| Jamie Shane Writings |
My lean, mean, Xena-warrior-princess fighting weight is 147 pounds. Suffice
it to say, I am not a small girl. But it is at this weight that people start asking
me what I have done to get so slim. At this weight there isn’t one single inch to
pinch. However, if I took myself off to Hollywood I would be considered
almost thirty-five pounds too heavy to get acting/singing/modeling work.
Now that’s just stupid. And we wonder why so many people have issues. Body
image is a strange one as it is so completely subjective and often without
reason or explanation. A perfectly normal person can look in the mirror and
see something that is grossly different than what is truly reflected. Is it any
wonder when every media source available perpetuates the image of super-
skinny beauty?
That leaves it up to the individual to reconcile the differences between reality
and fantasy. It took me nearly twenty years to figure it out, and I can finally
say that I have made some peace with it. Sure, there are still some days that I
feel ‘fat’. There are still times that I find myself nit-picking in the mirror. But
gratefully, I have had two experiences in my life that have led me to a point
where I can catch that bad habit before I start getting down in the dumps about
the less-than-model-skinny shape of my body.
The first was a stint in college as an artist’s model. There is nothing quite like
standing nude in front of a room full of people to serve up a heaping helping of
get-over-it. There is also nothing quite so kind. I never ran across an artist who
didn’t find all bodies interesting regardless of their size. I also learned here
precisely how subjective perception can be, especially when it comes to the
body. I cannot tell you how many pictures I saw of myself drawn as if I
weighed three hundred pounds! And there were an equal number of pictures
that showed me as a nearly anorexic, rail-thin waif. Neither of these
perceptions are accurate, but that is how I was seen by others, and I can safely
say that I have never—gratefully--looked at myself the same way since.
The other is teaching yoga. I watch bodies all day long, every shape, every
size. And I have learned that regardless of how well you fit into the ‘perfect’
mold, your body is a beautiful machine. The things it can do are remarkable,
and the visual impact of a body moving is sublime. No two bodies function
alike. No two bodies move alike. No two bodies look alike. And that is a
fantastic thing to behold. I believe you could fill a room with master yogis, ask
them to demonstrate the exact same posture and come up with a room full of
unique results. That variety is a product of each individual’s distinctive,
physical construction and their emotional expression of their body’s abilities.
Our bodies are so very much more than just the surface we present to the
world.
I have learned that there is no one “beautiful” body type, because there is
something beautiful in every body. Beauty is in what the body can do, how it
moves, how it radiates in its space. Beauty is a person caring for the skin they
are in and living in peace within it. We are all possessed of an inherent beauty
that has nothing at all to do with our appearance and everything to do with
who we are and how we treat ourselves.
Love your body for what it does and not what it looks like. Then you’ll find
real beauty in the mirror every single day.
it to say, I am not a small girl. But it is at this weight that people start asking
me what I have done to get so slim. At this weight there isn’t one single inch to
pinch. However, if I took myself off to Hollywood I would be considered
almost thirty-five pounds too heavy to get acting/singing/modeling work.
Now that’s just stupid. And we wonder why so many people have issues. Body
image is a strange one as it is so completely subjective and often without
reason or explanation. A perfectly normal person can look in the mirror and
see something that is grossly different than what is truly reflected. Is it any
wonder when every media source available perpetuates the image of super-
skinny beauty?
That leaves it up to the individual to reconcile the differences between reality
and fantasy. It took me nearly twenty years to figure it out, and I can finally
say that I have made some peace with it. Sure, there are still some days that I
feel ‘fat’. There are still times that I find myself nit-picking in the mirror. But
gratefully, I have had two experiences in my life that have led me to a point
where I can catch that bad habit before I start getting down in the dumps about
the less-than-model-skinny shape of my body.
The first was a stint in college as an artist’s model. There is nothing quite like
standing nude in front of a room full of people to serve up a heaping helping of
get-over-it. There is also nothing quite so kind. I never ran across an artist who
didn’t find all bodies interesting regardless of their size. I also learned here
precisely how subjective perception can be, especially when it comes to the
body. I cannot tell you how many pictures I saw of myself drawn as if I
weighed three hundred pounds! And there were an equal number of pictures
that showed me as a nearly anorexic, rail-thin waif. Neither of these
perceptions are accurate, but that is how I was seen by others, and I can safely
say that I have never—gratefully--looked at myself the same way since.
The other is teaching yoga. I watch bodies all day long, every shape, every
size. And I have learned that regardless of how well you fit into the ‘perfect’
mold, your body is a beautiful machine. The things it can do are remarkable,
and the visual impact of a body moving is sublime. No two bodies function
alike. No two bodies move alike. No two bodies look alike. And that is a
fantastic thing to behold. I believe you could fill a room with master yogis, ask
them to demonstrate the exact same posture and come up with a room full of
unique results. That variety is a product of each individual’s distinctive,
physical construction and their emotional expression of their body’s abilities.
Our bodies are so very much more than just the surface we present to the
world.
I have learned that there is no one “beautiful” body type, because there is
something beautiful in every body. Beauty is in what the body can do, how it
moves, how it radiates in its space. Beauty is a person caring for the skin they
are in and living in peace within it. We are all possessed of an inherent beauty
that has nothing at all to do with our appearance and everything to do with
who we are and how we treat ourselves.
Love your body for what it does and not what it looks like. Then you’ll find
real beauty in the mirror every single day.
| thoughts on yoga and life |
| Find my book, Chop Wood, Carry Water for sale here! |
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