The Body Love Show

This episode busts a few of the diet culture myths about exercise. Unfortunately, at this time of the year there is lots of predatory advertising how to lose weight quickly through exercise and most of what you're being told isn't true. So listen to find out 3 exercise myths and one huge benefit of exercising. If you are keen to listen to Demi Moore's autobiography (I loved it!) you can check it o...

This episode is about why I have decided to offer sliding scale pricing where I can for my services. Click here to learn more about why a compassionate approach to health care works better than harsh diets or exercise programs. My inspiration for sliding scale pricing wortsandcunning.com. Read the blog post about my sliding scale pricing. Click here to book a free 15-min health history with me. Cl...

In this episode I take you (anonymously) behind the scenes of a recent coaching session and explain why I believe a short, daily mindfulness practice could help to reduce stress at Christmas as well as improve your self-esteem & confidence while inducing calm and relaxation. Get started with your own meditation practice by downloading my free self-compassion meditation . If you're interested i...

On this episode I'll explain why retreats are so powerful and how you can go on one even if you don't have enough, time, money or body confidence. Here are some free resources to support your solo retreat: Download a free meditation here Download a free body love affirmation audio here Here is a yoga video and another one Learn more about journaling here Click here to learn more about my retreats...

This is a very short episode to explain that I’m taking a short pause from the podcast. I have a big life event happening right now and I need to let a couple of things go. Don’t worry I’ll be back soon! In the mean time I still have spots available in my private health coaching program - find out more here . Plus I’ll be on Facebook and Instagram including hosting a free 7-day plank challenge sta...

In this short but important episode of the pod I talk about 3 surprising shifts that happen when you give up dieting. From feeling physically more energetic to having better boundaries - the changes can be quite profound. Have a listen and click here to tell me what you think! If you'd like to find food freedom and make this shifts yourself (and you'd like some help), consider my 6 month private c...

If you’ve been living in diet culture (and let’s face it, we all are), you’ve probably not felt a lot of compassion for yourself over the years. It’s easy to spend our lives feeling a lot of self-criticism, self-hatred and even disgust which can easily lead to depression and anxiety. But I have a question for you, “How has being judgmental towards yourself worked out for you so far?” I don’t imagi...

Our bodies change significantly during peri-menopause and post-menopause. It can feel heartbreaking because we are getting further and further away from the thin ideal that is revered in diet culture. Plus, ageing women are not perceived as attractive in our world. In this episode I give you some tips to help you respect your body during menopause. Accept your body is changing Prioritise rest &amp...

This week I'll teach you how important your social media feed is to your mental health and how you can make changes today that will support you to respect your body and look after it without the influence of diet culture. The Instagram accounts I mention in this episode are: Fashion: @icurvy Activism: @iweigh Fitness: @louisegreen_bigfitgirl Food: @no.food.rules Mum blogger/general lifestyle: @lov...

It's Children's Book Week in Australia this week and I thought, why not do a book review. I have just finished reading Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and thought it was the perfect book to review. In the episode I talk about: Why I read the book The importance of the book Highlights Improvements Other recommendations Here are some accompanying links - Buy Intuitive Eating My Go...

In this episode I discuss some of the ways we can talk about our bodies when we are ready to move on from body shame or hate. I touch on Body Love (and my evolution away from it), body positivity and its roots in activism, body neutrality and body respect. I also share where I'm at now when it comes to my own relationship with my body. If you'd like to share your thoughts, click here to go to my w...

After being trolled on Instagram for talking about the anti-diet movement and being told that I am promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, I thought it was important to bust this myth. In this episode I talk about: The reasons why diets aren’t healthy They don’t work in the long term They can cause a “binge & restrict” cycle when it comes to healthy behaviours They can cause psychological damage The...

This week I thought I would dive straight into the number 1 question I get asked and that is… “Are your yoga classes suitable for beginners?” The answer is yes. And that’s the end of the episode hehe… just kidding. In this episode I cover topics like body shaming by fitness instructors or yoga teachers, how all yoga should be for beginners, how diet culture has hijacked some yoga spaces...

