Moving Forward
It’s true, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the transformative journey that leads to healing and, hopefully, peace. One thing is for sure, though, and that is that yoga practice, in all it’s myriad forms and styles, can be an invaluable tool. The stories in this collection affirm this truth over and over again. Often, it is yoga practice that can help someone take the first step in making positive change. Other times, yoga practice supports the journey, one that is inevitably bumpy in parts. Sometimes, it’s both. And, no doubt, yoga practice can help maintain and sustain us throughout our lives.
And that is the binding thread—yoga as a healing balm for the various personal and social wounds that we, in all our diversity, possess. While yoga is by no means a cure-all or a magic elixir, it is a powerful mechanism for healing when practiced regularly and consistently. As the fearless writers share in this book, yoga usually goes hand-in-hand with one, if not several other, types of healing modalities, anything from talking therapy to time outdoors in the magnificence of nature. That’s the beauty of it, while we all have a story to share, a truth to proclaim, that story is uniquely our own. While yoga should be (and can be) available to all, the role it plays in our journey is uniquely our own.
It is my deepest desire that the shared narratives in this book will allow you to gain new experiences, not just words on a page. I hope that you are exposed to newfound and unfamiliar truths with a sense of respect and gratitude for the writers sharing opinions and experiences that differ from yours, thereby expanding your awareness and perspective. As I stated in the introduction, it is also my great hope that you will be able to see yourself reflected and/or be able to connect to at least one, if not more, of the stories you read. And in that reflection, you feel seen and affirmed. That you are able to recognize their own truth and the value of their experiences and lived wisdom.
As Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body demonstrated, yoga can have a profound positive impact on body image distortions, an unhealthy body image, disordered eating, and, often, clinical eating disorders. This collection deepens the narrative by also focusing on how we can grow to be our best selves when we are no longer bogged down by the pain, shame, and guilt that accompanies a skewed and negative perception of ourselves and our right to take up space in the world or to simply be.
This series of stories serve as an inspiring example of how we can become active agents of change in the world when we are liberated from the incessant chatter that tries to convince us that were not good enough or not worthy. That is not to say, as many contributors noted in their essays, that yoga will switch on a light that can never grow dim. Of course, we’ll continue to have challenges and recurring doubts, but yoga can serve as the conduit of energy that continues to support and ignite us. I’m quite candid when I talk about the ways yoga practice improved my self-esteem, helped move through waves of grief when my ex-boyfriend died of an overdose, supported me through years of mild depression, and improved my negative body image and disordered eating. But I am also always honest about the fact that it isn’t always easy, it just becomes easier. And it’s our job to do the work, feed the flame, and live the practice. That’s when and where we become agents of change.
An agent of change can take many forms. As the writers in this book reveal, they each harnessed their power and ability to create change differently and uniquely. Whether we create changes in yoga culture to allow more people and communities to access yoga practice or stand our ground in a relationship where there has been an unhealthy dynamic or we feel compelled to work the polls, there are endless ways to become active and engaged in our lives, relationships, and communities. In the end, however, we do the work of creating positive change, everyone benefits from the distinctive gifts we have to offer. When we move toward a more inclusive, equitable, loving, and just society, we all win, and we win big.
At the beginning of this book, I also stated that it was my goal to demonstrate how the “personal is political”—how our everyday lives are not separate from the world around us. In fact, they exist in an ongoing feedback loop. Hopefully, something in this book sparked your interest to learn more about issues you were unfamiliar with previously. And maybe you’ll be inspired to take action in a new way (or for the first time).
As we do the inner work to cultivate a heathy body image, improve our relationship with our body, heal ourselves, and increase our self-esteem and sense of worth, we are bolstered by the support and solidarity of others. Allow this book to offer a sense of connection to the larger whole, all of us struggling, persevering, and rising above. We all belong, we all have value, and we all deserve to be seen and heard.
I encourage you to dig deep into the resources I provide at the end. I invite you to engage in the ongoing dialogue centered on the themes in this book that continue to grow. I hope you feel compelled to work collectively with others in a way that moves you. May this book nourish and inspire you in the deepest way possible. Here’s to raising consciousness and taking action. I’ll be cheering you on and joining you all along the way.
The world needs you, the world needs us.