{Anna Guest-Jelley helping a student in class}

For many of us, self-kindness is hard to come by. Somehow it’s so much easier to be nicer to everyone else and so much harder to be nicer to ourselves.

That’s one of the reasons I love Anna Guest Jelley’s work on Curvy Yoga and her new e-book Permission to Curve: Inspiring Poses for Curvy Yogis and Their Teachers: She helps us reconnect with our self-compassion. She empowers us to listen to our bodies and treat ourselves with respect and care.

Below, in part two of our interview, Anna explains what self-kindness means to her and how we can be more compassionate toward ourselves. She also shares why yoga is important along with her favorite yoga pose.

And don’t forget that we’re giving away TWO copies of Anna’s book Permission to Curve. All you have to do is comment on part one of our interview. (The details are there, too.)

{The gorgeous Anna Guest-Jelley teaching yoga}

I’m super excited to share my interview with Anna Guest-Jelley, founder of Curvy Yoga, where she inspires people of all sizes to practice yoga and love and care for their bodies. It’s truly a beautiful, invigorating and positive space.

Recently she’s released a stunning and comprehensive e-book called Permission to Curve: Inspiring Poses for Curvy Yogis and Their Teachers. In it, you’ll find an empowering how-to on practicing yoga, including simple instructions and photos of the 60+ poses and sun salutations.

Permission to Curve is about using yoga as a vehicle for self-acceptance, body positivity and self-care. Anna focuses on honoring your body, being kind to yourself, finding the joy in movement and having fun.

Below, Anna shares what inspired her to write Permission to Curve, how yoga helped to heal her self-image issues and what Curvy Yoga means to her.

We’re also giving away two copies of Permission to Curve, so be sure to read the details at the bottom! Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our interview where Anna talks about listening to our bodies and practicing self-kindness.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

{via etsy by Julianne Wallace Sterling}

In late June I went to the Creative Joy Retreat, which was led by Jennifer Louden, Marianne Elliott and Tracey Clark. There, I practiced yoga, danced, took pictures and wrote my heart out.

It was an eye-opening experience in many ways. If I had to sum it up, I’d say that I gained a greater appreciation for myself, and for my body.

Many of us worry that enjoying food will somehow open Pandora’s box, and lead to out-of-control eating. But it’s OK — and important — to like eating.

Eating foods we don’t like very much leaves us feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. In fact, for many people it leads to overeating and then guilt.

Not enjoying eating can also negatively affect your nutrition. As nutritionist Michelle Allison explained in our interview:

Ellyn Satter, the dietitian and therapist who developed the eating competence model, says “When the pleasure goes out of eating, nutrition suffers.”

It means that, when you’re not enjoying food and the process of eating it – and also if you don’t like your body enough to take care of yourself with food – your health and the nutritional quality of your diet, over the long run, will be poorer.

In their book Intuitive Eating, authors and registered dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch feature a valuable 5-step process to regain the enjoyment of eating.

{via etsy by Kimberly Chorney}

As I wrote last week, when we fixate on our physical appearance and certain “flaws,” our lives can become very narrow and negative. Our vision gets blurry, and we can’t see the wonder and beauty in our lives. So we assume there isn’t much left of it.

But there is. Taking the time to name these things helps us realize that in a powerful way. That’s why last week I shared 50 things that I’m grateful for. Today, I’m sharing 50 more.

I hope this inspires you to take a closer look at your life and maybe write a list of your own. Maybe it even inspires you to focus less on weight, size and shape and more on the shape of your life and all the great things in it.

So, without further ado, here’s what I’m grateful for:

{via etsy by David Dedman}

Today we’re celebrating our independence here in America.

But wherever you live, today might also be the day you celebrate your independence, too.

Today might be the day you liberate yourself from certain habits, objects or ways of thinking that sabotage your body image, the way you take care of yourself, your mood and your life.

For instance, maybe you declare your independence from dieting or the bathroom scale, which you toss in the trash.

{via etsy by Carolyn Cochrane}

Today I’m re-publishing a post about 10 things you can do tomorrow morning to boost your body image. I hope you like it!

How we start our days can often make or break our mood. I think the same is true for body image. Here are 10 simple ways to start the day on a positive note that either directly or indirectly boost your body image.

1. Move your body. This isn’t about punishing your body into weight-loss submission or purging it of last night’s calories. This is about engaging your mind and body in pleasurable movement. About getting those feel-good endorphins circulating through your bones.

My grandma used to do a variety of stretches every morning…for years! Even when she was stricken with cancer (for many years), she still remained committed to her morning routine, which I know made her feel alive.

When I’m not active for a while, whether that’s practicing Pilates, walking or riding my bike, I start to feel lethargic and depressed and the negative thoughts start swirling. My mind begins to race, and my body image can plummet. Maybe you feel the same way.

So start the day off with your favorite physical activity, whether that’s stretching, taking a yoga class, taking a walk around the block or dancing to your fave music as you get ready for work. Whatever movement makes you feel alive, calm and happy, do that.

2. Savor your breakfast using your senses. You guys know by now that I’m a big fan of mindfulness. Not only does it help us slow down and smell the roses, but it’s also soothing and puts life into perspective. When eating your breakfast, pay attention. What does the food taste like? Smell like? What’s the texture like?

And remember that it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving for you to give thanks for the food on your table. You can simply acknowledge that you feel blessed to enjoy this meal.

3. Marvel at your surroundings. According to authors Jeffrey Brantley, MD, and Wendy Millstine, NC, in their …