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When I was a child I hated my freckles. Actually that’s an understatement. I used to make my skin red raw trying to wash them off with soap. They covered my face and my arms and all I wanted was to hide them and hide from them. I didn’t intend on posting a pic like this here. As I was messing around with Instagram filters trying to be more media savvy, this it what came out. When I saw it, my initial reaction was to think “oh no, you can see my freckles so clearly”! But that instinct turned to a smile. Now my relationship with my freckles is a different story as I’ve grown to not only accept them but also to love them. That childhood distress that led me to scrub my skin “clean” has disappeared.
In Ayurveda we talk about 3 gunas or qualities - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. We have a mix of all 3 in us but we strive for Sattva - that of purity, harmony, joy and satisfaction - to be the overriding quality. In my opinion, self love and acceptance is a huge part of leading a Sattvic life. We’re not born hating our thighs, freckles or nose. Somehow, somewhere along the way, life and society turns us against ourselves and we need to work hard to stay on track. When there’s something we don’t like about ourselves - it could be something physical like losing weight or emotional like wanting to be smarter - it’s hard to not become obsessed about it and do everything we can to not have that trait (Rajas), or to become depressed about it and let it consume us (Tamas). Being Sattvic which includes accepting and loving ourselves for who we are, is the harder path but the ultimate goal.
So here I am, freckles and all, totally unplanned to post a picture of myself on social media that years ago would have been my worst nightmare. And now a little bit closer to my goal of leading a more Sattvic life.
