Line it all up

You know the saying that beauty comes from the inside? Often people take it to refer to drinking more water, or eating more healthily, or the “glow” that comes with literally having another human being growing inside you.

And all of that is true. Drinking plenty of water and eating more vegetables helps your body eliminate toxins, resulting in clearer skin. And during pregnancy, the amount of blood in a person’s body increases by about 50 percent, leading to rosier cheeks.

But the true inner glow, that noticeable difference that is not really about cleaner or more blood-flushed skin, is about something else: alignment.

Twice in my life (that I remember) I felt so aligned that it was noticeable to those around me. Both times, strangers came up to me, out of the blue, telling me I was beautiful. I wasn’t particular healthy (or pregnant) at those times. I also had not had my hair done, and wasn’t wearing some amazing outfit. I just felt aligned: my body, mind, soul, and energy were all in one place. It felt great. In fact, it felt so great I didn’t even think about what I looked like.

This morning, I thought about what it takes to get there.

A large part is accepting that I really don’t have control over it.

I can, however, control setting the best conditions for it to happen: time, spaciousness, and — yes — water, nutrition, creative expression, and love. And then, all I can do is hold that space and just be.