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6 - Mindful Self-Care and Positive Body Image

Mindfulness, Yoga, and Actionable Tools for Positive Embodiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2018

By
Catherine Cook-Cottone
Edited by
Elizabeth A. Daniels ,
Meghan M. Gillen  and
Charlotte H. Markey
Elizabeth A. Daniels
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Meghan M. Gillen
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Charlotte H. Markey
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
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Summary

This chapter defines and describes an embodied pathway to positive body image. Building on the work of Drs. Niva Piran and Tracy Tylka, positive body image is defined as multifaceted, stable, malleable, and protective. Case examples are offered to provide lived experiences of an individual being as a body compared to living in dysregulation and objectification. Positive embodiment is detailed using philosophical theory and empirical work addressing both developmental and societal influences. Mindful self-care is introduced as an antidote to societal pressures and as an actionable set of tools to cultivate positive embodiment. This practice is detailed and an assessment process is explicated. Last, yoga is offered and described as a specific example of how mindful self-care and practice can shift one’s individual relationship with the body.
Type
Chapter
Information
Body Positive
Understanding and Improving Body Image in Science and Practice
 , pp. 135 - 159
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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