by Donna Wallace: They may have an OnlyFans page, but that doesn’t mean body art is pornographic…
In a world filled with fear of rejection and expression, Yoga Flocke broke through those barriers long ago and is now setting a pretty empowering example for yoga practitioners, entrepreneurs, and humans everywhere.
For her, it’s about finding that empowerment in body art. It might take a slightly open mind, but after giving Yoga Flocke a chance myself, this woman might be on to something after all!
The 411 on Yoga Flocke
Yoga Flocke is a regular alchemist at this point. She gets shade thrown at her left and right, but she’s mastered the art of transmuting that negative energy into something more useful. Yoga practitioners around the world are familiar with her style by now and have made their opinions known.
She states in a blog earlier this year that most of the negative feedback she receives is from the yoga community. Fellow practitioners feel she is “polluting yoga.”
She goes on to say, “yoga is about mind-control, acceptance, and surrender” and “the deeper you go, the less you need to judge and compare.”
The truth is, humans are apt to feel protective over the things we hold most dear. However, the reality of any yoga practice asks the practitioner to instead let go of what one loves most. Nothing stays the same; everything naturally evolves. Yes, even the nature of yoga is subject to change because no matter what, humans will always find ways to innovate.
Those that feel the need to fight this change will naturally have judgemental feedback, but when one truly embodies the lessons that yoga teaches, they learn to accept and surrender to all that is. Once you decondition your thoughts, you can learn to love all forms and walks of life, Yoga Flocke included.
What Type of Yoga She Practices
Yoga Flocke mentioned her yoga journey began as an effort to not have knee surgery and quickly developed into daily practice. One that eventually took her to India. Her regular practice is Ashtanga Yoga, rooted in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi. Ashtanga Yoga is essentially a yoga practice where you have a sequence of postures. Each posture is held for approximately five breaths. Then the move into the next posture is controlled by the flow of the breath. The postures are always the same and performed in the same order.
If you’ve seen Yoga Flocke’s social accounts, you may or may not have noticed an Ashtanga flow. No, not because she performs them in little to no clothing, but because she also incorporates some contortionist postures as well.
She pushes her body to limits that others aren’t willing to go, and most of the time, she does it nude. To her, it’s about more than just doing nude yoga. She’s simultaneously creating body art and empowering herself so she can be the best version of herself possible.
Yoga Flocke vs. Nude Yoga
There’s a chance that you stumbled across Yoga Flocke in your yoga journey and simply wrote it off as nude yoga. However, not all nude yoga is created equally. Yoga Flocke is a breed of her own.
Still, the message is inherently the same. The point is to decondition the brain in all aspects of life. This includes the idea that humans are meant to be clothed, especially when out in public. Whether you are practicing Yoga Flocke’s regimen or your own version of nude yoga, the idea is to let go of that fear or shame over your body.
Society has programmed humanity to be fearful of their bodies. Humans are supposed to be clothed when around other people. Humans are supposed to give all their trust in doctors when something hurts. Humans have been practically force-fed junk food every day since birth as well; the list goes on.
Yoga Flocke and nude yoga encourage the practitioner to feel at one with their body again. It teaches you to truly feel what it’s like to breathe in your own skin and nothing else. There is a sense of empowerment attached to the practice that can become addicting in all the best ways.
Deconditioning of this nature will always get overwhelming negative feedback because it goes against the grain of what society teaches. Not only that, but it challenges some of your deepest fears without judgment. Most people aren’t willing to confront themselves in that nature, so they immediately point the finger. This practice invites you to humble yourself to the flow. In turn, you’re likely to feel better than you ever have.
Finding Empowerment in Body Art
Finding empowerment in body art is extremely easy once you surrender and accept what is. Getting to the mat is hard enough, but convincing yourself to do it naked is a whole different ball game.
That said, before you can discover the empowerment of body art, you must first find enough empowerment to get to the mat. Empowerment comes completely from within. You must be aware enough to catch yourself in the toxic cycle of comparison. Comparison and outside opinions are the two silent killers of self-esteem and empowerment.
Remember that you are a human on this earth, just like anyone else. You deserve the same chance at self-love, and Yoga Flocke could be that “step in the right direction.”
Tips For Finding Empowerment in Body Art
Below are some helpful tips for finding empowerment in body art:
- Get out of your head:
- Remember that your thoughts create your reality. If you want a deep sense of empowerment, you must first believe it in your own mind.
- If it helps, remember that you aren’t alone:
- Literally, there’s a whole room of people doing the same thing you are. And if studio sessions are too public at first, trying Yoga Flocke in the comfort of your own home is a great place to start cultivating that empowerment.
- Surrender to The Now:
- Remember why you started and then let go of everything else. Let go of all expectations and anxiety. You are Here, and that’s all there is.
- Know that you deserve everything your heart desires
- Your dreams are your dreams for a reason. When you let go of fear and surrender to the moment, you can better see how to accomplish those dreams.
At the end of the day, it’s just your body, and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, that is the entire purpose of Yoga Flocke, and nude yoga. The idea of feeling ashamed of the way you look was a poisonous seed planted by the beauty and weight loss industries in society.
There was a time when no one wore clothes. There was a time when it was seen as a positive thing to be big because it meant you had enough money to eat. Some could argue that the poisonous seed was planted during this time period. Still, it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that everything seemed to change in a way that made certain people billionaires. In turn, a great majority of humans now hate their bodies so much that they don’t even know how to treat it when it gets a slight cold.
It is far past time to break humans of these societal chains. There are many avenues one could take on their journey of self-love and empowerment. Body art is just one of those avenues, but it could be seen by some as the most effective. You are likely to see quicker results because you are forcing yourself so far outside of your comfort zone from the get-go. Perhaps the best advice one can receive before their venture into body art is to trust the process and never give up. Things always get harder before they get better.
Helpful Body Empowerment Affirmations to Remember
Here are some helpful body empowerment affirmations to use as mantras during your body art journey:
- “I love my body, and I love myself.”
- “My body deserves happiness.”
- “My body deserves peace.”
- “My body deserves to be taken care of.”
- “I am perfect and complete the way I am.”
- “I know my body, and I trust myself.”
- “My food nourishes every fiber of my being.”
- “Nudity is natural, and I am beautiful the way I am.”
- “I surrender to this moment as it is.”
- “I let go of all pre-conditioned notions of my body.”
- “There is no better me than me.”
- “Thank you, body, for protecting and caring for me.”
- “My body allows me to be my best self.”
- “My body is perfect for what it can do.”
- “I respect the wisdom of my body.”
Try repeating these affirmations to yourself during your Yoga Flocke and body art sessions. If you’ve used affirmations in your daily life before, you understand just how powerful they are. These 15 affirmations can aid in the deconditioning process because when you change your thoughts and words, you change your mind.
Yoga Flocke is definitely going against the grain, and many people might not be ready to confront themselves as directly as she asks you to. That doesn’t mean you won’t be there one day as well. Start today by taking the small steps necessary to find your personal sense of empowerment, but most importantly, keep at it. Your future self will be happy you did.
