Soul Session | Meredith | Tara Lilly Photography

Soul Session | Meredith | Tara Lilly Photography

Meredith’s Soul Session took place somewhere that makes her feel strong, her Crossfit gym. Check out her thoughts and inspirations for a soul session below!

“On the eve of a very stressful professional opportunity, my mind was distracted, not only by the pressure of the job application window I was working with, but by an event that was coming up  – a photo shoot for a project my friend Tara had asked me to be part of.

Talking to Tara on the phone, pre session, she asked me what I was nervous about. Through silent tears, I told her I was afraid of being in front of the camera  “on purpose”, and that I was afraid of being in a position where I would have to celebrate my body. 

This is a theme I have struggled with since I was young. There was a time I was all bony hips and awkward limbs, with no curves, and all I wanted was grow into my woman body. As I got older, the curves and bumps came in, but they were too big or too jiggly or not in the right places. I never saw my body as a thing to celebrate, because I felt like I wasn’t supposed to celebrate it unless it looked a certain way. I was supposed to hide my body away and work on changing it into something better.

Tara asked me to bring clothes I love, to a place I love and celebrate myself. When we started, I was terrified. She asked me to list three things I loved about my body. I said I liked the colour of my hair, and then stopped. I couldn’t name anything else. I could name a flaw with each and every part of my body, giving myself a reason not to love it.

She told me to close my eyes, take three deep breaths, and focus a place that I felt strong in. From there, slowly, I let it all go. She had me move, and stretch and feel every part of my too-big, too-jiggly, unproportionate body.

The session took me from a place I felt comfortable in, to a place I felt exposed, to a place I felt strong.  Literally, figuratively, and emotionally. At the largest my body has ever been, I moved, I paused,  I smiled, I laughed, I closed my eyes and held my body close. And then, I opened my eyes, my arms and maybe, my soul.


This is my soul session.” 

-Meredith

stretching at soul sessionplanking for soul sessiongetting prepared to lift weights at soul sessionbarbell with heavy weightsblack and white power lifting at soul sessionMeredith looking strong at soul sessionclean and jerk at soul sessionstanding proud and stronglooking strongletting the barbell downcrossfit smilessquat rack soul sessionmiles of smilesMeredith lifting weights at crossfit gymsoul session in crossfit gym ponytail and workout clothesworking out for soul sessionpushing the workout sledbox jumps at soul sessionponytail flying for box jumpsStanding proud at end of soul sessionlaughing in final soul session portrait