All women, including models, yearn to discover their immense inner beauty and to find inspiration, as well as refuge, as gravity and time alter their outer bodies. Coming to a love of one’s self takes discipline, diligence, and dedication—all keys to being a well-adjusted woman in this crazy world. I aspire for every one of us to be real, to look in the mirror and say, “You are the bomb.”
Models seem drawn to yoga in unusually high numbers. My guess is they come because yoga helps them find balance and a sense of self in a profession where outward appearances matter most. Most models have been on the roller coaster of acceptance and rejection so long that many of them are confused and exhausted. They reflect the challenges that women face in our society at large: the roles we’re expected to play, the ideal bodies we’re expected to maintain, even the voices we’re not expected to have.
Real beauty comes from the inside—from kindness, love, and acceptance.
This sequence, predominantly standing poses, will help build the stability, strength, and courage to stand on your own two feet and to find confidence in the beauty and grace of your body. I include arm balance poses because, as women build upper-body strength, they become more empowered. Recently, a seventy-year-old diva of a woman in my class demonstrated Crow Pose. Everyone was exhilarated and inspired. I asked her afterward what she gets from her yoga practice, and she said with a sly smile, “I love being able to do stuff that people half my age can’t do.”