The Image of Sumo

Do you remember being a kid and tying a belt around your waist, squatting low to the ground and wrestling with your friends, pretending to be sumo wrestlers? Each time we were playing at sumo, we were having fun with feeling big and strong. We loved the feeling of power in our bodies and were proud of how big our bellies were, having no need to understand the purpose of this ancient Japanese tradition. Sumo dates back more than 1,500 years, with some documentation indicating that it was performed as part of sacred rituals.

I saw a Sumo demonstration recently and was in a state of awe, not only to be in the presence of these mythical beings, but to see the pride with which they carried themselves. While most of us would shudder at performing in front of a crowd, draped only in a mawashi, the belt that covers about 10% of the body, these men exemplified the intensity and honor of their sport. And they did it with pride. Pride in their respect of the ancient traditions, and pride in the perfection of bodies that were finely honed to be the ideal shape for their sport.

In Western cultures, body shape has long been an obsession, judging ourselves and others as too much of something or not enough of something else. What would it feel like to stand proud in the knowledge that your body is serving you perfectly right now?  Your mindset plays a large part in creating that feeling, it has to begin from within.  Why not step into appreciation of the strength of your legs rather than focusing on their size, or embrace the scars that reflect your journeys through life rather than view them as symbols of imperfection?

How you see your body and the grace with which you choose to carry it has an enormous impact on your life force energy, and of course on how you energetically present yourself to the world.

Notice what changes in your life when you embrace ALL of your physical self with a cloak of loving appreciation.

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