Dear Friend,

How is your August coming along? I hope this email finds you very well. I am recovered from my cold, thankfully. It is nice to be feeling healthy again! I have been engaging in a daily yoga practice recently which is a huge blessing. For those of you who don't know, I was an avid yoga practitioner for many years. I first began practicing yoga asanas when I was 16 years old, and the regular practice became a huge part of my life. A few years ago I had health challenges that forced me to abandon my rigorous asana practice. It was not easy for me to let go of the practice at the time; in fact it was nothing short of catastrophic. I did eventually let go of it, however, and had no idea whether or not I would ever have a similar type of practice again. Then a few weeks ago I started attending a yoga studio near my house and I was amazed and grateful to discover that I could once again engage in a physically powerful and dynamic practice. I am very grateful to be able to use my body in this way again.

The loss of my yoga practice, and now the chance to re-engage with it again, has confirmed something that I have begun to realize more and more in my life:

Nothing is ever ours. Nothing. Whenever we think that something is ours, whenever we identify with a particular thing and attempt to hold onto it, we are living in the world of scarcity. We sacrifice the limitless and abundant gifts the universe has to offer in exchange for a view of limitation. We attempt to find permanence in a place where there is none.

Of course, the converse is true as well: everything is ours. We are the world and the world is us. As we realize this, there is no need to hold onto anything because we know that the universe will always be providing us with exactly what we need, at exactly the right time. It is up to us to learn to relax, be open, and discover the limitless gifts that the universe has in store for us.

On another note - check out the article below on whether or not the media is a leading cause of a negative body image. I came across an advertisement in Oprah Magazine on this very topic and would love your opinion. The ad is for NIVEA lotion. The lotion is called My Silhouette - Redefining Gel-Cream. It will apparently help you fit back into your "skinny jeans". One page of the ad shows a slender woman with long blond hair looking at herself in a pair of tight jeans in the mirror. Her husband is on the bed looking at her. The caption reads: "Discover Your Favorite Jeans. And How They Still Get His Attention."

The second page of the ad says: "Take the Nivea My Silhouette! My Skinny Jeans Challenge Today!"

* Do you think this ad contributes to a negative body image?
* Are men primarily sexually attracted to women who can fit into their "skinny jeans"?
* Does a woman primarily determine her self-worth by how sexy her man thinks she is?

What do you think? I would love to hear from women and men - what do you think about this ad? Please post your comments to my blog: www.BreakFreeBeauty.com/blog/

If you are feeling challenged by your body and your relationship with food, take advantage of the August Special going on right now. I am offering the complete Introductory Package at a 50% discount for the whole month of August. Check out the Specials For You section below.

Peace, Love, and Beauty,

Sarah Maria

Negative Body Image - Is the Media to Blame?

The question I get asked most frequently is "What is the cause of a Negative Body Image?"

"What is the reason for the pervasive discontent with our bodies and our physical appearance?"

With 95% of women, and a growing number of men, agonizing over their physical self, it has become an epidemic. The most popular answer that people usually give is the media. Whenever there is a discussion about body image and eating disorders, the media is blamed as being the cause of this sorry state of affairs. Others argue that differences in brain chemistry among those with eating disorders are the leading cause of the problem. Still others point to the ready and easily accessible supply of unhealthy food in cases of obesity. What is the cause of this insecurity that plagues so many? For if we know the cause, we should be able to find a solution, right?

Now I am not going to claim that the media plays no part in affecting how people view their bodies. On one level, it certainly does. Nor am I going to claim that brain differences don't exist. There is plenty of evidence that shows human brains have unique tendencies that can lead to specific disorders and afflictions. And there is no doubt that high-fat, high-sugar diets are a contributing cause to the growing obesity epidemic.

However, and this is a big however, to consider these sources to be the root of the problem is to miss the underlying cause, the cause of all causes, if you will. In my experience, the root of the problem is existential in nature: every one of the problems above stems from the fact that we have a mistaken view of ourselves and of our world.

The bottom line is that each of the circumstances mentioned above is simply a manifestation of a fundamental flaw in the way we think of, perceive, and live reality. Most of us view ourselves through a lens of inadequacy and deficiency instead of as the truth of boundless and unsurpassed beauty.

We believe ourselves to be inadequate on some level: not young enough, not tall enough, not thin enough, not enough of something and too much of something else. This lens, this belief of inadequacy is an illusion, or, better said, a delusion, that cuts us off from our true nature and prevents us from seeing the beauty and the brilliance that we truly are, have always been, and will always be.

The root cause, the cause of all causes, is the failing to realize that each and every one of us is intrinsically beautiful, valuable, and worthwhile exactly as we are, right now. No matter where you are at in life, no matter what struggles you have undergone, no matter what your body looks like or feels like, the deepest part of you remains unaffected. You are right now, in this moment, inherently beautiful and perfect.

