste!
k

flag as inappropriate

I'm in my mid-40's & am becoming very aware of just how much I've relied on my looks to get by/impress people in the past. The looks are now fading. I feel angry at society for the garbage idea that you have to be young & thin or you're nobody. There's such a thing as external beauty with internal ugliness!!!Looking only at externals we miss SO MUCH in life.Not to mention that a lot of pictures of women in the media are touched up!! To me it's all a big lie to get us crazy, unhappy, & running in circles. I've seen the light, I"M CHECKING OUT OF THE LIE!!!

flag as inappropriate

Self concept is more important than words can say. Where we get our self concept from, determines how we view ourselves. Today's article works, but it takes determination and a well-grounded belief system. In other words, it takes discipline.

flag as inappropriate

I am quite happy with my body; it's the signals of age that I can't accept as they do not correspond to the age I feel inside. How can I get over this one?

flag as inappropriate

Every response I have read in regards to Christie's quetsion are great but sometimes these suggestions are better in theory than in practice. Personally, I have a poor self image and low self-esteem I a young adult affected by media hype of what constitutes beauty. Sometimes these feelings of inadequacy can be overwhelming but my best suggestion is to realize there exists no definition for beauty. It is in your "flaws" that beauty is disscovered: chubbiness, crooked teeth, etc. are traits we are born with and comparing, claiming others have better "genes", and disliking your body because others are not the same is self-defeating. If you feel the problem is so severe I would suggest speaking to an image counselor or a psychologist (sometimes it helps to divulge information that we fail to acknowledge)

flag as inappropriate

I struggle with self image at times. I think what I have found though is that in my mid 40's I have learned to accept what is happening to my body. That is coupled with a lifestyle change over the past ten years in eating and self esteem, how I take care of myself (now that my kids are nearly adults)and making myself first in some situations. I used to be horrible at that ( I am a product of my upbringing by my mom). Hopefully maturity leads us to more self awareness, and an understanding of honoring who we really are.

flag as inappropriate

Even the perfect body (accordng to the viewer) is never perfect. Christe, it is all in mind. Remember the saying, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'? I is true. You are the eye of beholder. No other view, in our reality matters. A beautiful mind and heart outlive a beautiful (in the vewers mind only) body.
Have you ever met the person who at first you thought might not look so perfect? Then, the more you go to know how sweet and kind they are you started seeing them as really beautiful? That is real and lasting beauty. Then you might recall how you met a georgeous person (in your mind according to your standards of georgeous) who, when they started acting rude manipulative and cruel to others they started losing that physical beauty in your eyes? Don't worry about what you look like, just worry about how you behave and how you treat other people. A beautiful soul shines through any social standard for physical beauty.
KC Kumar

flag as inappropriate

Christie - I share your comment. When you find yourself judging your body follow that with a smile and an acknowledgment that your judgment is just part of your human experience and all you can do is keep trying to be more open. I suggest also gathering Ka or Life Force from the earth once a day by standing on the earth and drawing energy up from the ground into your lower chakras and releasing it quickly with a sigh back into the earth. Upon your next breath inhale life force through the top of your head and down into your heart, releasing quickly with a sigh. Keep doing this until you can FEEL the life force building in you. It will bring your a feeling a perfection. Aside from all that... remember that you are a Goddess and possess a divine and unique power as a woman. What is it? What do you do darn well and now build it, show it and share it. That act alone will fill you with an ecstasy for life. All the very best. Paula

flag as inappropriate