How To Look Hot People In The Eye

 

Guest Post by: Jen Kleiner

Thank God For Cardio Barre. Class is one of the only times during my day that I fully allow myself to love my body as she is while also appreciating the different ways she’s still developing. Most of the time, I am the first to criticize physical parts of yours truly that are far from perfect, but in class I find respite from the voice of my inner critic, and I get to experience myself without her constant jabs at my belly flab, arm jiggle and unwanted stretch marks. I feel the potential of everything I am and can ever be.

I am proud of myself for being able to complete the strenuous exercises and that gives me the sense of my growing physical strength. It also provides me with a greater capacity to take on things that feel difficult in my personal life. For example, after class one morning I am walking down the back stairs of the building to the parking lot when a very handsome man opens the door and holds it for me from a great distance away. He waits patiently until I exit and instead of looking down until passing, I smile brightly and say “thank you”, never loosing eye contact. This is a big stretch for me.

Normally, I let my shy part take over from looking directly at any guy I find attractive, sometimes coming across as intense or unapproachable as my protector parts come out to defend her from having vulnerability exposed. But after spending an hour feeling good in my body, I actually feel delighted to look into this stranger’s striking blue eyes and give this beautiful man a glimse of my own self confidence, emanating brightly through my sweaty tank top and messy hair. In this moment, I put myself in his shoes and let the proud part of me see the beauty he sees as he waits those extra seconds until I pass through the door. And that moment, my inner critic learns something new; I am totally worth waiting for 🙂

(photo by Jonathan Kos-Read, via Flickr)