CELEBRATION: That's the goal. To find ourselves respecting, rejoicing and praising our bodies in all their glory, no matter what size, shape, age or ability we are blessed to be. This requires lightness and depth, inside and outside joy, a longing to know and accept ourselves just as we are, and a belief that all we have to do is remember that we are worthy of love and capable of giving it unconditionally to ourselves. This book is offered as a guide to that journey.
This process is not about figuring out why we look the way we do. There are no strategies here for dieting or for how to manage our emotions so we don't eat or insinuations that being fat is about not loving ourselves. Emotional issues can sometimes lead to excess fat (meaning above your natural weight) and many of us use food as a drug. But being shamed and feeling guilty only compounds those issues. In most cases, being fat is just another way to be. This process is about changing the way we see, not the way we look. Once our self-view changes, the issues regarding our emotional relationship with food will naturally adjust to their healthiest place, because self-care will no longer require will power. Self-care only requires self-love.
Scientists say that if 11 per cent of a society's members change their mind, there will be a cultural shift. Eleven per cent is very attainable. But it must begin inside each one of us, something I will be repeating throughout the book. Your mind must change; your energy in the world must shift;your inner light must shine. Then, and only then, can you hope to have any influence on the larger reality. But, first things first.
This is a book about choices and the tools to help you make the ones best suited to you. There is no reason that you can't love yourself no matter what you look like and make choices only as they suit your own higher purpose. It is from this center of self-loving energy that you will manifest your true self in the Universe.
Finally, it is important to understand that this book is not about big bodies being better than small bodies. It is about small bodies not being better than big bodies. It is about no bodies being better than any other bodies. And though the emphasis may seem to be on size, please be assured that no matter what issues you have about your appearance, whether it be weight, age, facial hair, baldness, or bowed legs, this book can help you see through different eyes and find your true inner vision.
Change How You See, Not How You Look provides Power Tools at the end of every chapter...little hints, affirmations, rituals, ways of helping you deal with the culture, the media, belief systems, relationships, spirituality, the body/mind/spirit split, and healing. There are tools to deconstruct what you believe about women in general and about yourself in particular, and tools to help you rebuild, remember, and restore the integrity and inherent beauty of your body and your spirit so you can begin joyfully celebrating every part of your being.
About the Author
J. Alison Hilber has a B.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Burlington College, and is dedicated to helping women on the path to joyous celebration of their bodies through her Change How You See, Not How You Look Body Celebration Workshops for Women and this book. Alison lives in Burlington, Vermont, with her cat, Psyche, who is a daily reminder of the delights of having a soft, round belly.
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