Who Are You?
So, I was talking to a friend the other day after posting my first weblog (as some of you know, I’ve had my website up for a while now, but just recently decided to take advantage of the blogging option), and had a moment of insight. This friend, who shies away from relating to her body and dancing to the extent that she can’t even watch me perform, had read my take on accepting–no, adoring–our bodies as they are. She followed this light reading by watching a video I had just uploaded on my Facebook page of a new dance routine I am working on. Even as I admitted to her my own trepidation around putting the video up in the first place (what will people think?…are people going to view it as weird that I put it up? etc., etc…oh, how the mind just does its thang), this friend told me both my blog and video inspired her to throw on yoga pants (which she hadn’t done in years), a tank top (which she hadn’t done in even longer) and get in front of her full length mirror and dance for a good 25 minutes.
I couldn’t help but smile (from ear to ear).
What is the purpose of the work that I do? Moments like these. I realized the biggest compliment I can get is when people say that watching me dance makes them want to dance. That when they read my honest accounts of dealing with body issues and food, that they can relate in some way and are inspired to look at their own issues in a different light. If I could help everyone to be just a little bit more at ease with themselves, especially with the parts of themselves that they’d rather not take too long a look at, I’d be a happy camper. Because that is what being holistic truly means–not doing yoga everyday, meditating for hours on end, being a vegetarian, or living like a Zen monk. It means holding ALL of our stuff, and being who we are, not what someone else thinks we should be. And for pete’s sake, let’s laugh and make a little fun of ourselves in the process! It cuts right through the thickness of our self-doubt, worry, and pain.
Everyone has a mind, body, and spirit (although not everyone uses this particular word). We all breathe (no other way to get through the day, I promise). But what is beyond these similarities that make us the individuals–part of a collective–that we are? I thought I’d share–honestly–how I view myself (today) as a holistic human being:
I consider myself a feminist and feminine; spiritual, yet leaps and bounds away from my Catholic upbringing; short but carry a big stick. Subjects I’m passionate about include how to stem violence against women, the continuing horrific decline of Zimbabwe, and methodically stealing dance steps off of videos on Youtube. I’m a writer and a dancer, a cryer who deals with bouts of jealousy. I struggle with issues of self-esteem and (not) being noticed, and can cringe when I’m noticed too much. I have incredible, incredible friends, lovely yet freakishly small hands, a sometimes snarky sense of humor –see How to be a fun, gluten-free goddess and get away with it–and want nothing more than for everyone I come across to embrace who they are.
Now my question is, who are you? Again, that is what holistic means–recognizing who you yourself are–the “good” and the “bad”–and then maybe throwing those two words out the window. What if you just “are”–cryer, jealous, struggle with self-esteem and snarky–and that is the most beautiful thing in the entire world?
After you’ve thought about it for a while, do me a favor. Write down whatever you came up with in the comments section below. Be anonymous if you want (come up with a fake email for all I care), but just put it ALL out there. It will feel SO DAMN GOOD, I promise.
And there you go, you ended up being holistic without spending months at an ashram.
Next assignment–if you enjoyed yourself, pass this blog along to all of your friends, co-workers, family, etc. that you think would enjoy doing the same. Let’s start a revolution to live holistically, and to not beat up ourselves so much (self punishment really isn’t good for the skin, you know). Maybe your friends, co-workers, family, etc. will like you even better because you are no longer carrying around all that “I’m not good enough” crap.
Lastly, if this process feels good, and you want to continue feeling good with pep-me-up blogs in the future, add your email to “subscribe to journal” on the left-hand side of the blog (I won’t inundate your inbox, I promise). I also put out a monthly health newsletter chock full of the latest and greatest in the world of health-related science and beyond (and of course you know some crazy stuff makes its way in there), which you can subscribe to at http://truequanimity.com/contact.html. And as this is a labor of (free) love, visiting the sponsors you find on different pages throughout my website, www.truequanimity.com, helps me out a bit.
