This is me, then

Some of you might have already seen this picture here, but as I am all for recycling and sustainability, including digital photos, so there you go.

I used to wish I were tall, lean and skinny. But I'm not.

I am short, I am not fat, I am not skinny either.

I have boobs, I have a belly with a life of its own no matter how hard I try and do abs (hellooo, muffin top!), I have wide hips, I have strong thighs. Hell, I might even have bra fat but I didn't bother to check in the mirror.
I will never be tall and lean and skinny. But that's ok.

I practice yoga because it keeps me grounded. I practice yoga because my body, my mind, my heart, open. I practice yoga because it makes me a better person. Not perfect, only better, according to my own perception of what "better" is.
I don't practice yoga to lose weight. I will never be tall and lean and skinny, and it's ok.

This is me, then.

You? You might be tall and lean and skinny. You might be short, and skinny. You might be short and bigger than me. You might be taller and bigger than me. You might be a blonde, a brunette, a red head. You might have smaller boobs and wider hips. Or tiny boobs and tiny hips.
You might not look that way you want to look, but you know what? You are enough. You are beautiful the way you are. You are you, and it's ok.

This is you, then.

She sells sea shells by the sea shore

After Brussels, Belgium, and Anost, Burgundy, France, let me introduce you to Ostende, Belgium. So after the city, the country, here is the sea (and now the National Geographic should be begging me to work for them - 'tis the season I guess! wait, where are the mountains?).

Our holidays began officially last Friday evening, but we're not flying to Japan before Wednesday, so we figured that in the midst of the preparations of our dream trip, we would take a break and go to the seaside. Belgium is a small country, by train it would only take us a little over an hour.

I love the city, I love the country, but the sea... the sea is different. I've always loved the sea, especially the Atlantic Ocean in Brittany. It's a little bit further away though, so I'll make do with the Belgian seaside. The sea is what truly reminds me of the greatness of nature, this is the element that we human beings have always tried to tame but which eventually always breaks free.

That would be fried goat's cheese with mango dressing. As I've declared it my duty to taste every vegetarian goat's cheese salad under the sun, I had to have this one. Not the healthiest, but definitely one the best I've ever had!

See, this divine stuff we're always rambling about in yoga? To me it's nature, and the last little trips I've been taking lately have reminded me why I believe what I believe :-)