Someone messaged me recently, emailed actually, suggesting that it is wrong for a respectable woman to wear a bikini. I found this viewpoint really fascinating. I understand we live in a pretty misogynist society, but nonetheless I am always a little taken aback when someone presents these ideas. To me, sexuality is not inherently degrading, but we tend to see it as degrading for women. Why is this? A woman wearing sexy clothes, or otherwise being actively sensuous should not diminish her in anyone’s eyes. It shouldn’t reduce her to a sexual object – she’s capable of being a sexual SUBJECT. It is interesting to consider shifting the conversation from “stop allowing yourself to be objectified by being sexy” to “stop objectifying her just because she is sexy”. It reflects a culture that can’t envision female sexual agency, that thinks women should be chaste and not participate in their own sexual lives. Expressing healthy sexuality shouldn’t dehumanize you, and our society does still tend to see women as somehow degraded or less worthy of respect, reduced to their ‘parts’ – in the same way we reduce animals to their ‘parts’. Objectification should not be confused with appreciating someone’s appearance. It’s natural to notice and admire aesthetics to some extent, without any stigma attached. However, objectification begins as a mental process, with the individual perceiving someone as an object rather than recognizing their FULL HUMANITY. Some argue that women, particularly their appearance or clothing choices, are to blame for being objectified. The notion suggests that provocative attire invites objectification. The problem with this, is that it shifts blame onto the individual being perceived rather than the beholder, fostering a victim-blaming mentality. The other problem is that notions of appropriateness vary widely among individuals and cultures, rendering the concept subjective and unreliable. I have written about this extensively on my linked in blog, with a particular focus on our objectification of animals and women; in deeply rooted power dynamics of a patriarchal system. Just enjoy, and be yourself 💚 Wearing @shopcider
Today I am celebrating my birthday with the incredible people @beachpleaseindia – founded by @kalambemalhar. A beach cleanup is a reminder that the planet reflects us. That every wrapper we throw, every choice we make, echoes somewhere …in the waves, in the sand, in the lives of animals who never asked for this. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t always look big or glamorous. Sometimes it’s bending down, picking up someone else’s mess, and realizing, this is our shared home. I might come now and then, but these guys have been coming every week for 7 years; picking up other people’s trash. The situation is dire, but this starkly reminds me that change begins with US. Happy birthday to me; softer, smarter, stronger than ever and starkly aware that we need to be the change we want to see.
Today I am celebrating my birthday with the incredible people @beachpleaseindia – founded by @kalambemalhar. A beach cleanup is a reminder that the planet reflects us. That every wrapper we throw, every choice we make, echoes somewhere …in the waves, in the sand, in the lives of animals who never asked for this. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t always look big or glamorous. Sometimes it’s bending down, picking up someone else’s mess, and realizing, this is our shared home. I might come now and then, but these guys have been coming every week for 7 years; picking up other people’s trash. The situation is dire, but this starkly reminds me that change begins with US. Happy birthday to me; softer, smarter, stronger than ever and starkly aware that we need to be the change we want to see.
Today I am celebrating my birthday with the incredible people @beachpleaseindia – founded by @kalambemalhar. A beach cleanup is a reminder that the planet reflects us. That every wrapper we throw, every choice we make, echoes somewhere …in the waves, in the sand, in the lives of animals who never asked for this. It’s a reminder that healing doesn’t always look big or glamorous. Sometimes it’s bending down, picking up someone else’s mess, and realizing, this is our shared home. I might come now and then, but these guys have been coming every week for 7 years; picking up other people’s trash. The situation is dire, but this starkly reminds me that change begins with US. Happy birthday to me; softer, smarter, stronger than ever and starkly aware that we need to be the change we want to see.
