I’ll be honest—writing this feels vulnerable. I’m someone who has spent years giving love to others, and yet when it comes to myself, I’ve struggled. After having children, the idea of self-love and self-compassion has been a challenge I wasn’t expecting. My body doesn’t feel the same, and with that came a wave of anxiety and self-judgment. Getting back into fitness? That felt like an impossible hurdle. I felt anxious in my own body, uncomfortable in my skin, and judged, even if that judgment was only coming from me.
Then, I found The Space.
At first, I thought it would just be yoga. A way to get back into physical movement. But The Space is so much more than that—it’s where I started to feel comfortable in the space of my own body again. It’s a space to heal, to be perfectly imperfect, and most importantly, to love myself as I am, not as I think I should be.
I’ve realized that self-love and self-compassion are not about perfection. They’re about accepting ourselves as we are, with all our flaws and struggles, and giving ourselves grace. At The Space, there’s no pressure to look a certain way or to be at a certain level of fitness. It’s an inclusive space where my age, gender, body type, and ability don’t matter. I can walk in, take a deep breath, and feel at home—because here, I’m seen and not judged.
I wanted a space where I could work on my physical, spiritual, and mental health without feeling self-conscious or out of place. The Space has given me that—The Space to feel a little more comfortable in my body, a space to fit in, and a space where I’m welcomed just as I am. This has become my sanctuary, the place where I can quiet my mind, move my body, and nurture my spirit.
One day, during a class with Mathew, he read a passage from Glennon Doyle. It begins this way:
“Your body is not your masterpiece — your life is. It is suggested to us a million times a day that our BODIES are PROJECTS. They aren’t. Our lives are. Our spirituality is. Our relationships are. Our work is. Stop spending all day obsessing, cursing, perfecting your body like it’s all you’ve got to offer the world. Your body is not your art, it’s your paintbrush…”
To read the whole passage from Mathew’s class, click here.
Those words hit me like a tidal wave. For so long, I had been treating my body as a project, obsessing over how it looked, comparing it to what it once was, and feeling like it wasn’t enough. But that passage shifted something inside me. My body is not my art—it’s the tool that allows me to create my life’s masterpiece. It’s my paintbrush, helping me express my love, my creativity, my spirit. Whether it’s a scratched-up, worn paintbrush or not, it’s mine, and it’s incredible because it’s what allows me to live, to love, and to create.
I laid on my mat that day and cried because, for the first time, I truly felt seen. All the pressure I’d been putting on myself, all the ways I’d been picking myself apart—it didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was the love I was capable of giving, and that my body was the instrument that allowed me to do that.
This is what The Space offers me every time I step through the doors: a space to heal, a space to be imperfect, a space to love myself. It’s not just about yoga. It’s about finding the tools for self-love and self-compassion that I desperately needed.
So, if you’re like me—feeling anxious in your body, struggling with self-love, unsure where to start—know that you’re not alone. The Space holds space for you, just as it has for me. You don’t have to be perfect here. You just have to show up, breathe, and allow yourself the grace to heal, one breath at a time.
Because we all deserve The Space to be perfectly imperfect.
Here’s a link to the schedule so you can join me. 🙂
xo, Christi M.
The Space Student
