You pick up the camera to take that selfie. To show up for yourself with compassion.

And that wave of self-doubt appears.

“What will people think?”

“Do I look ridiculous taking this?”

“Even if I can see myself with compassion, will they judge me?”

Immediately, the act of taking a selfie becomes something we are doing with other people in mind. How they are going to perceive it. Which one will get the most likes. If we’ll feel judged sharing it.

But where are we in that conversation?

Our relationship with our body image as a whole, and especially in our relationship to photos, has been defined through the lens of other people. It’s time to come home to our own voice about how we see ourselves. 

Starting by taking our selfies for ourselves.

When you have those worries of what other people might think: how does it feel? I know for me they leave me feeling grounded and disempowered.

But we don’t have to feel that way. We can choose to relate to images in an entirely different way both in how we take and how we see our images.

“Take Your Selfie for Yourself” has been a philosophy infused into all the classes I’ve been teaching these past 7 years exploring selfies as a tool for self-compassion and body acceptance.  It’s really pivotal.

In this class we’re acknowledging the external gaze we’ve been taught to see ourselves through and reclaiming an internal gaze upon ourselves. In the activities in this class we explore things like:

• Feeling seen through our own gaze
• The practice of taking our images for ourselves and exploring how that feels when we don’t prioritize a viewer and instead prioritize our own practice and self-discovery
• Exploring the pressure to make our photo a ‘product’ and return it to being a practice
• Reclaiming our value back to our own voice, to our own hands as they pick up the camera
• What kinds of photos would we take of ourselves if we weren’t trying to fit into the visual narrative or create for others? We explore what we have to say through the lens from an intuitive and experiential place.
• Ditching the idea that a photo is ‘proof’ of what our inner critic says (or what we think other will think of us)
• Unhooking from praise and criticism
• And so much more…

Because prioritizing other people’s perception of our body over our own self-perception has been what has clouded us from hearing our own voice of self-worth.

Because societal standards have stolen our ability to see an image without judgment.

Because in the present day culture we equate taking selfies with sharing them on social media but the act of taking a selfie can 100% be just for us and I find it’s most healing when we do.

Because it’s a core philosophy that keeps me taking selfies as a healing tool, that while I want to provide you with images that inspire you to take your own, that’s never why I take a photo. I take it for myself first and foremost.

It’s time for you to reclaim your power back from external expectations and perceptions too. To take your selfie for yourself and experience the healing effects (and creative potential) that happen when we make that choice.

In this class we explore:

• Separating selfies and social media and relearning how to take the photos that we need to take for our healing rather than taking the photos we think others want to see (or that get the most praise).
• Noticing the ways we’ve been taught to see ourselves from an external gaze, rooted in how others might see us…and how that gets in the way of seeing ourselves with compassion.
• Grounding ourselves in our own self-perception first and foremost. Defining how we feel about our image and filling our own well.
• Disconnecting from praise and criticism as a source of esteem.
• Feeling empowered in the act of taking your selfie as well as looking at them later and rooting into the valuing how YOU see yourself over how others see you.
• Beginning to reclaim your inner voice over your inner critic’s voice.

Now, don’t worry, I know that’s a big list of things that we’re exploring above. But they happen experientially through this process. Day by day as we explore each activity throughout the two weeks of class we cultivate that practice of seeing ourselves through our own lens…and the effects are mighty powerful!

The Take Your Selfie for Yourself E-Course Includes:

• 10 days of empowering selfie activities in your inbox each weekday while class is in session (with weekend break in between).
• An inspiring E-Book to explore beyond the end of class
• A private Flickr Group to share our photos in.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR CLASS:

• A camera of any sort. Smartphones 100% welcome (in fact, they work great for these activities). Point and shoot or DSLR’s too. You don’t need fancy gear or photo knowledge to take part.
• 5-10 minutes per day to playfully explore the activity. The activities are meant to be something you can easily integrate into your daily life.

Dates:

July 9-20th, 2018

Register for Take Your Selfie for Yourself:

Join in for Take Your Selfie For Yourself!

Cost: $79 CAD (approx $67USD)

Register for the Series:

Or find out more about the Body Acceptance Selfie Series of 5 classes, a webinar series, mentoring and so much more or if you’ve already checked out the details you can register here too.

 

Registration is now closed for the full Body Acceptance Series but you can still join in for each class individually!

Questions:

I’ve never taken a class with you before but this sounds like something I need right now. Do I need to have taken a class with you before?

Anyone is welcome in this class be it your first time taking a selfie or your 1000th time. The activities are accessible and no fancy gear is needed. Where this class does differ from the Beloved Beginnings or Be Your Own Beloved is that they are a bigger jump into body acceptance as a pivotal part of the work. Those two classes are more of a gentle easing into using the camera as a body-compassion tool so if you’re feeling new to that idea, I would start there. But if this idea of taking selfies for yourself and reclaiming your power over how you experience taking and seeing your photo resonates, then you are most welcome.

Is this class only for women only?

No, the class is welcome to all genders and all bodies. While the majority of participants are usually cisgender women, it is open to everyone. I use gender neutral pronouns in the class to welcome folks of all genders and to not assume the gender of anyone’s partner either. Safe space for all of us, including women, trans and gender queer folks, LGBT community and men dealing working through body acceptance is of the utmost importance to me.

It says the prices are in CAD. What would that be in my currency?

Indeed, I’m Canadian, so the prices in Canadian currency but when you put the class into your cart, paypal will let you know what it will be in your currency before purchasing the class. You can check here to get a sense of what it would be though it may be a slightly different rate via paypal.

If you have any further questions about this don’t hesitate to click the contact form and connect with me!

Do I get feedback on my photos?

We have a course Flickr group where we will be sharing our photos throughout the class. I will be spending lots of time in the Flickr group exploring photos and I love to comment on photos and cheer you on!  The feedback you will get throughout the course will be encouraging and as you’ll find, it becomes fun to cheer each other on in this adventure!  You will definitely receive supportive feedback from me (as well as your peers) on many, if not all of your photos during the class.