As you discover this truth, as you replace the illusion of inadequacy with the truth of inherent beauty, you will discover the power to make whatever changes you want in your life. If you want to achieve better health, you can achieve better health. If you want to experience more peace, you can experience more peace. As you discover the majesty and mystery of your true being, you will discover the ability to become the person of your dreams.

Since the root cause of a negative body image, low self-esteem, and accompanying eating disorders is an identity problem, to find the solution, we must shift our identity. Here is a four-step process to help you make this identity shift, to help you abandon the lies of inadequacy and insecurity, and instead experience the beauty and glory of who you truly are.

1. Meditate.

Meditation is a key component in discovering who you truly are, the source of limitless beauty and power. Through meditation, you connect with that part of yourself that is beyond the body and the mind, that part of yourself that will allow you to create what you want in life. Meditation removes the delusional thought-constructs of inadequacy that limit your potential.

2. Realize the cultural standards of beauty are an illusory construct.

What society considers beauty changes dramatically throughout the ages. Recall artwork that you may have seen in a museum - paintings of women during the renaissance considered goddesses of beauty would now be considered overweight and out-of-shape. Modern-day photographs of runway models would probably be considered emaciated and unattractive by these painters in the past. Yet they are considered svelte and irresistible in today's fashion mags. What is considered beautiful at any given time is a social construct, subject to the changing whims of time and place. Discover yourself, not as someone controlled by the changing whims of society's fancy, but as the changeless in the midst of change. From this place of changeless awareness, you can create a standard of beauty that honors yourself in all of your beauty and uniqueness.

3. Surround yourself with people and information that affirms your inherent beauty.

As you commit to undergoing this identity shift, it is helpful to surround yourself with support. Commit to finding help during this process. Look for friends, reading materials and resources that will help you discover and honor this timeless beauty within yourself. There are many resources available. If you don't know where to start, visit my website, www.breakfreebeauty.com, for helpful information to launch you on your path of transformation.

4. Whenever you find yourself dwelling in inadequacy, remind yourself that you are the beauty of the universe manifesting as a human being.

Realize that you have a habit of viewing yourself through the lens of insecurity and inadequacy. For most, this is a life-long habit that has been cultivated since childhood. Be patient with yourself when you find yourself critiquing, chastising, and condemning who you are. Be gentle with yourself if you find yourself falling back into negative patterns of judgment. Simply remind yourself that you are inherently beautiful, loveable, and worthwhile and recommit to discovering and experiencing this truth for yourself.

Practice these four steps and you will be well on your way to transforming your identity and creating a body and a life that you love.

A Summer Special for You!

Are you struggling with food and with your body? Are you wishing you felt better about how you looked? Are you wanting to master your eating habits once and for all?

• Are you ready to finally break free from your negative body talk?

• Are you ready to create a peaceful relationship with food?

• Are you ready to discover your inherent beauty and let it shine?

• Are you ready to uncover and experience the love that you are?

If so, take advantage of this summer special. For the month of August, I am offering my complete Introductory Package at a 50% discount. Normally this package is $197, but as a special summer celebration, I am giving it away for $97, a full $100 discount.

This package includes a 3-CD set, a 5-CD set, a stand-alone CD, and three complete workbooks -- all aimed toward helping you to create a body and a life that you truly love.

And because I am so convinced that you can create a body and a life that you love, if you purchase this package at a 50% discount, I will offer you a FREE 60-minute coaching session, one-on-one with me, to launch you on your path of healing, love, and transformation.

Life is way too short to stay stuck living a life you dislike - trust me! Order this package today an and begin to create the life of your dreams.

Sarah Maria is a body-image expert and teacher who can help you discover the beauty that you already are so that you can create a body and a life that you truly love. Her first book, Love Your Body, Love Your Life, is being published by Adams Media and will be available for purchase in November '09. She combines ancient spiritual wisdom with modern science and shows you, step-by-step, how to pacify your mind, heal your heart, befriend your body, and transform your life.

She has studied with the leading experts in health, spirituality, personal development, and success, including Deepak Chopra, physician Dr. David Simon (co-founder of the Chopra Center for Well-being in Carlsbad, CA), Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield, renowned Ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad, and many others. She is a lover of eastern philosophy and spiritual wisdom and passionately shares these teachings that have so transformed her own life.

Before founding Break Free Beauty, Sarah Maria received her law degree from Stanford University and her Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University in NYC. She has lived and traveled throughout Latin America, and has also visited many countries around the world. Her greatest passion is helping people discover the beauty and the greatness that resides inside so they can live from this place of grandeur, transforming themselves and the world.