Thank you for your time; I know it is valuable. Looking SOOO forward to reading what you have to say!
About the Author
Christine Garvin is a certified Nutrition Educator and holds a MA in Holistic Health Education. She is co-editor of Brave New Traveler and a featured author at Healthier Talk. When she is not out traveling the world, she is busy writing, doing yoga, and performing hip-hop and bhangra. She also likes to pretend living in her hippie town of Fairfax, CA is like being on vacation.
Loved your article! I came across this after reading yours and thought “how appropriate!”
“I must learn to love the fool in me the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs, and cries.” ~ Theodore Isaac Rubin
I am a woman
I am learning to be happy
I am a photographer
I am someone who believes in herself some times and not others
I am a friend, a sister, a daughter, a grandchild
I am excited
I am tired
I am a good cook
Wanted to share that this is great- the other night i watched a horrifying TV program on teenage girls who are getting boob jobs (to have big boobs). It made me really sad that young girls feel so bad about themselves that they are getting cut open and added to. I also want to send out the message that our bodies are beautiful as they are. Good for you for doing this. The only thing that’s hard about it is that you’re naturally gorgeous, and your photo shows that… I think that’s hard for people not quite so fortunate to see. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, just thought it might be something to consider. You probably already have….
I wanted to respond to the comment by AC. This was actually sent to me personally, and I asked this person if I could put their comment on here. My reaction to it was interesting, and thought this might be a good opportunity to share. I had not contemplated the idea that someone would take a look at my picture and think, “Who does this woman think she is saying this stuff?” It’s funny, because I know there have been plenty of times in my life where I’ve read or heard something from someone where I thought, “Give me a break. You’re [insert here]is perfect! Get over yourself!” But it never crossed my mind that someone else might have this thought about me, because I tend to see all the imperfections when looking at pictures of myself, or worse, that being “photogenic”, as I have been told for most of my life, is not a true representation of me.
But underneath the knowledge of my imperfections and what I would rather the world not notice about me is the small, yet blooming belief that ALL women are beautiful, including me. Not to disclude you guys, but in a society where women are often judged on their physical appearances, I think this aspect may be a bit more heart-wrenching for us. The whole point of me writing this blog is that I hate that we are surrounded by media that makes us all feel as if we aren’t beautiful enough, and therefore not good enough, when the reality is we all have beauty. We all have a physical part of ourselves that we can draw attention to because it accents that beauty. We all have the possibility of an internal sense of beauty that can and WILL radiate on the outside no matter our size, color, physical handicap, or other.
I think this is an important process to dissect, and so I thank the person profusely who wrote this. It definitely made me contemplate my work in more ways than one, and that simply takes me farther along in my own journey.
#1 I am a perfectionist which leads to #2
#2 I can be insecure about things and easily discouraged
#3 I am very emotional
#4 I am very sensitive
#5 I am empathetic
#6 I can be silly
#7 I can be outgoing in certain situations
#8 I doubt my gut (I am learning to listen though!)
#9 I LOVE to laugh
#10 I am very protective of people I love
#11 I love to gossip
#12 I am an excellent worrier (I am learning to live day to day!)
Why can’t we all embrace ourselves the way that we are? There’s beauty in acknowledging what is and some are so afraid that if they ACCEPT what is then they’re saying they won’t change. Can’t we hold both? This is who I am AND this is who I want to be one day? That’s what I try to do.
So who am I?
I am a dreamer… not good or bad. I just am.
I am an artist… in EVERY way.
I am deeply passionate – it’s in my bones… passionate about the earth and trees, hearts and souls, all creatures, intentions, attention, and love.
I love food.
Sometimes I hate food.
I love moving my body.
Sometimes I don’t like looking at my body though.
I love foreign languages, especially Spanish.
My purpose right now is to help all women work with attention, food, and self-love in order to find more joy and freedom in their lives.
I am unfinished and yet perfect for this moment.
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