Image by Victoria from Pixabay

In this Article:

• What is the “body image wound,” and how does it impact self-worth?
• How can movement and focus on different body parts transform body image?
• What are the four steps to fully embracing and loving yourself?
• How can we heal our relationship with body parts we’ve judged or criticized?
• Why is taking up space and celebrating yourself essential for self-love?

4 Steps to Fully Embrace Your Body Image and Love Yourself

By Toni Bergins.

The most common and false limitation that plagues people is feeling and believing that they’re not good enough. The concept that we’re not enough is often a conditioned belief based on societal expectations.

I was teaching at a women’s empowerment conference and heard a powerful story from a facilitator. Her mother was dying of cancer, and she and her sisters made a video of their life together. As the images appeared, her mother looked at her daughters and began to cry, saying, “Oh my God, I was never fat. I can't believe I spent my life battling the ‘fat belly.’”

That story hit me sideways. I thought about my own longtime body image obsession, and I felt so sad for women who live with unnecessary expectations about their bodies. It’s a sad truth that so much time and money are spent on addressing body hatred rather than healing, loving, and honoring the body we have.

I know millions of women, myself included, who do all we can to diminish, reduce, and shame this belly when in truth we should be revering it. The belly is the home to the diaphragm we use to breathe. It’s the home of our sacred softness. Our babies live here. Our belly is holy.

Stuck in a Constant State of "Not Enough"

If you’re stuck in a constant state of “not enough” and perpetual self-criticism, then you might be missing the enjoyment of life. Grappling with false beliefs that have been instilled in us, either intentionally or by accident or abuse, takes time, but it’s possible to heal these old, conditioned beliefs, root them out, and replace them with new overlays of love, worthiness, and self-acceptance.

Discovering that you’re truly good, valuable, worthy, and don’t have to do something to be loved can be emotionally freeing. This quality offers a shift in perspective and gives you a chance to practice this shift whenever you need it. 

4 Steps to Fully Embracing and Loving Yourself

Here’s how I confronted my body image wound and made my shift to fully embracing and loving myself through movement:

1. Put focus on different parts of the body. 

When I focused on and explored how different parts of my body move on the dance floor, I started to see how I think and feel about my body. I saw that there was so much more potential in me for love and transformation when I was away from the mirror: I was able to change my perspective.

I realized that I really do like my hands. I love following my hands like birds or butterflies moving through space. My elbows are very interesting. I had never thought about my elbows before. When I move my elbows out and in, up or down, the rest of my body reacts and moves in a creative way. I love moving my pelvis, and most everyone I dance with loves to circle their pelvis. I feel joyful when I shift my pelvis side to side or back and forth. 

2. Send love to your “not good enough” part. 

I also noticed as I moved that I still wasn’t nice to my belly. I’ve always judged it and criticized it because it’s not flat, it’s curvy. Yet when I gave it love as I danced with it, I found joy and pleasure moving it and see my belly differently.

Maybe for you it’s not your belly, it’s your thighs, or your size. Whatever your “not good-enough” body part is, you can shift that relationship. 

3. Let yourself take up space. 

Many people shut down their potential because they’ve been told in some way not to take up space. Explore enlarging your presence in space so that you can feel more worthy and whole. Leaping and twirling, allow yourself to be visible, take up space, and regain your innocent playfulness.  

4. Revel in being you. 

Bring our whole self to the dance floor in an immersive and present way and begin building a loving practice. Revel in the feeling of just being you, of standing in your essence, and unapologetically being yourself. Appreciate your body and confidently share yourself with the world. 

Whatever hardship or heartache you’ve been through, it’s time to own yourself as more than enough: you are magnificent, beautiful, and miraculous! 

Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Article Source:

BOOK: Embody

Embody: Feel, Heal, and Transform Your Life through Movement
by Toni Bergins, M.Ed.

A new paradigm for embodied healing in a unique, experiential, therapeutic process in which expressive movement, guided imagery, ritual, music, and creative expression work together.

In Embody, Toni Bergins, the founder and creator of JourneyDance, an internationally renowned dance movement program, shares with readers a powerful way to address trauma mindfully so people can confront it, heal, and grow to love themselves unconditionally, just as they are. Embody is a dynamic, conscious practice that can help people release what no longer serves them and shows them how to stop stuffing/numbing the pain and start feeling, stop over-thinking/limiting, and get moving!

For more info and/or to order this book, click here.  Also available as an Audiobook and a Kindle edition. 

About the Author

Toni Bergins, M.Ed., is an embodiment trailblazer who has taught at the premier holistic healing centers for the last 27 years. She is on permanent faculty at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and has worked there as a movement artist, dance educator, expressive arts workshop leader, and expert in creating transformational workshops. Her new book is, Embody: Feel, Heal, and Transform Your Life through Movement (Health Communications Inc., Oct. 29, 2024. Learn more at JourneyDance.com.

Article Recap:

This article explores the journey of healing the body image wound through four transformative steps. By focusing on different body parts, sending love to areas we often criticize, allowing ourselves to take up space, and reveling in our uniqueness, we can embrace self-love and body acceptance. These steps encourage a shift from self-criticism to self-worth, helping us fully appreciate our bodies and celebrate who we are.