Navigating Body Dysmorphia as a Yoga Teacher

I’ve struggled with body dysmorphia for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the mid-2000s, it wasn’t something that was really talked about.

But how do you teach and empower students to honor their bodies as they are, when you find yourself caught in negative self-talk and constantly criticizing your own?

This has honestly been one of my biggest challenges as a teacher. On the days when the noise in my head isn’t as loud, I feel like my teaching comes across as more authentic. Those are the days where I feel connected to what I’m saying and confident in the space I’m holding.

It’s the days where I’m more self-critical that I find myself questioning everything.

As a teacher, constantly holding space for others can be overwhelming. It can lead to burnout—especially when you begin to neglect your own practice along the way. I realized early on that I was falling into that pattern. I was so focused on the next class, the next sequence, the next thing to give, that I stopped pouring back into myself.

And what I’ve noticed is… that’s when the noise gets loud.

The whole reason I fell in love with yoga in the first place was because I was nurturing my body. I was starting to appreciate the things I once saw as imperfections—the things I used to tell myself, “If I don’t like them about me, no one else will.”

But that’s not the truth.

As a society, we’ve been given this unrealistic idea that we have to fit into a certain mold in order to be loved. That our worth is tied to how we look. But the right people will never measure your worth by your body. They’ll love you for your personality, your sense of humor, your kindness, your heart—for all the things that truly make you, you.

Body dysmorphia has a way of distorting that truth. It convinces you that what you see is reality, when really, it’s a reflection shaped by fear and conditioning. We weren’t meant to stand in front of mirrors and pick ourselves apart. We were meant to be experienced—to be felt, known, and loved for what’s within.

I’ve also noticed that when I’m disconnected from my practice, that’s when the noise gets the loudest.

This morning, I chose something different. I slowed down. I took my time. I moved through my practice without rushing, and it felt like the weight I’d been carrying started to lift. I felt more grounded, more present—more like myself again.

And maybe that’s the reminder: When the noise gets loud, come back to yourself.

Go outside. Touch the earth. Feel your feet on the ground. Breathe. Move. Slow down enough to reconnect with your body—not as something to fix, but as something to come home to.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to show up. You don’t have to feel perfect in your body to be worthy of being seen, or to hold space for others.

Sometimes, the practice isn’t about loving your body every moment.

Sometimes, it’s just about learning how to be with it, exactly as it is.

This week, we’re choosing to come back to that. To soften. To nurture our bodies instead of criticizing them. To create space where we can feel safe being exactly as we are.

If you’ve been struggling to find comfort in your body lately, this is the theme we’ll be moving through together in this week’s class.

Thursday night at 8:30 PM EST.

Save your spot at www.boundbykarmayoga.com 🤍