The gaze is an armor. If someone looks at you badly, the body shuts down. Looking at yourself with positive intention is how you repair that.
The gaze is an armor
When you are being looked at in a way that does not resonate with you, or being objectified, the body shuts down. Over time, those moments accumulate into layers of shame, especially toward the genitals, parts many people have never really looked at with kindness.
Repairing the gaze
In the mirror practice, you become the one doing the looking, and you do it with love. You are sending positive intention to yourself. This repairs the gaze as the first armor, and reconnects emotion to the body, mending the links that get broken when we override ourselves and dissociate to avoid pain.
"It has always been the simplest things that have had the biggest impact."
Why something so simple works
The power of this practice is psychosexual. It is not about how the body looks. It is about accepting that what is reflected back can carry a positive intention, a positive feeling. Done with repetition and intention, it begins to rewrite the way you relate to your own body.
Try this
As many of these practices require privacy, which might not be immediately available, I invite you to simply imagine the practice. Visualise, sensualise, how you would do this practice, and what it would feel like.
The mirror practice
Take a hand mirror and position it between your legs. Use an anatomical reference to identify where each part of your anatomy is. Every body is different.
Take a moment to write down any words that come up when you look at your genitals. Do not censor them.
Do this every day for a week. Notice how the words evolve, often more positively, as the connection deepens.
You can pair it with an affirmation, such as 'I am worthy of pleasure', repeated as you look.