We may be great lovers of beauty, seeing it in the people, places, and things
around us, while completely missing it in ourselves. Some of us feel that it is
vain to consider our appearance too much, or we may find that when we look at
ourselves, all we see are imperfections. Often we come to the mirror with
expectations and preconceived notions about beauty that blind us from seeing
ourselves clearly. As a result, we miss the beauty that is closest to us, the
beauty we are. Sometimes we see our beauty in a shallow way, noticing how well
we are conforming to social norms, but failing to see the deeper beauty that
shines out from within and that will continue to shine regardless of how we
measure up to society's ideal.
If we can cut through all these obstacles and simply appreciate how beautiful
we are, we free up so much energy. We also become less dependent upon the
opinions and feedback of others since we become our own greatest admirers. Many
of us know that after a great yoga practice or a long, deep meditation, we are
more able to see how beautiful we are. This is because we have released some of
our baggage, thus unburdening ourselves and summoning forth the spirit that
dwells within us. It is the heady combination of the divine spirit and the
human body that conveys beauty more accurately than anything else.
To keep ourselves in touch with our own beauty, we can surround ourselves with
images that reflect our beauty back to us--photos of a relative or child who
has our eyes, images of teachers who embody spirit, or self-portraits that
capture our essence in a way that allows us to see ourselves anew. The best way
to keep ourselves in touch with our own beauty is to keep looking deeply into
our own souls and opening our eyes to the human being we see in the mirror
every day.
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