Celebrating Yourself

This practice will help you honor & celebrate all the good that you are doing in your life. Through self-love & visualization, you will let go of resistance and learn how to own your amazingness. By doing so you will create positive energy to allow continued success in your life.

This is from a live meditation Lou gave on Insight Timer.

Transcript

I've been working with a client that lives in the UK for about four months or so and She's been doing just really amazing things She is having a full-time job but she just launched her business and she has a kids and she's just got a lot of things going on and The other day I asked her I was like,

Hey Have you been taking time to to to really celebrate all that's happening and all that you're doing?

And her response was Lou that's such an American thing to ask And I had to laugh you tell me friends that are not in America,

I guess I do understand I do have family in Italy.

And so I understand that maybe Americans can be it's easier to be self-congratulatory Maybe that's just kind of the vibe over here But I think a lot of us no matter where we live.

We have a challenge celebrating ourselves on a daily basis We tend to go from one thing to the next thing Without really taking that pause and saying oh,

Wow,

I did something really cool or you know this day I really appreciated something in this day and I'm Guilty of it as much as anyone else.

I Have a my remember my last course that I put out on here on doing work that you love I worked so so hard on it and then I put it out and then it was like the next day I was like,

Okay,

What's next and the the not taking that time to Celebrate ourselves is doing us a huge huge disservice We're all I think seeking happiness,

Right?

We're trying to find happiness like it's something that's going to come in the future when the fastest way for us to be happy is really to Find the happiness that is already present in our lives and put the energy on that celebrate Our wins and they could be big wins or small wins.

It could be hey you started a business and that's a huge win to celebrate It could be small wins like I made the bed this morning Or I got to my meditation and and maybe taking that time at the end of the day or the beginning of the next day To say hey what thing?

Happened yesterday that I can celebrate because if you were on our practice last week where we talked about abundance What happens is that when we?

Celebrate and put energy and attention to the small wins put that positive energy towards it the small wins become Larger wins and so again it shifts it back to a state of appreciation And so we'll work on that through our practice today We'll work on helping us celebrate some of those wins in our life,

Whatever they might be and really honoring ourselves And so allow Your body to if there's any last movements that it needs to take Any last fidgets before you can find a rested posture Rested posture Still posture Hands could be rested on your thighs between your hips And allowing the body to Find the support of the ground or the chair your cushion Feeling the heaviness of the thighs sink down And finding that rootedness through your lower body And there's a strength that we build in the foundation of our practice And we embody that through this connection to our physical posture And so from that foundation just finding an alertness through the upper body so lengthening A little bit bringing shoulders down the back Feeling maybe a gentle broadening through the the collar plate And then we're going to bring our shoulders down the back And then we're going to bring our shoulders down the back Feeling maybe a gentle broadening through the the collar plate Allowing a wave of softness to melt down the forehead Down the cheekbones And really feel the softness through Your neck the place where we hold so much tension And letting that softness move its way down but again still keeping That alertness throughout the upper body Allowing the energy to move through your body in the way that it's intended to And beginning to tune in to the rhythm of your breath not forcing it just noticing And beginning to tune in to the rhythm of your breath not forcing it just noticing And see if you can sense the giving and receiving Of each breath And allow yourself to really tune in and receive Receiving the energy of oxygen and lightness As the breath moves in And lightness as the breath moves in And just letting the breath in a natural way give and release out Of the breath And following a few rounds here just noticing allowing yourself to receive the breath And And then do a quick scan of your body and just seeing if there's any parts that might need a little extra love And seeing if you can continue to relax And release into your foundation Not holding on to anything Not holding on to anything And ready to receive You And then together let's take a conscious full breath in And breath out I'm gonna have you bring your awareness to your mind's eye and we're gonna do a little bit of a visualization practice And so I'd like you to imagine that you are sitting in a chair backstage Of a theater and so you're you're in the dressing room And there's a mirror in front of you and a sink that is below the mirror And first just notice how this chair feels as you sit there Notice what comes to mind when you think of this room.

