Hi there,
My name is Bailey.
I'm so glad you're here.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be self-loving.
How do we create resilient,
Lasting love for ourselves?
And why is it important that love begins with us before we can spread it to others?
In this meditation,
We will be opening up the core part of our hearts.
The part that feels like our true selves.
The part that wants to love and be loved.
And bringing pure,
Intentional love straight to it.
I want you to find a comfortable position,
Either seated or laying down.
Making sure that the position you are in feels balanced and stable.
Don't hesitate to find anything else that might make you feel even 10% more comfortable.
A warm blanket,
A pillow,
A pair of socks.
Physical comfort.
This is a simple way to show ourselves some more love.
When you feel ready,
I ask that you place one hand on your heart and one hand on your solar plexus between the belly button and the bottom of the rib cage.
The solar plexus is the chakra that honors the life force.
So in this meditation,
Not only are we honoring how you love,
But we're also giving focus to what drives you,
What wakes you up,
What makes you feel alive.
I want you to start with three deep breaths through the nose.
A deep inhale into your belly and a long exhale.
Again inhaling through your nose and out again.
And one last deep breath in and out.
And now I want you to trust your body to find its natural rhythm.
There's really nothing that you need to do except let your body breathe you.
Your body already knows what to do.
Surrender to that breath and let it guide you into relaxation.
I'm going to say some affirmations to you.
While I'm speaking,
I want you to practice pulling the energy of these words into the spaces under your hands.
I want you to focus on both of these areas,
Feeling your heartbeat,
Feeling the waves of energy beneath your hands,
Just sensing the deeper energy in our bodies that we're not usually aware of,
Focusing entirely on both of these places.
As I say these affirmations,
All I want you to do is focus on directing these words into both of the spaces under your hands where your heart space and your life force reside,
Keeping a steady,
Natural breath while we do this.
Let's begin.
I am lovable.
I am worthy of love.
I deserve to relax,
Have fun,
And enjoy my life.
It is important to me to love myself.
There is no one else like me,
And that is a beautiful thing.
My life has meaning.
I am safe in my body.
I want to take good care of myself.
I can take good care of myself.
I will take good care of myself.
When I love myself well,
I can love others well.
I may not have received the love I needed as a child from others,
But I can love myself now in the way I need,
Because if anyone knows what I need,
It's me.
When I am seeking to love myself deeply and unconditionally,
I connect deeper to my true self.
Breathe these words into your body.
Whatever you're feeling,
Just let yourself feel it.
You may find that you want to cry or even push away at these affirmations.
That's okay.
Just be with it.
Just be here.
None of your feelings are wrong.
Some of us were taught the opposite of these affirmations,
And changing these messages can be challenging.
A teacher of mine once told me that even if we only meditated for 10 minutes once in our lifetime,
We would still create a lasting shift in our subconscious and our spirit.
Even if it seems small,
It can be meaningful.
Just keep breathing and pulling love in with each breath.
Now I want you to focus solely on your breathing again.
You can drop your hands in your lap if you'd like.
Just focusing on each inhale and exhale,
Letting the breath lift any lingering tension.
Allow it to soothe you and bring you back to a neutral state.
All we want to do now is focus on that breath as it goes in and out of your nostrils.
In another minute or so,
I'm going to ask you to bring yourself back into the space once more,
And I want you to remember to be gentle with yourself today,
Showing yourself compassion,
Grace,
And love.
The more that this is a daily practice,
The more you will find that you are more inclined towards self-loving thoughts and practices.
Like a habit,
It will become a natural part of you.
Sharon Salzberg once said,
Love is not what you feel,
It's what you do.
We need action in our love,
Even our self-love.
Take a few moments to notice and appreciate the shift you feel in your body,
The subtleties of your relaxed body,
Your open heart,
Your calm mind.
Remembering to note that this place and these feelings exist,
And you can always come back to them whenever you need.
Taking those last few deep breaths as we come back to the space,
Waking up your body bit by bit.
You can stretch your body a little,
Rock your head side to side,
Stretch your fingers away from your palms,
Just finding any way you can to ground yourself back into your body again.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
I'm really proud of you,
And I hope you're proud of yourself too.
Feel free to use this again as a meditation,
Or I also suggest listening to the affirmations in your free time.
Till next time,
Take care and be kind to yourself.
