The Power of Embodied Yoga: Healing Your Relationship with Your Body
For so many women, the journey with their bodies has been shaped by external pressures, whether it's diet culture, societal expectations, or the constant stream of messages telling us we need to look a certain way to be worthy. It’s no wonder that many of us have spent years feeling disconnected from our own bodies, often seeing them as something to fix or control.
But what if I told you there’s a way to come back to yourself? A way to re-learn how to trust and appreciate your body, not for how it looks, but for the way it feels, moves, and supports you? Embodied yoga offers exactly that—a path of healing that allows you to reconnect with your body in a compassionate, intuitive way, free from judgment or expectation.
What Is Embodied Yoga?
Embodied yoga is a practice that encourages you to move with awareness and compassion. Instead of striving for the “perfect” pose or focusing on how your body looks, embodied yoga is about feeling into your body—tuning in to what feels good, what feels right, and what your body needs in the present moment.
In a world that so often teaches us to disconnect from our bodies, embodied yoga provides a safe, nurturing space to rebuild that connection. It’s not about “getting it right” or pushing yourself to the limit. It’s about listening to your body’s wisdom and allowing movement to come from a place of curiosity, acceptance, and self-compassion.
How Diet Culture Disconnects Us From Our Bodies
Diet culture teaches us that our bodies are something to be controlled and changed, often through restrictive diets and intense exercise. We’re told that smaller is better, that our worth is tied to how we look, and that we must constantly strive for a “better” version of ourselves.
But the truth is, this constant striving only serves to disconnect us from our bodies. When we’re focused on external goals—whether it’s a number on the scale, fitting into a certain size, or adhering to rigid rules around food and exercise—we lose touch with how our bodies feel. We start to ignore hunger cues, push through pain or discomfort, and view rest as something we have to “earn.”
Over time, this disconnection can lead to frustration, anxiety, and even resentment toward our bodies. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Embodied yoga offers a way to heal that relationship and find peace within your body again.
How Embodied Yoga Heals the Body-Mind Connection
Through embodied yoga, you begin to shift the focus away from how your body looks and instead explore how it feels. This mindful approach to movement helps you reconnect with your body’s innate wisdom, allowing you to move in ways that feel nourishing, intuitive, and kind.
Here are a few ways that embodied yoga can help you heal your relationship with your body:
1. Rebuilding Trust with Your Body
Diet culture teaches us to override our body’s signals—whether it’s hunger, fatigue, or discomfort. Embodied yoga invites you to slow down and start listening to those signals again. In each practice, you’re encouraged to tune in to how your body feels in the moment and move in ways that honor those sensations.
This practice of deep listening helps rebuild trust with your body. Over time, you begin to understand that your body is not something that needs to be controlled or fixed. Instead, it’s a partner in your journey toward well-being.
2. Embracing Movement Without Judgment
One of the most beautiful aspects of embodied yoga is that it removes the pressure to perform or achieve. There is no “right” way to move—only what feels good and supportive to you.
This allows you to let go of self-criticism or the need to compare yourself to others. Instead, you’re free to explore movement in a way that feels authentic to you, honoring your body’s unique needs and abilities. It’s a practice rooted in kindness, acceptance, and curiosity—qualities that can help you cultivate a more compassionate relationship with yourself.
3. Reducing Stress and Tension
Many of us hold tension in our bodies, especially if we’ve been navigating a challenging relationship with food and exercise. Embodied yoga helps you release this tension by inviting gentle, mindful movement into areas where stress and discomfort may be stored.
As you move with awareness, you’ll likely notice areas of tightness or holding. Embodied yoga allows you to meet these sensations with gentleness, helping to release tension and bring a sense of ease and relaxation to your body. This process of letting go can be incredibly freeing, both physically and emotionally.
4. Connecting Movement to Breath
In embodied yoga, movement is often synchronized with the breath, creating a harmonious flow between body and mind. This connection helps calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and bring you into a state of presence and mindfulness.
By linking movement with breath, you’re able to ground yourself in the present moment, quieting the mental chatter that often accompanies body dissatisfaction. This can help you develop a deeper appreciation for your body’s ability to move, breathe, and support you in each moment.
Embodied Yoga for Plus-Size Women
For many plus-size women, yoga spaces can feel unwelcoming or intimidating, with an emphasis on fitness goals or achieving a particular body shape. But embodied yoga is different. It’s a practice that honours all bodies, regardless of size or shape, and celebrates the beauty of movement as it is—without any need to conform to an ideal.
As someone who works closely with plus-size women through my Soulfully Embodied Yoga offerings, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of embodied yoga for women who have felt out of place or unsupported in traditional yoga settings.
In my classes, we prioritise listening to your body, moving with compassion, and exploring what feels good for you in the moment. There’s no need to push yourself beyond your limits or strive for “perfection.” Instead, it’s about embracing your body as it is and finding joy in the way it moves.
Yoga Nidra: A Powerful Companion to Embodied Yoga
Alongside embodied yoga, I also incorporate Yoga Nidra into my offerings. This deeply restorative meditation practice allows you to enter a state of profound relaxation, helping to soothe the nervous system and cultivate inner calm.
For many women healing from diet culture, Yoga Nidra offers a much-needed opportunity to rest—both physically and mentally. It’s a practice that invites you to let go of control and simply be, which can be incredibly healing for those who have spent years trying to “fix” their bodies.
When combined with embodied yoga, Yoga Nidra helps to create a holistic approach to healing, offering both movement and stillness, effort and ease.