Emma here. I want to tell you about two stand-out experiences of body positivity that I’ve had in the past year.
The first was a sold out Lizzo concert at the Scotiabank arena in Toronto.
That was no surprise – Lizzo’s songs are anthems of body positivity, and her concert was a crush of virtuosic big-bodied dancers hyping up the crowd. It was a delight to see an arena of people worshiping Lizzo; a fat, black female artist who won Record of the Year at this year’s Grammys. I had some transcendent moments of feeling that perhaps culture was shifting, that the hierarchy of people and bodies might be crumbling, that maybe we could love and celebrate each other rather than trolling or controlling one another.
The second experience of body positivity was at a very unassuming venue; the foyer of a curling club in Guelph. A friend had invited me to see her perform there in her first ever burlesque show. I was pumped; this friend had been on a tumultuous journey of body acceptance, and performing burlesque was a triumphant step in the direction of self love.
There were probably 200 people in the audience, so compared to 15 thousand people at the Lizzo concert it was humble. But once the show got started, the vibe was similarly ecstatic – we were encouraged by the drag queen host to hoot, holler, snap, clap and cheer for the burlesque performers, showing our appreciation through sound. There were professional burlesque dancers as well as newbies; people who had signed up for their first or second burlesque class and performing this show was their “graduation” of sorts.
It was a joy to see so many different bodies being celebrated in that space. Fat, thin, big boobs, small boobs, bellies of all kinds, trans bodies, elderly bodies. There were comedic performances and sexy performances, silly numbers and sacred ones. It was a privilege to witness people doing this incredibly vulnerable thing; a few were clearly nervous, but they wrangled their nerves and did it anyway. And in the intermissions (of which there were several, included, I think to encourage mingling and chatting) there were such big hugs and congratulations and celebrations happening between the performers and the audience. I looked around and felt again that perhaps culture was shifting.
I promise this relates to yoga.
When I first came to the practice of yoga, two of the main reasons for practice were taught to me as chit and ananda. Chit has many translations; one is consciousness, another could be remembrance. Ananda is often translated as eternal bliss, happiness or celebration. Many of the teachers I studied with linked the two; we practice to remember ourselves as part of a divine whole, and once we’ve reconnected with that, we can celebrate that wholeness. We go back and forth between remembrance and celebration.
The Lizzo concert and the burlesque show felt like outward expressions of jubilant celebration, and oddly enough, they reminded me of my yoga practice. They reminded me that celebration comes after the slow and steady work of reconnection. That getting on my mat, showing up for myself and my body however I am, with kindness, appreciation and acceptance, is a building block to celebration.
And it’s not a one and done deal. We don’t just remember our wholeness and launch forever into a state of celebration. It is a practice to remember our innate worth, beauty, belonging and yeah, I’m gonna say it, because I believe it; divinity. Especially in a world that privileges some bodies and oppresses others.
So while my practice is nothing as exciting as a sold out concert or a sexy striptease show, it is also a part of shifting our culture. Me showing up to the quiet, subtle work of reconnecting with myself is part of the revolution. Every time I show myself kindness in my practice, every time I soften and allow myself to reinhabit my body is part of the shift to loving and eventually celebrating myself.
I feel so lucky and privileged that a great deal of my job is facilitating spaces for you to do that too. And I’m so glad to be slowly returning to work and practice at The Branches. I missed you.
With love,
Emma
P.S. Here’s my favourite Lizzo song. Put it on loud. This song makes me both dance and cry HARD.
P.S. #2 If you are curious about the Guelph burlesque scene, you can learn more here.
The Branches 