Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie

In: cleanse, drinks + potables, favorites, raw, recipes, smoothies, yoga vibes

Today’s vibrantly green smoothie is inspired by the heart chakra, or Anahata. This chakra is the center of our bodies’ love energy, but also of self-esteem and self love. In addition, as the Anahata is located at the center of our chests (and not just at the heart), it symbolizes holistic and physical balance. Which is a pretty appropriate topic to talk about now, during the first few weeks of the new year.

I’ve been reading a lot of articles about the resurgence of New Year’s Resolutions – articles about cleansing, exercising, healthy eating, etc. But this year I noticed that many of these articles were peppered with body positivity statements, which is a HUGE step forward for women. There’s definitely so much pressure during the new year for there to be a “new you” – read: thinner you – especially for women. But this year, I noticed that there were more messages to the tune of “You are beautiful the way you are.” and “You don’t have to change!”, tempering the constant pressure to modify our bodies. Recently I read this great article on Buzzfeed that admitted, “You might even feel conflicted about wanting to change your body when body positivity and acceptance is priority number one. But if you’re making this decision for yourself and going about it in a healthy way, then that’s all noise you can just drown the f*** out.” Yeah, Buzzfeed!! This is what the conversation about body positivity should be like. Every woman should have complete autonomy over her body, whether that means she wants to lose weight or gain weight or stay the same weight. NO WOMAN should be shamed for a decision she makes for HER body. If she wants to lose weight and get fitter, let her go! If she wants to love her body the way it is, let her fly!

I was thinking about this topic when I saw a Facebook post from this girl who I went to college with, who is now a bodybuilder. She wrote about how other women were shaming her for wearing a bikini and participating in bodybuilding competitions, where she would be judged based on her physical appearance. And I just felt really sad that others felt they had the right to tell her what she should or should not do with her body. If she wants to work out a lot, it’s completely her decision. Her choice to bodybuild is not a statement about other women – it’s a statement about her. One that she is completely free to make.

The heart chakra is not only the source of love, but of self love as well. Self love means different things for different people. For you it may mean lighting a candle, pouring a glass of wine and taking a nice bubble bath. For her it could mean going to the gym. For her it could mean eating her favorite snack and watching Netflix. And all of those things are OKAY! I hope I don’t sound preachy, but I just wish that all women felt free to participate in self love without any sort of judgement, from others and from themselves. I’m definitely guilty of the latter – being nice to myself is something I’ve always struggled with. But by talking about it and participating in the conversation, I feel that I’m taking steps towards engaging in self love and positivity.

So what do you think about self love and body positivity? Let me know in the comments!