#612. Can You Get Fit Without Self-Loathing? | Cara Lai

It’s an urgent question for so many of us: Can we exercise, can we take care of our bodies, without being driven by shame, self-loathing, or noxious comparison to other people?

Our guest today has a unique perspective on this. Cara Lai is a former social worker and psychotherapist who is now a Buddhist teacher. She also used to be a marathoner. But in the last few years, her body has undergone some radical changes, leading her to some hard-won, fascinating, and deeply useful insights about how to strike the balance between taking care of your body and staying sane.

In this episode we talk about:

• Practices for that moment when you’re getting out of the shower, see yourself in the mirror, and engage in a festival of self-judgment
• The surprising things that happened when Cara was forced to stop exercising
• A counterintuitive mindfulness practice suggestion for those with exercise routines
• When and why you should purposely do things you know are bad for you
• Why we often resist ‘being in our bodies,’ why that’s OK, and how to lower the bar on this contemplative cliché–without giving it up
• A body-related Buddhist practice she finds to be totally not useful

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Where to find Cara Lai online: 

Website: www.caralai.org/

Podcast: Adventures in Meditating

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Other Resources Mentioned:

• Dan’s first episode with Cara Lai: https://radiopublic.com/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harr-WwE9m8/s1!fbff1‍
• Dan’s conversation with Evelyn Tribole: https://radiopublic.com/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-harr-WwE9m8/s1!82d02‍