Body image
Beauty, youth, vigour, and health are extolled in our society. It's impossible to watch television, view a film, or read a magazine without seeing idealised models or actors portraying what is supposed to represent the height of physical and material perfection. We are taught to believe that outer appearance is everything.
By having enough of the right material stuff (i.e., the right body, the right clothes, the right car, a house in the right neighbourhood) we will be happy, successful, and fulfilled. The emphasis is thus on having rather than being.
As a result, many of us grow up with a negative body image, feeling inadequate and uncomfortable in our bodies. Insensitive teasing or repeated criticsm of the way we look can be very damaging if we allow it, lowering our self-esteem. By swallowing the illusion that there's a right way to look, we cease to regard our bodies as a source of pleasure and adventure and, failing to recognise our uniqueness, reject the way we are.
Real inner confidence in your body has little to do with looks or proportions. You can meet men who are unusually good looking yet they don't feel it, and others who on the surface are far less attractive, yet who posses an ease and sensuality in themselves that is magnetic. Such inner assurance and body awareness stem from self-acceptance and can be gained by learning to acknowledge and appreciate your body.
Self massage is a wonderful way of discovering your whole body. Bringing your awareness to tense or disconnected parts of your body can help release the mental and emotional blocks that are held there, thus restoring your awareness and capacity for pleasure. You may find the idea of exploring and massaging your body a little odd at first. But by allowing yourself to have a better relationship with your body, you'll learn to give and receive pleasure more freely.
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