We're going to do a very practical self-care and self-love practice.
A lot of times self-love,
It can feel like contrived or self-care can feel like you need to buy things.
So we're going to bring it back to the basics.
So we're going to spend a few minutes today doing self-massage and just taking care of our bodies,
Helping release some tension.
And then we'll spend a few minutes kind of grounding into a little guided mindfulness practice.
Thank you for joining us.
So to start,
I want you to make two peace fingers in front of your face,
Like two happy bunnies.
And bringing your middle finger in front of your ear and your index finger behind your ear,
You're just going to gently start to massage the space in front and behind your ear.
If you find a good spot,
You might just hang out there for a bit.
You might do some small circles.
You might start to let your eyes close.
And you might even find a little spot in your jaw that needs a little love.
You might find that gently opening and closing your mouth as you do this.
Just a little bit.
Helps release some of that tension.
Yeah.
If you find you start to yawn or take a big sigh,
That's a good sign.
It means your parasympathetic nervous system is coming online.
Your rest and digest system.
We'll take a few more breaths in this spot.
And then just kind of let your hands wander and see if there's another place in your face,
Maybe your jaw,
Maybe your temples or the back of your neck.
See where he's calling for a little bit of love.
Let your breath deepen.
Know that every time you let out a little sigh or a nice long exhale,
You're helping that rest and digest come online.
Letting your body know it can relax so it doesn't need to hold any stress.
And in a few breaths,
We'll move to another part of the body.
Start to migrate I'm gonna go from the center of my brows outward Relaxing my frown lines or my little scrunchie face,
But go where your body is asking keeping those deep breaths.
And if it feels okay,
You might internally talk to your body a little bit and just say it's okay to let go of any stress you're holding on to.
It's okay to relax.
There is nowhere else to be.
There's nothing else to do in this moment.
You can let go.
And then a few breaths,
We'll move to one more spot.
You might even find in these last few breaths in this area,
You just want to hold some pressure in one spot.
And one more deep breath in this area.
And then let your hands move to a new part of the body.
Maybe it's on the face,
The neck.
Maybe it's somewhere like your legs or your hands.
Anywhere is welcome,
Wherever is calling you.
And just remember that this simple loving touch is an act of self-care.
It is always available to you.
It is a way to love yourself without thinking about self-esteem or achievement or confidence.
You can just be with your body and give it a little bit of love.
Letting those long exhales wind you down.
And we'll just do a few more breaths before we come into stillness.
So if there's anything you need to do,
Any spots you need to touch,
Any stretches you need to make,
Go ahead and take those now to help yourself settle in.
And then if your eyes aren't closed yet,
Go ahead and close them down or soften your gaze if that's not comfortable.
I'm going to invite you to put your hands on your belly.
If there's somewhere else that's calling,
That's good too.
And just feel the rise and fall of your breath in your belly.
Feel the warmth of your hands.
And I'm going to say a few affirmations that you can just receive.
Or you can say back to yourself.
And if affirmations feel awkward or weird,
Just keep focusing on the rise and fall of your belly.
To help you invite in a deeper love and care for self,
We'll start our affirmations.
With something as simple as I deserve to feel good.
My body is worthy of love and care.
My mind deserves to be at ease.
I am allowed to enjoy the things that bring me joy.
I am allowed to put my needs first.
I am allowed to succeed in my own weird way.
I'm allowed to celebrate myself.
And no matter what I do or how bad I may feel.
I am always worthy of love and care.
Take a big breath into your belly.
Slowly exhale.
And if there's anything you want to repeat to yourself or say to yourself now,
Go ahead and take a few breaths to do so.
With one more big breath in,
Bring your hands together anywhere in front of you.
And begin to rub them together up and down so you feel a little bit of friction and heat Grab your hands faster and harder so they get very,
Very warm.
Building up that energy,
That warmth.
And then go ahead and place those warm hands on your face.
Anywhere that needs a little bit of warmth.
And slowly when you're ready.
There's no rush,
Just bringing your awareness to the sounds around you.
The space around you.
And remembering you can always come back to this.
Gentle massage.
Kind words go a long way.
