Tag: self-image

Who’s That Lady?

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

In my previous post, I shared my personal story about writing a poem intended for a friend of mine, which turned into an eye opening and painful realization that I was my own worst enemy. Self image is a tricky subject to think about, and even more challenging to talk about. I’m just going to throw it out there and say that a lot of us struggle with the image of ourselves. And I’m pretty sure a lot of us are hypercritical about our appearance. I used to think that this only applied to women until I recently discovered through one of my podcast guests that men struggle with their self image and body image as well. Who knew? I am certainly not an expert on the subject, and can only speak from my own personal experience. I used to be the master of self denigration and self belittlement....

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Through Someone Else’s Eyes

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

“If I could see what others see I think I’d be surprised If I can only see myself Through someone else’s eyes …” These are the opening lines of a poem I wrote several years ago. I was inspired to write it for a close friend because I was sick and tired of listening to her tear herself down about everything. And I do mean everything. From her looks, her body, her mind, her relationships — the list went on and on. I was tired of her negative and deprecating self talk, and I was exhausted from building her up. It was a full time job and it was wearing me down. Besides, she was a beautiful young woman. She was also smart, funny, tons of fun and the most loyal and devoted friend anyone could ever have. And I thought that if she could only see herself through someone else’s eyes, she might...

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How To Get Out Of Your Own Way

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Ninja Notes.

Sometimes you just have to get out of your own way. Or, more specifically, out of your mind. As someone who has been out of my mind more often than I care to admit, I understand how sometimes your mind can mess with your head. And your goals. And especially your dreams. One of the things I learned as a brand new martial arts student was how to get out of the way of an attack. And I was really, really good at it. My technique of choice was to cover my head with my gi top and run off the mat screaming, “Don’t touch me!” Ah, yes. Those were the good old days. Eventually I was able to get out of my head and into my body to stay engaged with my attacker and gracefully step out of the way. Soon after that, I was able to step back into my attacker and take him down. It was a slow...

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Ballet Is For Everybody, and Every Age

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Femininja Podcast.

Ballet is the motherload for health, fitness, strength, and flexibility. However, traditional belief is that ballet is only for children and aspiring young professionals. That simply isn’t true! Adults of every age (and any age) can enjoy the remarkable health benefits of ballet. Ballet is the ultimate fountain of youth, and you are never too old to start taking ballet classes. I know many adults who began their ballet training in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s. This Bonus Episode features professional ballet dancer, teacher, choreographer and all-around great guy, Radoslaw Kokoszka. He shares his remarkable story of becoming a professional ballet dancer as well as his personal philosophy of ballet and dance in general. His unique and gentle approach to teaching ballet to people of all ages...

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Feldenkrais® Training: Who’s that lady?

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

My Feldenkrais training was held in a beautiful old dance hall, complete with hardwood floors, huge windows, gorgeous chandeliers, and small mirrors strategically placed around the room. It was a beautiful room, and the perfect venue for our training. We often had visitors who would come to spend a day or even an entire week with us. Sometimes we only had one or two strangers in the room; other times we had a full house. Each morning the visitors were invited to stand up and introduce themselves before we proceeded with our first lesson of the day. In the middle of my third year of training, I arrived at the dance hall to an unusually crowded room. I wondered who all those people were and what they were doing there. I felt annoyed and irritated to see so many interlopers in my training....

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