When you hear, see or think of the word beauty, what thoughts come to mind?

I’ve been exploring what it means and how I want to use the word in a way that's in alignment with my beliefs.

Some thoughts may be operating due to societal conditioning. The media broadcasts messages about beauty and youth that are intense and hypnotic. Of course we believe it, it's everywhere we look and written on every product. Thankfully the beauty industry is becoming more conscious and is starting to weave in ideas around inner beauty instead of external appearance only.

But does the notion of inner beauty completely represent what it means to feel beautiful and see beauty in others?

Looking beyond inner and outer beauty, what makes feeling beautiful stick around? When the lipstick wears off and the collagen powder runs low? Do you still feel beautiful without the potions and lotions?

You absolutely are and you absolutely should feel beautiful.

As a society we need to reinforce this into our culture. But how can we individually and collectively shift our messaging around beauty? Where have you been hypnotised by the media? What do you believe to be true?

Desiree Pais, a Kundalini teacher once described beauty as “a projection, it’s an illusion you get to create. For a woman to feel fully confident and beautiful she has to have self-sovereignty in all areas of her life; emotional, romantic, financial, physical, then she can really show up powerfully. To be and feel beautiful is not about changing anything on the outside. When you feel good about yourself, you feel beautiful. And that's what people see. That’s what turns heads; your projection and your feeling of confidence and beauty radiating beyond the physicality. Beyond what meets the eye.”

This projection is a woman (or man, or any individual ~ we’ll use woman for this example), who may or may not fit the conditioned physical mould, yet she is so captivating and magnetic. She glows, her body language speaks unshakable strength. She’s like Venus emerging from her shell. It’s a feeling that's hard to describe, it evokes something inside of you. You feel how big her aura is, it’s projecting in all directions. She’s connected to herself, she’s in her power.

We’re often taught to suppress our femininity, our beauty, and our power for fear of one thing - being too much. Do you think that Beyoncé has an issue with being too much? She once said "I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world."

Experience beauty in the way you think and the way you care for yourself and others. When you start referring to yourself from a higher sovereignty and a respectful place, you can shift a lot in your world, so decide you’re going to feel this way.

Here’s something you can try.

When you sit down to meditate, I want you to close your eyes and create a vision. A vision of you which is the most radiant, powerful, graceful, strong, elegant, beautiful, balanced, vital, healthy, sensual version of you.

Breathe deeply and powerfully. Hold the vision. Keep projecting your vision. This version of you is always there waiting for you to activate her power.

Do this for 3 minutes every day and watch what happens.

Cassie Magill, massage therapist ~ @melt_bycassmagill

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WORDS BY CASS MAGILL