Maybe it's something you've seen in a movie Maybe you've been backstage in a theater and you have a more visceral response Just noticing that you're in a room that's not so far away from you And then you're just sitting there Just noticing And connecting to what it's like to sit here And then I'd like you to stand up from this chair and so you're standing right in front of the mirror And see if you can get closer to the mirror I'd like you to take some time to to just look at yourself And then you're going to look at yourself I'd like you to take some time to to just look at yourself Noticing what you see trying not to judge Just being with your own reflection And if those thoughts or judgments are coming up it's okay you can welcome them Acknowledging that there is space for this Acknowledging that there is space for this And then look at yourself directly in the eyes And again noticing what's coming up And then notice if your body is having any reaction What does it feel like to see yourself And then as we move through our day move through our journey we get kind of so wrapped up in the day-to-day routine The to-dos And sometimes we just don't take the time to acknowledge and see ourselves And then we're just going to be in the moment of the moment And then we're just going to be in the moment of the moment To acknowledge and see ourselves And beyond what anyone could tell us we have to remember that we have the greatest ability to nourish ourselves And so let's see if we can do that right now once again looking yourself in the eye And repeating these words to yourself You're doing so well You're doing so well I see you I love you I'm here for you You're doing so well You're doing so well I see you I love you I'm here for you I see you I see you I love you I see you I love you I love you And take a few moments maybe just repeating those last two on your own And welcoming if it's easy,

Welcoming if it's challenging I see you I love you I love you I love you And sometimes this can be the way to celebrate ourselves most right just taking that time to to see and to to send love to ourselves And I'd like you to imagine In your imagination or maybe in real life bringing just a gentle smile to your face As you look at your reflection Maybe even feel a smile in your heart And from here I'd like you to take a moment and think about a small win That you've had in your life that you'd like to celebrate Maybe you did something challenging or you reached out to someone stayed strong during a challenge or difficulty built something Whatever it is recent or in the past seeing if you can bring it to your awareness And celebrating acknowledging this moment in any way that you feel is right And really celebrating this small win when everything is right So be it Feel the envy Feel the strength Be it meaning,

Acknowledging this moment in any way that you feel is right.

Really celebrating this small win.

Staying with that smile.

And then together let's take a full breath in.

And a full breath out.

So again,

Maybe there were some challenges there,

Maybe there were judgments coming up.

Some feelings of not deserving it.

And so to let all of any of that go,

I'd like you to imagine that you reach your hands out so they are cupped underneath the faucet.

So maybe one hand's on top of the other,

Maybe you feel them cupped out there.

I'd like you to think about if there are any stories that you have taken from your culture,

From your families,

Of maybe it not being right to be self-congratulatory or to celebrate yourself.

I'd like you to see any resistant energy that you feel in your body and imagining that you're pouring out this negative energy into the palm of your hands.

Maybe you sense it as an energy moving through,

Maybe you start to feel a heaviness in your hands as you start to release this resistance in your body.

Any of those things that maybe are holding you back from fully experiencing the beauty of who you are.

Sending those stories,

Sending those thoughts,

Those feelings into your hands.

And then go ahead and turn on the water.

I want you to imagine that you're washing your hands of this negative energy,

Feeling the warmth of the water.

Feeling that you're cleansing this uneasiness so that you can celebrate your awesomeness.

So once you've done cleanse your hands,

I'd like you to open a little drawer that's underneath.

And there you see a Post-It note.

And on this note is written,

You are amazing.

Own it.

And so go ahead and stick that Post-It note to the mirror.

And just look at it.

What would it be like to own your amazingness?

What would you do differently?

What would you celebrate?

I know some of you will be like,

I'm not amazing.

Exactly.

What would it be like to let that go and own it?

And then gentle breath in with me.

And out.

And so now I'd like you to imagine that you're leaving backstage and you're heading out into the audience.

I'd like you to sit wherever feels right.

Feel yourself in a chair surrounded by others.

It's a packed crowd.

There's no COVID in our imagination.

And on stage,

Everyone is waiting for this show to start.

You can feel that excited anticipation.

You can feel the energy of the crowd.

And what this stage represents is your life.

