Lauren Taus: ‘I Post Naked Photos To Instagram To Empower Other Women’
I love the word journey, because that's what my life has been: I grew up in California, competing in rhythmic gymnastics and dance, then at age 14, I moved to Connecticut for boarding school. I went to Columbia University in New York for college and I spent time studying in Spain, England and Israel. My life trajectory included a few years in finance before attending graduate school to become a clinical therapist. I work as a psychotherapist and a yoga teacher now. I’ve been teaching for almost 20 years.
As a clinician, I work with body-based interventions because the body is almost always left out of the conversation. Our culture educates and trains us to divorce from our own wisdom, which is a huge problem that I am trying to solve. I’m trained in trauma-sensitive yoga as well as MDMA-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant PTSD. I’m really excited about psychedelic healing as it comes above board through the FDA. True healing requires us to move past the symptoms, and a common one is body hatred.
Like many women, I struggled with an eating disorder when I was younger. Out-of-control external circumstances made me want to control what seemed to be within my domain: my body.
I've grown to really love my body, but there are still parts of myself that I load up with judgment.
The amount of drama and pain that I've caused myself by judging functional parts of my body—my butt, my thighs—is outrageous.
When I'm feeling that way, I take it as a sign to stop and look at what's really going on with my life and examine how I can relax into the circumstances that I'm facing.
When I practice yoga, I'm making a shift from focusing on the external to the internal. I start looking inward. When I'm in my body, I'm not judging it.
The Sanskrit word yoga has many meanings, but one of them is "to yoke" or "to connect." It's about deep listening. It's not about doing a handstand.
That being said, handstands help you cultivate more internal awareness. These “advanced shapes” require deep focus and presence. They’re often scary for people who are beginning to practice these shapes, so they help you practice courage.
When I took my first set of naked photos, I held onto them for almost a year before posting them to Instagram.
Eventually, I showed them to my mother and aunt—both more conservative than me—and they both said, "Wow, these are so beautiful. Of course you should share them."
I still don't feel 100 percent comfortable posting nudes on Instagram, but I do it anyway. My body is beautiful; I don't always think it is, but it's beautiful. If someone wants to judge me, be my guest.
But the support I get from my mostly female followers is overwhelmingly positive. People think it's brave. If I can show my body and let it be a symbol of strength and vulnerability to other women, I'm ready to take my clothes off.
To me, being naked is about displaying fierce courage. It's about being openhearted, and willing to connect. Being naked is about being human. To truly be who you are is beautiful, period.
As told to Amanda Woerner.
Read more about the women featured in our Naked Strength package in the September issue of Women’s Health.
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