The first destination, South of France, finally the blog post about what touched me to share it with you. I’d like to talk about my accommodation. And with that I don’t mean my tent 😉 But read it yourself…
After 27 years, I was on a camping site again to say goodbye to my parents. We used to go there often as toddlers. It is advertised for nudists.
And those who know me a little bit know that I have never been to this beach/lake area in Bremen or Germany. And I don’t know if you just noticed your own reaction when you read the word “nudist”?
With me it was a feeling of rejection before we went there. My thoughts were: Do I want to see other people naked? Do I want to show myself with my body naked in front of strangers? And in the reaction of my friends I knew that many found it very strange and emphasized that they would NEVER go there. So the reactions corresponded with the questions I asked myself.
It is not that my parents would call themselves nudists. The place was chosen more than 30 years ago for rather pragmatic reasons. It’s a really idyllic place with a swimming pool and lots of entertainment for us as small children at that time and especially important as windsurfers, with lots of wind in the summer. The nudist part was secondary.
After my arrival it took me at least three days to get used to this nudity! I just found it funny, inappropriate, trapped in my own shame and the feeling of not wanting to see the others at all.
Then my, I call it, yogic hippi voice finally came into play: “Why are you so concerned about the people on the outside? That does not suit you at all! Besides, it’s quite nice not to sweat through clothes or wear a tight bra, isn’t it? How big is your ego, Hanna, if you think that your body would attract the attention of someone here? And if so, what difference does it make?”
And little by little, I not only let my Monkeymind (explanation: like monkeys that follow every stimulus, it’s the continuous thoughts in my head on one or more topics – do you know?), but also the covers fell, which was so pleasant and liberating. This time in France and the frequent (naked) being gave me a new, different feeling for my body, more confrontation and above all: more freedom! In the end I got used to swimming and running around naked.
This experience of being there as a child, completely free and naïve compared to the now as a woman at 36 and perceiving this difference made me think.
How much space is taken up nowadays by physicality and the need for one’s own well-being in one’s body, which probably many people will never reach. Who can say of themselves, “I love my body as it is! When you ask yourself this question, do you answer affirmatively or negatively?
Isn’t it usually the case that we would like to have a little less belly, be a little bigger or smaller, or that some parts of our body should be slimmer, fuller or more defined? And I ask myself what is the point of that, this Monkeymind? How much lifetime this actually takes away from us, or what a wonderful pleasure!
Honestly, I like my femininity and even though I like to eat healthily and a lot, I also like to eat a lot at once or even cake, ice cream or chocolate. In general I like it sweet! Yes, in moderation not good for the teeth, joints etc. and of course not good for the figure. That’s right! But to only chase after beauty ideals, when we are all so unique, for what? Should it really be the goal that everyone should have the same body measurements, preferably still as the fashion world dictates? That makes no sense to me! And to constantly criticize yourself, that is unlived life time! How about waking up tomorrow and suddenly feeling good in your body, being able to accept and love you, with everything the way you are? Wouldn’t that be relieving, liberating, joyful, relaxing and beautiful?
There is absolutely nothing against the need for active change. In my opinion in relation to your body or in general only if it really contributes to your happiness in life. And not if it is a constant theme in your consciousness, keeps you from living and yet you change nothing or only very briefly. Then you better let it go and learn to accept yourself. Self-love, the perception of the own beauty of the body is the only option for me. If this does not work out well, ask your best friend or friends or your partner or acquaintance what they actually like about you on the outside. You will be surprised what you have not noticed yet, how beautiful you really are! Or maybe also, which focus you set. But the others will look at you from a completely different perspective. Because mostly we simply “overlook” our beauty. So a little push from the outside can be very helpful. I have actually learned to love my body more in this way.
In the course of my life, the universe has simply always put my partner, girlfriend or good friend in front of my door, who have told me exactly the opposite of what I thought. Here we are again, this Monkeymind, these assumptions and judging, thinking what someone else could think about a thought. These partners told me that the fullness of my thighs or my feminine curves are beautiful. That not every man loves only women with fantastically large breasts, but the whole package. That my “many” grey hairs are not visible at all and that my natural beauty is incredibly attractive. How beautiful, instead of wrinkled my hands are. And now here at writing I have to laugh how intimate I share my old thoughts and reviews with you. But I know that I want to do this because I think it might help you to distance yourself more from it. I bet that you had or maybe even still have a list like this, with things that flattened your self-confidence or somehow made you smaller. And how many, many people are there who don’t love each other as much or who can be satisfied with themselves and their given body. What a pity this is, because so much wondrous time and joy in your own body, so much love of life and above all freedom is missing! In
India they say that the body is the temple where the soul dwells and you have to take care of the temple, among other things of course with? Of course: Yoga! Yoga for connection? Yoga for more self-worth? Absolutely! I find this metaphor really beautiful, because in my opinion illnesses are always an expression of the fact that the soul is not doing so well and that in the last instance it shows or expresses itself through the body, which is why one should look at the whole and not just at a symptom. My contribution today is to perceive yourself in your wholeness as beautiful, with more loving kindness! So replace the things in your head with all the nice compliments you hear from the outside and then accept more and more yourself. In this sense don’t wait for it, your beauty is already there: you are beautiful inside and outside!
