Love every part
Love Every Part
There will always be parts of ourselves that are harder to love than others. If that is a construct of our society and culture or if it is something that grew from trauma, the impact it has on us can be huge.
Maybe we don’t fit in the so-called norm, or we carry shame around something that we simply cannot control, and so fully loving ourselves is a steep mountain to climb and for many of us, it might be filled with obstacles.
Most likely you are reading this because you are drawn to yoga or movement, and thus there is an innate love for your body, heart and mind that is getting attention. I think many of us will agree that yoga has helped us love ourselves more. And yet, it can also be a problematic space where sharing a practice amongst other people in a group setting will create comparison and judgment - both with others and within ourselves.
We can’t deny that we do this, compare ourselves to others, or judge others as well as being judged ourselves. We might try not to, because it isn’t a nice feeling, let’s be honest, but I find it even more important to check within why it comes up. What is underneath the comparison and judgment itself? What was the spark, the seed, the very thing that started?
I’m sure we all find some very interesting albeit confusing answers when we go that deep. And how do we change it when we find it? Well, we love it. We start to love every part even more. Because acceptance of what is - that is the first step to change.
When I was younger, the part of myself I loved the least was my teeth. In my early teens I started developing an underbite, and it grew more and more from the age of 12 to around the age of 19. I covered my jaw and cheeks with my hands every time I walked past a cute girl, I didn’t smile nor let people take photos of me. I was teased a lot, hearing things like “look at the piranha,” or “the bird bath,” or “don’t drown when it rains.”
I finally got braces and had surgery done in my early twenties, but it had affected me so much that I somehow felt it was still there, I couldn’t quite get used to it and I didn’t look myself in the mirror for at least 2 years after the surgery. It took me a long time to love that part of myself. As if acceptance was a slowly catching up with me, years later.
Once I realised and accepted that I didn’t look the way I did in my teens, that I actually found that I had a beautiful smile, and that I started to build up more confidence, many things started changing. All of a sudden I had one more part that I loved even more and I could show it proudly and lovingly. The one thing that I loved the least became the thing I loved the most, because of the journey it took to get there.
And so loving every part is a courageous act for oneself. Love the uniqueness of yourself, all of the things that make you who you are. Learn to love the characteristics that no one else has, no matter how strange they might seem to others. Learn how to stand proudly for the things you don’t fully understand about yourself, and that you are more than willing to grow and hold those parts close to your heart as lovingly as you hold the parts you love the most.
So when the time comes where the things about yourself you loved the least, will be the most cherished thing for someone else, and when they show you how wonderful and magical those parts of yourself truly are - hopefully you will see them as such as well. Because the things you thought needed changing were the things that changed YOU the most.
Therefore, the things about yourself you love the least, hold them the closest, make them your proudest asset, give these parts your most loving affection and attention, and witness yourself become who you already are - a perfectly imperfect human being simply trying to make sense of everything and nothing. Love every part, the confusion and clarity, the frustration and stillness, the tears and laughter, the faults and triumphs, the whispers and the shouts, the grief and the growth, love every part like it didn’t even make sense, because one day it will, and you will smile and remember that the things about you that you loved the least, was the things that brought to who you are right now, and the things you love the least at this moment, one day it will all make sense.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I hope it offers some reflection and ease to love every part of yourself, because you deserve it.
Love from all parts,
Chris Fox
About the Author
Chris Fox is a mobility specialist and movement coach focusing on joint health, body awareness, and how to reduce pain with active bodywork. With the Fox Method, he helps people to get a stronger connection to their body, by isolating joint awareness, activating body control, and integrating healthier movement habits.
If you want to work on your mobility and stability, increase more body awareness and reduce pain to feel more light and alive, you can contact Chris for a session: thisischrisfox@gmail.com
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