The weight of society’s injunction
We too often forget the part of the influences – multiple and numerous – of our society on our personal construction. And when we approach the issue of letting go, we can safely say that society is really not on our side …
Thus, it seems absolutely essential to differentiate between what is expected of us and what we really are, or what we are trying to achieve. However, when it comes to body image, expectations are heavy and injunctions pernicious. The idea of (illusory) perfection based on purely aesthetic criteria is never far away. A little exercise for you: calculate how much time per week you dedicate to mastering the body image that you send back? To enter the boxes of “beautiful” (subjective and changing according to the time and society). This includes makeup, bodybuilding, hair removal, clothing style, brushing, diet … Taking care of yourself is a positive step, no one will say the opposite, but it is essential to differentiate between “taking care” and obsession with the image, between the inner body and the outer body. It is not a question of no longer worrying about your appearance but of reviewing the concept of taking care of yourself and of balancing what is superficial (in the sense of not essential for the proper functioning of the body) and the real deep care of his being, as yoga offers us. Ultimately for many of us, if we are to “let go” it is the desire to control our body image.
A global being
As we have already said, the interest of yoga in its practice and its philosophy is this rare ability to consider the human in its entirety. On the one hand the body and the spirit, on the other hand the body in all its components. The actions that we can take to move towards a better body are vast and yoga has understood this well. Exercises for bodybuilding, for relaxation, for breath control, but also general daily hygiene of life, control of the thought to influence the body, relief of stress and anxiety … the list is endless. A very interesting element of the physical practice of yoga offers a symbolic example of the process: the building of deep muscles. When we first start yoga, it is not uncommon for our limbs to shake in certain positions. Because these exercises solicit little used muscles in our life of all yours: the so-called “deep” muscles place more in the heart of the member. Little worked in common sports, yet they allow our body to function properly and avoid many problems: they maintain the back, support our vital organs, protect our ligaments. To be interested in the less visible muscles is a perfectly adequate image: to take care of our body, of our person in a deep way and not superficial. For this, it is a whole way of life that must be questioned, without becoming a monk for all that. Once again, letting go of what only increases the pressure to the detriment of the fundamental.
Yoga to be more “beautiful”
It is often futile to propose to a human being to become what he is not, to go from one extreme to another. A person used to hamburgers, aperitifs and small excesses does not necessarily have to become vegan overnight to improve his life. As yoga teaches us, letting go also requires letting go from time to time, not to put pressure on yourself sickly. Once again, it is a question of balance to be found between pure aesthetics and taking care of it, between doing it better and doing it perfectly. But in reality, the most interesting thing about yoga is that one leads to the other. The care offered by this practice and this philosophy brings about a positive bodily modification (aesthetically) and this, in the main, much more lasting. Practicing asanas (postures) strengthens the muscles, offers shape and firmness, breathing better allows you to be more in shape but also to explode toxins, taking healthy eating habits is the best ally for having beautiful skin and beautiful hair. It is a bit of an “internal” approach which gives the body the possibility of being at its best and therefore of “showing itself at its best”. In any case, it means learning to be inside rather than below looking at yourself. Paradoxically, the effort that this requires brings about a letting go of what matters less and allows you to refocus on the essential, on you.