Body Image Uncovered

You know, the greatest judgments that we have are on ourselves and what we believe to be true for ourselves.

So this conversation of body shame is really about what's at the root of that. And intertwined with it, from my perspective, is how also our body expresses congested, repressed energy. Thank you for tuning in your consciousness to the Naked Human podcast. I want to acknowledge your presence and what it took for you to be here today listening. My intention for you is that you receive what you came here for and find what you didn't know you needed.

This podcast is about what it means to be a human being and what it really means to be naked and how our relationship with Mother Nature has the power to heal us. My name is Carrie Cot and I'm a new to nature photographer, licensed physician of Chinese medicine, plant guide and wild woman embodiment mentor. I help women heal from sexual trauma, awaken their authentic voice, and distinguish between fear and intuition so they can be led by their deep feminine heart.

I bring to life in this podcast my own internal wisdom. I will only share what I've learned and experience on a personal level. As you listen, I encourage you to take from this what you need and just trash the rest. So happy listening. Foreign welcome to this episode.

We are going to talk about body shame. Now, I want to start off by saying that a lot of people that I interact with communicate to me what I hear in the listening of what they share and what they reflect. That this podcast and the work that I do is about body shame. Now, it's not not about body shame. However, it is about what's at the root of body shame.

So body shame has to do with like, our physical appearance, what it looks like, what it doesn't look like, how much we weigh, how much we don't weigh, what color our eyes are, the length of our hair, how we dress. I mean, it's about our physical appearance. And the shaming of that is the make wrongness of it. Like, you're too fat, you're too short, you're too tall, you're too dark, you're too light and so forth.

And it's mostly, I'm too fat, I'm too thin, I'm too short, I'm not attractive enough, I'm too round, my feet are too big, my feet are too small. I was trying to come up with something clever there. You know, the greatest judgments that we have are on ourselves and what we believe to be true for ourselves. So this conversation of body shame is really about what's at the root of that and intertwined with it, from my perspective, is how also our body expresses congested, repressed energy.

So there's like this aspect of what our body looks like, what's happening with our body, what is visibly seen and felt in our body as a manifestation of how we're doing, how we're feeling, what energy within us is flowing and open and receptive, and what energy within us is closed, repressed, and a locked down. And the experience of body shame is about this outward appearance. Like, you know, my thighs are too big.

So this intermingled aspect of what's going on underneath the current of like, well, why, why do you think that? Why is that even a thing for you? Like, you as in the. If this is you and if it's not, you specifically insert the thing that's there for you. And maybe you're. I always like to put this little disclaimer. And maybe you're one of those unique human beings that's like, I have no body shame. I have no shame at all.

Okay, please, I say this, please come and meet every single person in the entire planet and rub that off on all of us. Because shame and repressed expression is so incredibly painful. Okay, so you fill in the blank. What is it about your body? Take a moment. Maybe one's like, boom, right there in your awareness. Maybe you just need to pause this or take a breath and reflect and look. What is something about your physical body right now that you don't like or that doesn't feel good?

There's just something about it that's unpleasant. What is that? Now this part of your body is a mirrored reflection of something within yourself. This part of your body is representative of something. It's a part of you. So let's take a look at, I mentioned thighs. So the thighs are located in the lower part of the body. So there's this like, lower part, there's this more rooted aspect. The hips are also this part where helps support the rest of your body.

Hips are also created for mobility and flexibility, to be able to sit, to stand, to walk, to turn. For women, I mean, the hips, this lower part of our body is so required for being able to give birth and to like support that process. So if you start taking a look at what this part of the body does with this location, what an organ in our body does, you know, function, our eyes, our ears, fingers. What does this part of the body do? What does it represent? What is it capable of?

And start looking in that direction. So if we look at these, the thighs and what they're structurally doing. And there's all these tendons and ligaments that are happening in this part of the body. It's also a place to provide protection, protection for our reproductive organs, our digestive organs, our ability to let go, our creativity, our ability to receive and to let go. So really, like, this really neat place of life in our body for death and destruction and rebirth and renewal.

I mean, damn. Damn. So if you're having the experience of not loving your thighs, maybe they're too big. Like, my thighs are just. There's just too much excess buildup and weight can look at. Hmm. Well, that's interesting. This part of the body provides protection and support. And also taking a look at, like, how do you feel about it? How do you feel about this part of your body? And we're going to come back to that.

So the thighs and this place of support and protection and flexibility and mobility, providing so much. And if you're having the experience that, like, this part of you is too big, it's important. And I invite you to take a look at. Well, what is it maybe that I feel I need extra protection from? Where in my life do I feel completely unsupported? So much that I'm trying and I'm holding onto as much support within my body that I possibly can.

And as it relates to, like, mobility and flexibility, if there's, like, stiffness, if there's tension, if there's tightness in this part of your body, then what's naturally there is to take a look at? Where do I feel inflexible, rigid? Or where am I trying to be so rigid and hold such a boundary because I don't feel safe here. It's hard, like having this boundary. And so your body starts reflecting that experience. What we think about. I'm going to say it. What we think about, we bring about.

And our bodies are, are, and can be our best friends that are constantly communicating with us and reflecting what the fuck is going on. We are required to listen or not really required, actually, but if we do, it helps a whole lot.

So circling back to this piece about emotions, how you feel about it matters. So in this example, thighs are too big. I fucking hate it. And I feel angry, and I also feel sad. This is the example. How you feel about what emotions are present here are super big indicators. So if you find anger, then that's a reflection of your repressed anger. It's really that simple. And then if you want to take it even deeper, connect the anger to the part of the Body, not just like, okay, there's anger there.