Something pretty magical about the sun. It’s not just warmth…it’s a transmission. When it touches our skin, cells stir. melanin rises. Vitamin D begins its silent magic. It is a reminder that we are nature. We need light to live…to feel, to heal, to glow from within. Enjoying the magic at @dharanaatshillim Wearing @shopcider Photo @sanjaydubeyphotography
Something pretty magical about the sun. It’s not just warmth…it’s a transmission. When it touches our skin, cells stir. melanin rises. Vitamin D begins its silent magic. It is a reminder that we are nature. We need light to live…to feel, to heal, to glow from within. Enjoying the magic at @dharanaatshillim Wearing @shopcider Photo @sanjaydubeyphotography
Good morning #Kerala @sanjaydubeyphotography @keralatourism
Good morning #Kerala @sanjaydubeyphotography @keralatourism
📍 @dharanaatshillim The magic at Dharana at Shillim isn’t loud…it’s whispered. It’s in the stillness between the mountains, the way the breeze carries through the bamboo groves, and how time seems to slow down the moment you arrive. Wearing @nefsfinds white pants and April Set Wearing @shopcider bikini By @sanjaydubeyphotography #Travel #India #InidaTravel
The world can make us impatient. It can make us believe that if we’re not there yet, we are nowhere. But the truth is, the work we do …the effort we pour into what we love, is not just a means to an end. It is the life we are building. It is the person we are becoming. Stay passionate. Stay grateful. When you look back one day, it won’t be the arrival that fills your heart …it will be the knowing that you kept going, even when it was hard, even when it was slow, even when no one else could see the vision but you. Video @sanjaydubeyphotography Top @nefsfinds
Spent my morning immersed in my private pool. No people, no distractions. At @dharanaatshillim Photo @sanjaydubeyphotography Wearing @shopcider
Spent my morning immersed in my private pool. No people, no distractions. At @dharanaatshillim Photo @sanjaydubeyphotography Wearing @shopcider
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. — Wendell Berry (The Peace of Wild Things) Lost in the moment at @dharanaatshillim Video @sanjaydubeyphotography Pants @nefsfinds Top @shopcider
A really fun way for me to share knowledge will be in an easy to digest format, don’t you agree? 🙂 Jokes aside, here are some insane facts: Your brain believes what you tell it. Negative self-talk isn’t just venting…it rewires your brain. Every time you repeat “I’m not good enough,” your brain accepts it as fact and strengthens that neural pathway. Neuroplasticity is real. Your brain can literally rewire itself. Old habits? Trauma? Limitations? They’re not permanent. With focus and repetition, you can form entirely new ways of thinking and behaving..even in adulthood. What!! Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality. Visualizing success, healing, or confidence activates the same brain regions as actually experiencing those things. That’s why elite athletes (and manifesters) swear by mental rehearsal. Multitasking is a myth You’re not doing multiple things at once: you’re switching between tasks rapidly, and each switch burns mental fuel. Focus is a superpower. Protect it. Your gut is your second brain. The gut and brain talk constantly via the vagus nerve. 90% of serotonin is made in the gut. What you eat literally affects your mood, anxiety, and decision-making. Stress shrinks your brain. Chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex (decision-making) and enlarges the amygdala (fear). Long-term, this makes you more anxious, impulsive, and reactive. Sleep is non-negotiable for brain function. While you sleep, your brain clears toxins, consolidates memories, and resets emotions. Cutting sleep isn’t productive: it’s self-sabotage. Your thoughts shape your biology. Repeated thoughts; especially those rooted in fear or love, create chemical signals that influence your hormones, immune system, and even gene expression. I hope you enjoy this knowledge series brought to you by @sanjaydubeyphotography
A really fun way for me to share knowledge will be in an easy to digest format, don’t you agree? 🙂 Jokes aside, here are some insane facts: Your brain believes what you tell it. Negative self-talk isn’t just venting…it rewires your brain. Every time you repeat “I’m not good enough,” your brain accepts it as fact and strengthens that neural pathway. Neuroplasticity is real. Your brain can literally rewire itself. Old habits? Trauma? Limitations? They’re not permanent. With focus and repetition, you can form entirely new ways of thinking and behaving..even in adulthood. What!! Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality. Visualizing success, healing, or confidence activates the same brain regions as actually experiencing those things. That’s why elite athletes (and manifesters) swear by mental rehearsal. Multitasking is a myth You’re not doing multiple things at once: you’re switching between tasks rapidly, and each switch burns mental fuel. Focus is a superpower. Protect it. Your gut is your second brain. The gut and brain talk constantly via the vagus nerve. 90% of serotonin is made in the gut. What you eat literally affects your mood, anxiety, and decision-making. Stress shrinks your brain. Chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex (decision-making) and enlarges the amygdala (fear). Long-term, this makes you more anxious, impulsive, and reactive. Sleep is non-negotiable for brain function. While you sleep, your brain clears toxins, consolidates memories, and resets emotions. Cutting sleep isn’t productive: it’s self-sabotage. Your thoughts shape your biology. Repeated thoughts; especially those rooted in fear or love, create chemical signals that influence your hormones, immune system, and even gene expression. I hope you enjoy this knowledge series brought to you by @sanjaydubeyphotography