I’m back babies! Welcome to The Big Bellied Yogi season 2! If you haven’t met me before, my name is Emma Polette – I’m an anti-diet health coach, personal trainer and yoga teacher and I have a plus sized, curvy, fat body. How dare I!!? I’ll be covering topics like intuitive eating and movement, self-compassion, feminism, privilege, why diets don’t work, living in a menopausal body a...

For personal reasons I am pressing pause on the podcast. Hopefully I will bring it back soon. I am currently going live on alternating days on Facebook and Instagram (there is a lot less behind the scenes work going live versus creating a podcast) so if you want to keep in touch, follow me there.   Instagram Facebook   Thank you to everyone who has listened to The Big Bellied Yogi.&...

In this episode I teach you about the Niyamas.  The second limb of Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga system shows us how to look after our own body, mind, and spirit without once getting into a yoga pose.  These practices give us self-discipline, humility, and inner strength. The five Niyamas are: Saucha – purity of body which contributes to a pure mind Santosa – Contentment leads to joy Tapas – the f...

This week I got to interview the beautiful Ellie Girdwood.  Ellie is currently studying for her 200 hour yoga teacher training certificate. Here's a little bit more about Ellie: "I have been doing yoga for 10 years. My love of yoga started off with a class when travelling in India and have been doing it ever since I returned to the UK. I have tried lots of different types of yoga which made me rea...

This week I'll delve deeply into forward folds. This series of poses can be very nurturing, calming and nourishing.  However, when you have a larger body they can be difficult.  Bellies and boobs can get in the way. In this episode I'll show you why you should include them in your yoga routine and how to make them work for you if you have a larger body. In addition, I recommend watching this video...

There is a popular hashtag on social media - #yogaeverydamnday.  It can illicit a lot of guilt because what if you can't do yoga every day?  What if you're busy, or have an injury or you've never tried yoga so it seems impossible to do it every single day... This is where the SYSTEM of yoga comes in.  It's not just about a physical practice.  There are 8 elements to yoga and asana (the poses) are...

Welcome to The Big Bellied Yogi! In this first episode I'll discuss why I created the podcast including: My frustration at not being able to keep up with some yoga classes I took recently (remember, I'm a yoga teacher) and not being offered modifications The lack of diversity when it comes to the promotion of yoga, especially on Instagram A brief introduction to how you can practice yoga even if y...

A little while ago I saw an ad on Instagram from a well-known spiritual subscription platform.  They were advertising Tabata Yoga for weight-loss. This made my blood boil.  For one, it completely disregards the deep and ancient spiritual roots of yoga, and for two, it shows that like so much in the Western world, yoga has been hijacked by diet culture. In this episode I delve into what diet cultur...

I've been practicing yoga on and off for over 20 years and teaching since 2015.  When I recently completed another 200 hour yoga teacher training, I realised how inaccessible yoga is for so many people. According to Instagram, yoga is all about the poses, and about how bendy, skinny and young you are.  But it's so much more than that. I'm on a mission to make yoga available for everyone.  Each wee...

It's been a while since I released a new podcast episode.  But when I got the chance to interview my mentor, Leonie Dawson, I knew it was time to release a new episode. In the first few minutes of the show Leonie tells us about growing up with a brother with cerebral palsy and lot's of older women and how that shaped her attitude of complete love and acceptance of her body. She also breaks down ho...

Self-care is a massive buzz word.  It's one I use a lot.  But the ultimate in self-care is creating a life that you don't need to escape from... one that's full of inbuilt self-care. I've recently taken another step towards that by taking another job.  That might not sound like self-care but in this episode I explain how that's the case. I've also talk about how knowing my Human Design and journal...

I've been talking about moving from just Body Love into full-on self-love lately and it's really resonating. And although I know The Body Love Method works to help women feel better about their bodies, the true strength of the Method is it helps women to love themselves.  To be honest that is much more powerful. But, I also know that for busy women who take on too much (that's the women who need s...