I have always loved to exercise, but the truth is I have always exercised from a Masculine place – intense, goal-driven, forceful, competitive, aggressive and egocentric.

Throughout the Eating Psychology Certification Training, Marc David shared the concept of Masculine and Feminine energy and it really spoke to me and resonated deeply. I was inspired to bring more Feminine energy into my life and I saw that the way in which I approached exercise would be a good place to practice that. I wanted to bring more joy, pleasure, presence, embodiment and love of movement into my workouts. I wanted to be Feminine in my movement.

I knew in order to fully embrace the Feminine, I would have to make a big change. One of the hardest things I did was leave a gym I was a member at for 13 years. It was considered the best in the city headed by one of the world’s leading aerobics instructors. I loved the classes, but the energy was intense, the place was full of ego, Type A personalities, and it was competitive. Simply put, it exuded Masculine energy. I always compared myself to other bodies and the intense cardio classes would leave me physically exhausted and my body hurting. But it was hard to leave because I held the belief system that it was best. That belief kept me stuck, kept me in the Masculine and kept me from realizing that exercise can be so much more than what I was experiencing.

I have now come to LOVE Ballet Barre, walking, soulful jogs, and yoga. Each of these forms of exercise honors the Feminine. I used to run to beat my times, my distance and speed and now I jog to enjoy the view, clear my mind and get inspired ideas. I glow instead of sweat. I look refreshed instead of beet red. I stop when my body tells me to, as opposed to when my mind says I should. I used to exercise to stay thin. Now I move with the intention to be fit and healthy. I used to force my workouts even if I was tired, but now I listen to my body-wisdom and stop when I am satisfied.

Instead of attacking my workouts, now I receive them, feel them and I honor my body. I am in my body vs. my mind. I am present. Instead of looking in the mirror and comparing my body to others wishing it would be different, I look into my eyes and am grateful for where I am at, and it feels really good.
Embracing and honoring the Feminine is such a beautiful way to help transform our relationship with our bodies and ourselves. Exercise does not have to be rough and tough in order to be effective. It can be light, freeing, flowing, gentle, beautiful, graceful, fun, and pleasurable. Wouldn’t you love to move from that place?

Amy Bondar

Inspiring. Compassionate. Intuitive.

Amy Bondar, one of Calgary’s best holistic nutritionists, helps you rediscover the joy of eating, while creating lasting improvements in your health, eating habits and weight. She is a trusted and compassionate expert whose nutritional wisdom and counseling techniques have helped Calgarians overcome health and weight issues for over 10 years. With advanced training in cutting-edge nutritional therapies by North America’s top wellness experts, Amy can help you transform your health, weight and your relationship to food, body and self. Visit www.amybondar.com