And what I'd like you to imagine happening on the stage is something great that has happened in your life.

It could be recent,

It could be in the past.

And whatever that is,

Imagining that that scene is taking place on stage,

Whether you see it as a movie,

Whether you see it as actors.

And really see yourself in that scene.

And see if you can allow yourself to even feel what that great moment was like.

And then slowly,

With everyone else in the audience,

Start to begin to clap.

And imagine that clapping getting louder and louder.

So loud that everyone stands up to give a standing ovation.

And feeling what it's like to celebrate yourself.

To really cheer for yourself.

Is there resistance or can you own it?

Can you own your amazingness and just celebrate this great moment of your life?

And then I'd like you to leave the audience,

Start to walk up towards the stage.

And I get to walk up onto the stage until you're looking at that past version who is experiencing that great moment.

And so once again you're looking at yourself in the eye,

Only this time it's another version.

And maybe there's a difference from looking at yourself in the mirror,

Maybe there's not.

And so just notice that.

And then I'd like you to tell this version of you that you have a message for them.

I'd like you to share with them these words and these intentions.

You are amazing.

Own it.

You are amazing.

Own it.

And just repeating those on your own.

You are amazing.

Own it.

And then go ahead and give them a big hug.

Celebrating them in your arms.

And as you hug them imagining that this past self morphs into your current self.

So now it's just you on stage.

And bring those words into yourself.

I am amazing.

Own it.

I am amazing.

Own it.

See if you can really give that to yourself.

And then lastly turn to the crowd.

And I'd like you to this time receive their applause.

Receive their celebration.

Now a big smile to come to your face.

Thinking in this affirmation of how amazing you are.

And then together let's take a full breath in.

And breath out.

And letting go of any visualization starting to come back into your body.

And before we come all the way back just taking a moment to think about how you can celebrate those small wins today.

Or how you can celebrate them in general.

It doesn't always have to be like we did today of that self congratulatory nature.

It could be going for a walk that you never go on to celebrate something that happened.

Or eating your favorite food whatever it might be.

Some way to acknowledge yourself.

And then whenever you feel complete you can gently open your eyes.

And come back.

And mouth rec użyvissunk.

Reviews

Awesome! Great meditation and reminder 💕to celebrate our unique selves..

Thank you 🙏

I am AMAZING! 😊

I’ve visualized something similar but this practice I could feel with everything in me. Thank you, Lou!!

This is beautiful 🤩 thank you 🙏

So lovely. This meditation really moved me. Thank you so much 🙏🏾☺️

Thank you for this great meditation. I could feel the applause🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼It is in my favourite list already, thank you!!

Thank you 🙏 . I’m British & this is a very deep pattern in our culture & thus ourselves. Something we can learn from the USA.

Gently yet undeniably inspiring🦋 Pure magic🌟

I cried and cried and cried..... very unexpectedly. Thank you x

A terrific guided imagery. Many thanks!! ⭐️

Thanks Lou for this reminder. It's hard for me to say words like 'you are amazing' to myself. Maybe it's a cultural thing, where humimity is prized highly, or maybe it's the imposter syndrome again. I will make more of effort to celebrate myself. Thank you for yet another lovely meditation 😊🙏🏾!

Thank you so much for this amazing meditation, Lou. I love every bit of it!! ❤️
I did this meditation online with you and it made such a huge impact on me. So I came back to this meditation about a month ago, when I received an invitation for a job interview with the company I wanted. And today, a month later, I did it again, because I received the job offer from the same company. And I celebrated myself for all the hard work I did during the past several months. It’s so magical!!
And I believe you when you say: “if you celebrate small wins, you’ll get bigger ones”, because that’s what happened with me. Thank you Lou🙏🏻❤️

Thank you Lou for another timely meditation for me! I just embarked on a big venture of setting up a platform for my writings and creativity. It was a consuming process that was filled with many a self-doubt. But I believe the end product is turning out really well, and this is a perfect time to celebrate my accomplishments! And look forward to many more. So thank you for helping me to see how amazing I am and take time to remember to love myself.