How Loving Yourself Can Be a Revolutionary Act
Hair and Makeup by Tymia Yvette
Amber Karnes is well aware that the body positivity movement has been co-opted by commercial campaigns designed to sell us soap and overpriced razors under the guise of developing self-esteem. But when she founded Body Positive Yoga in 2010, the concept was more about social justice than capitalism—“to make room and access for all bodies,” she says.
Hair and Makeup by Tymia Yvette
At the time, Karnes was halfway through a yearlong 200-hour teacher training, and the same issues kept cropping up in class: She and the other students were learning how to teach poses in a way that’s really only effective for one body type: thin and able. “I was always the person giving feedback, like, ‘Well, actually, my foot doesn’t step forward between my hands,’” Karnes tells me one August afternoon as we sat on a sun-kissed park bench overlooking the Inner Harbor in Baltimore’s Federal Hill Park, near her home. “It was like, Oh! We’re actually not learning how to teach to bodies like mine.”
In the decade since Karnes started documenting her yoga practice and sharing how-to videos for bodies like hers online, she’s made a name for herself as a teacher and retreat leader, working with other wellness disruptors, such as social justice activist and author Dianne Bondy (with whom she launched Yoga for All Training—a course for teachers who want to make their classes and studios more inclusive and equitable—in 2015) and Accessible Yoga founder and director Jivana Heyman. Karnes and Heyman started the Accessible Yoga Training School in June and launched a podcast in July. “I just was not really prepared for how meaningful it would be to so many people to see somebody in a body like theirs in a wellness or fitness context practicing yoga,” Karnes says.
Karnes has always enjoyed sharing hacks for ways she’s figured out how to modify her practice. People often think their own bodies preclude them from participating in certain poses, she says, when the reality is that any posture, when adapted the right way, can work for anyone. For example, tightening a strap around your chest to keep your flesh away from your throat in inversions allows for more spaciousness and fuller breath. This small revelation can be life-changing for students, Karnes says.
“Usually if someone has a large chest and that’s been troublesome to them in their practice, there’s this aha exclamation moment that totally changes the way they see themselves and their practice.”
Hair and Makeup by Tymia Yvette
To read the full article, click here https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/amber-karnes-on-how-loving-yourself-can-be-a-revolutionary-act/
Tymia Yvette | Makeup & Lash Artist
Tymia Yvette | Professional Makeup Artist, Lash Extensionist & Board certified PMU Artist
CEO & Owner of tymiayvette.com
Tymia Yvette is a Makeup and Lash Artist and the founder of Tymia Yvette Beauty LLC, a makeup artistry and lash extension company focused on customized beauty services based in Baltimore, Maryland. Trained by MAC Cosmetics, Tymia's work has been featured in the Bravo A-List Awards 2008, the BET Honors Award Show in 2011, 2012, and 2013, the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week 2011, 2012, and 2013, and the White House Correspondent's Dinner in 2014. She has also provided makeup and lash services for the Betsy Royal Casting Agency and the Baltimore Raven's cheerleading squad from 2010 to 2012. Her clients include Terrence Howard, Torrey Smith, Lester Holt, Adrienne Lofton, and Natasha Hastings. She has been awarded Wedding Wire's Couple's Choice Award in 2017, 2018, and 2019. See full article here https://www.wikihow.com/Author/Tymia-Yvette
Style Me Pretty Wedding Makeup + Lashes
I was recently featured on Style Me Pretty for Vicki's wedding makeup. This was one of my favorite bridal looks - Celebrity Glam! Vicki was great to work with, because she trusted me and left the artistry in my hands. Before applying makeup, I always sit down with my clients to discuss their wedding details, such as the wedding theme, wedding dress, style of the hair, etc. After hearing Vicki’s story, I knew there were a few key components we needed to focus on so that her wedding makeup was flawless! When Vicki told me she wanted Celebrity Glam, I immediately thought of her eyes. In order to create bigger, more defined eyes, we decided to do a full installation of individual Novalash extensions 3 days before her wedding. http ://novalash.com/find/?s=Tymia+Yvette
I always recommend getting extensions 3+ days before the wedding so that your eyes have enough time to adjust. Since I’ve been doing lashes, I have never had a bride experience any irritation or problems with the extensions.
Before applying Vicki's makeup, she asked, “Will my makeup last ALL night, even through dancing?" This question gets asked all the time. The answer is yes! While setting powder and finishing sprays are a necessity, for longevity I like to start from the bottom up. In order to make it last, its very important that you start with hydrating your skin. For Vicki, I used Belif Aqua Bomb cream. http://www.belifcosmetic.com/english/product/detail.jsp?cid1=B&cid2=1&pid=ACM04891
I then primed her skin with Smashbox "Light" Primer http://m.sephora.com/product/P191603?icid2=Similar%20Products&productId=P191603&skuId=1349976
We wanted to make sure she looked magnificent in person, but even more impeccable in photos. A simple technique I like to do is layering. Not only does it help the makeup last, it also photographs really well. I especially like to layer powders over cream products. My go-to's for the best applications are Makeup Forever products for the eyes. http://www.makeupforever.com/us/en-us/make-up/eyes And Nars products for the cheeks. http://www.narscosmetics.com/USA/cheeks
To complete Vicki's unforgettable, celebrity glam look, I kept the intensity on her eyes and created a soft lip using a mixture of Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid lipsticks and glosses. http://www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com/liquid-lipstick.html
Photos courtesy of Hieu Pharm Photography