To better explain this idea of economics I am going to play the etymology game once again!

Etymology of Economics

Economic from the Greek Oikos meaning ‘house’ and nomos meaning ‘custom’ or ‘law’, as well as a treatise written by Xenophon on household management, and the title of a treatise on public finances ascribed to Aristotle.  Already the term seems to be divided between the public and private realms.

If we think of our bodies as a home, we see that there is also the internal and external management: the internal body management relating to nutrition and healthy bones, muscles, and organs, as well as the external management relating to the appearance of our bodies to the external world and how we share them.

If we become overly concerned with the management of our external bodies it can lead to an obsession with image and appearances and overshadow the importance of maintaining a healthy inner body. That is when the body economics fall into the traps of  greed and impatience

Greed is exhibited in those who put too much emphasis on their bodies and image and in doing so, neglect other aspects of their being–mind and spirit. Greed is also motivated by competition and when competing with others we become blind to our true needs; we look outside of ourselves to measure our worth and treat our bodies like a commodity.

Impatience is image driven and it is also a side-effect of time economy (which is a fancy way of saying: we have busy lives!)  Impatience wants immediacy; it wants to get something now without investing any real time or effort. The fitness and diet industry relies on this to their pockets because they market fast solutions and easy fixes.

Yoga is a great way to learn to give over the controlling impulses of body economics and to allow yourself the time and space to understand and ultimately transform your body.