So there's unresolved, there's repressed anger. Okay, got it. Check. That makes sense, right? I mean, it's there. And then if you connect that anger to the part of the body. So maybe it's feeling angry in this example about not feeling supported, about not feeling safe, about having to be rigid in order to try and protect yourself. So you connect these pieces and follow the breadcrumbs information. So then you start illuminating what's really going on here.

Now this alone is super, incredibly potent and powerful. Awareness is so huge, so huge. So so many times in just the act of pausing, being with this part of you acknowledging what's going on, listening, you know, checking in with yourself is so powerful because you're acknowledging and you're hearing your own self. You're taking a moment to actually give a fuck and listen. The repressed parts of ourselves go so unheard within our own awareness. So when we take a moment to be with it.

Ah, space to breathe. And what happens in that space? And that breath is movement. That which has been stuck now has some room and some space and some freedom. It has the ability to now be in flow. So that alone is huge. Now sometimes that's it. That's like all we need. And sometimes it's not. We need another moment like that.

We need a moment of going deeper, spending more time with this part of our body, which might look like touching this part of our body and just closing our eyes and holding our presence there, meditating, moving, definitely might look like expressing the emotion, feeling the emotion that is locked up in this part of our body. And sometimes this is like a lifelong journey with this part of our body. And sometimes it's not. Every experience is so unique.

So if this has been something that you've been tending to and like, it's still there and it's different than it once was, that's okay. And I really. Oh, that just like being presence to that, like, I get it. Ugh. And it can feel so fucking tough sometimes. And we're like, damn. Like this. This is like. I think the saying is the Achilles heel. Like, this is the Achilles heel of my life. I get it. I have that too.

And maybe you don't, but, oh, gosh, it can be wild and wicked and expansive and opening. We have so much pleasure and joy and pain and sorrow connected to places inside of us, expressions of our bodies and wondering, like, will I ever fill in the blank? Because there are some places where the energy has been stored within us that requires more layers, more depth, more presence.

I think maybe life is like this, I was going to say kaleidoscope, but also kaleidoscope, but this like never ending swirl of shedding and becoming over and over and over. And it's not that we ever find ourselves back anywhere, like there's no going back. It's just that things can resurface differently. And when it does, we just tend to it and we do what we need to do. We take that time to be with it in this new way. Because it's never rock bottom to back to where it was.

Because the spiral is like actually, I don't know really what direction, but for the basis of that we have an up and a down from this human experience is like, it's like going upward, it's not going down. But maybe it is, I don't know. But anyway, for this analogy, it's going uproad. Like the spiral is going upward. So like when you meet this same moment of like, wow, I'm back here again. Well, no, you're not. You're just arriving to a new place within yourself.

A new place within this aspect of you that is now ready. Like this layer is now ready. It's just like we consume things constantly, right? And then we eliminate those things from our body. It's. I think it's just like the same thing. Receive, in, output, let go, in, out, in, out. Birth, death, birth, death, new, old, shed, grow. So anyway, whatever part of your body you're feeling shameful about, there's a deeper truth, there's a gift in it.

Maybe you're like, fuck that, you know, I get that too.

There is something that I received from one of these really incredible women, touches my heart too, that has helped me so much, so incredibly much in my journey is this statement. And the statement is, to me, from me, with love. To me, from me, with love. And for me, that is a reminder that whatever is happening is to me from me with love, that it's here because I'm gifting it to myself. I need whatever the fuck is happening, clearly, because it's here.

And damn, when I have access to that in my awareness, when I'm dealing with something. And I remember that, thank goodness, because there's a break in this space. And whatever I'm experiencing that, like, yeah, okay, this is to me from me with love and serving a purpose and damn, sometimes I wish I could like always figure it out and understand everything that's always happening. Can you relate? You know, like wanting to understand Everything and know exactly what is happening.

I have that part of my awareness. I don't.

Maybe it's not awareness, but of my humanness. And there is so much more that's happening that's beyond our human capability of understanding. Sometimes when we're grieving, we're grieving things that, you know, that have been there for, like, 20 years, 40 years, 60 years, and we can't fully grasp all that, but there's been a crack and the light's getting in.

And the shit that we've been harboring is now seeing the light of day and having an opening to flow, and there's just no way to understand fully, I think. And this human experience of, like, what all that means, why it's all there. Like, what's every little nook and cranny of why I'm fucking feeling this way. I have no fucking idea. Just feel it, right? And I think that to me, from me, with love, is a remembrance of that. Of, like, I don't know why this is all happening, but it is.

And it's from me, for me. And I believe that when we can settle into that, things go much more smoothly. So whatever you're dealing with, whatever part of your body you just fucking hate, you don't like, you feel gross about, you think should be different than what it is. I hear you and I get it. And something deeper is possible. This part of you is yearning for your presence, your acknowledgment.

And the first step is to stop, to pause and allow some space to connect, to ask questions, and mostly to listen to this part of you and be curious about what the fuck is really going on here. Why do I feel this way? And if this is something that you want to take a deeper look at, this is medicine I carry. And I can hold the space for you to uncover and discover what's truly there for you. Because damn it is, I'm gonna say the word. Easier to do together than it is alone.

And I've had a whole lot of practice doing it alone. So if you're interested in looking deeper with me as your guide, check out the show notes. It'll guide you to what's possible. And for now, my love, so much love, blessings, healing, illumination. I'm right there with you. And until next time, we are complete. O. Thank you for tuning your consciousness to this episode of the Naked Human.

However you find yourself, whether it's relieved, enlightened, triggered, or as if the past minutes were a complete waste of your time, it's perfect. Be present to it and allow it to be the medicine you need. I welcome your feedback and heartfelt reflections of how this episode impacted you. You can share with me online at the Naked Human Podcast.

And if you're feeling called for a more personalized experience into your nakedness, I invite you to join our community of wild women in person or online. You can find more specifics at the naked human podcast.com and until next time, bye.