A really fun way for me to share knowledge will be in an easy to digest format, don’t you agree? 🙂 Jokes aside, here are some insane facts: Your brain believes what you tell it. Negative self-talk isn’t just venting…it rewires your brain. Every time you repeat “I’m not good enough,” your brain accepts it as fact and strengthens that neural pathway. Neuroplasticity is real. Your brain can literally rewire itself. Old habits? Trauma? Limitations? They’re not permanent. With focus and repetition, you can form entirely new ways of thinking and behaving..even in adulthood. What!! Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality. Visualizing success, healing, or confidence activates the same brain regions as actually experiencing those things. That’s why elite athletes (and manifesters) swear by mental rehearsal. Multitasking is a myth You’re not doing multiple things at once: you’re switching between tasks rapidly, and each switch burns mental fuel. Focus is a superpower. Protect it. Your gut is your second brain. The gut and brain talk constantly via the vagus nerve. 90% of serotonin is made in the gut. What you eat literally affects your mood, anxiety, and decision-making. Stress shrinks your brain. Chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex (decision-making) and enlarges the amygdala (fear). Long-term, this makes you more anxious, impulsive, and reactive. Sleep is non-negotiable for brain function. While you sleep, your brain clears toxins, consolidates memories, and resets emotions. Cutting sleep isn’t productive: it’s self-sabotage. Your thoughts shape your biology. Repeated thoughts; especially those rooted in fear or love, create chemical signals that influence your hormones, immune system, and even gene expression. I hope you enjoy this knowledge series brought to you by @sanjaydubeyphotography
A really fun way for me to share knowledge will be in an easy to digest format, don’t you agree? 🙂 Jokes aside, here are some insane facts: Your brain believes what you tell it. Negative self-talk isn’t just venting…it rewires your brain. Every time you repeat “I’m not good enough,” your brain accepts it as fact and strengthens that neural pathway. Neuroplasticity is real. Your brain can literally rewire itself. Old habits? Trauma? Limitations? They’re not permanent. With focus and repetition, you can form entirely new ways of thinking and behaving..even in adulthood. What!! Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality. Visualizing success, healing, or confidence activates the same brain regions as actually experiencing those things. That’s why elite athletes (and manifesters) swear by mental rehearsal. Multitasking is a myth You’re not doing multiple things at once: you’re switching between tasks rapidly, and each switch burns mental fuel. Focus is a superpower. Protect it. Your gut is your second brain. The gut and brain talk constantly via the vagus nerve. 90% of serotonin is made in the gut. What you eat literally affects your mood, anxiety, and decision-making. Stress shrinks your brain. Chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex (decision-making) and enlarges the amygdala (fear). Long-term, this makes you more anxious, impulsive, and reactive. Sleep is non-negotiable for brain function. While you sleep, your brain clears toxins, consolidates memories, and resets emotions. Cutting sleep isn’t productive: it’s self-sabotage. Your thoughts shape your biology. Repeated thoughts; especially those rooted in fear or love, create chemical signals that influence your hormones, immune system, and even gene expression. I hope you enjoy this knowledge series brought to you by @sanjaydubeyphotography
@dharanaatshillim is a luxury wellness retreat nestled in the serene Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra. Designed to foster holistic healing, it blends ancient Indian wisdom with modern wellness practices. From Ayurvedic therapies and yoga to nature immersion and mindful nutrition, Dharana offers a deeply restorative experience for those seeking balance and clarity. Surrounded by forests and overlooking the valley, it’s an escape into stillness…where health isn’t just treated, it’s transformed. Over the next few days I will share with you guys my wonderful experience here. Just 3.5hrs from Mumbai. Wearing @nefsfinds Photos @sanjaydubeyphotography
@dharanaatshillim is a luxury wellness retreat nestled in the serene Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra. Designed to foster holistic healing, it blends ancient Indian wisdom with modern wellness practices. From Ayurvedic therapies and yoga to nature immersion and mindful nutrition, Dharana offers a deeply restorative experience for those seeking balance and clarity. Surrounded by forests and overlooking the valley, it’s an escape into stillness…where health isn’t just treated, it’s transformed. Over the next few days I will share with you guys my wonderful experience here. Just 3.5hrs from Mumbai. Wearing @nefsfinds Photos @sanjaydubeyphotography
When the last tree falls and the rivers run dry, will we realise we cannot eat money? Without education and humility, we are destroying the very life we depend on. In conversation with @officialraveenatandon @sudhirkudalkar, in new podcast now live ✨🫶🏼 Link in bio. #Environment #Change #Podcast #KindnesswithAmy #RaveenaTandon
