Body Positivity Affirmations

Body positivity is so hot right now (said in the Mugatu voice from Zoolander).

I am grateful for the surge of body-conscious fashion, and media, and I do honestly feel like we are going in the right direction. But, there’s still a long way to go if we are going to truly promote an experience of self-love and self-acceptance in the hearts and minds of western society. So many brands make a show of promoting acceptance for female bodies of all shapes and sizes, while simultaneously excluding bodies that represent other genders. There’s still so much hate and judgment thrown at bodies that don’t fit a traditional standard of beauty, or that fit that standard too well. While the range of bodies we see in advertisements and social media is wider, traditional fitness still has an over-emphasis on what our bodies “look” like. While we seem to be growing beyond an arbitrary standard of perfection, the goalpost seems to be constantly moving.

I realize that what I am about to say may sound, well, strange. But there is a standard by which you can measure how perfect your body is. The perfect body is a body that reflects and resonates the vibration of your soul.

Stay with me…

Each of us enters this world with a specific constitution of the 5 basic elements. Think of this constitution like a fingerprint. It is totally unique to you. No one else on the earth shares your specific ratio of water, earth, air, fire, and ether. This elemental makeup is determined in part by the aspect of your consciousness that makes you, you. Ahamkar, as it’s called in Ayurveda, is the individuation of universal intelligence that results in you. Ahamkar’s job is to identify the things that make you you, but it is born out of the universal intelligence that orders all things. In other words, the part of you that makes you you, and informs your physical body what proportions of the elements make up your form, gets its orders from divine intelligence. By this logic, trying to manipulate your body into a constitution that doesn’t harmonize with this effortlessly authentic state is a waste of energy. Trying to change our bodies into something other than its most naturally fulfilled state would be as useless as the planet Saturn trying to be Jupiter

Here’s the trick, how do I know what my natural state should feel like when the only standard of body goals has been set by other people and fed to me through media and social pressures? How do I know what my natural soul reflection should feel like if I am suffering under the weight of self-hatred, depression, anxiety, stress, and other very real-life issues? It is impossible to see the more subtle realm of our authentic state when we are perpetuating subconscious traumas, triggers, and negative beliefs. Where did my desire to lose weight, or have a bigger butt come from? The only way to know is to go inward.

Affirmations are some of my favorite ways to get at the heart of things. When you speak an affirmation and really listen, you can get some very important messages directly from that universal intelligence. Create a quiet space for yourself and relax. Maybe do a little yoga or a workout right before to get the flow of prana moving. I recommend saying these out loud, and as you do, really listen to yourself. Do you sound like you mean it? Does it sir an emotional response? Try to take a position of curiosity as you say them:

My body is divinely ordered

My body is a perfect reflection of my soul

I trust my body because I trust myself

I have a relationship with the divine force through my body (feel free to substitute your verbiage for the divine)

I enjoy how my body effortlessly changes with the seasons in accordance with the flow of nature

I listen to the calls of my soul and answer them with how I treat my body

My body is the conduit through which I realize my truest self and purpose

I effortlessly carry myself in a body that is authentic to my mission

I love the process of getting to know my body

I am having fun learning about my true purpose from the sensations of my body

My body is magical