Self Love Meditation - Extended
Gather together with me in the Insight Timer community to take a deep dive into the action of self-love. We have all heard “To love another you must first love yourself.” How do we do that? Too often, self-love can feel like another have-to around which we fall short. Join Mary for a cozy, guided meditation to gently connect you with a deeper dimension of self and the true knowing of how to love yourself.
Transcript
This is a meditation for self-love.
Learning the action of self-love.
Find a comfortable spot against a wall or sitting up straight with your legs crossed in front of you.
Being mindful of your lower back.
If sitting doesn't feel right,
You can lay down with a bolster or a pillow under your knees with your back flat.
Always being mindful of your back and your neck.
Close your eyes if that feels right.
Let's take a few very slow breaths together.
Focusing on extending our exhale.
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
And again,
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
And one more time.
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
Allow your breath to help settle you down.
Giving yourself some time to shift from the outside world into this space between us.
Bring your attention to this moment,
Captivated by your breath.
Noticing your breath as if it is for the very first time.
Throughout this meditation,
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice.
The voice that speaks to yourself.
Take this time for you.
You've been rushing and moving and thinking and striving.
Pull that energy from outward to inward to you.
Bring your mind to this moment,
To this breath.
Breathing in and settling down.
Allowing the calm to move in and take over.
With every inhale,
Breathing in calm and peace.
With every exhale,
Breathing out worry and distraction.
Allow your breath to help settle you into this moment,
Into this space between us.
Allowing yourself from the world outside this space to the moments we are creating right here,
Right now.
Centered and calm.
This is your time for self love.
You may not feel the love for yourself,
But you may long for it.
You may wish to love yourself,
But you may not know how to allow for it.
This meditation is an active love for you,
For yourself.
It is a baby step towards teaching yourself to love you,
Just as you are.
Self love is the act of making commitments to yourself based on self care.
Self love is the act of following through on those commitments that you make to yourself.
Self love can also be a struggle.
We have all walked unique pathways.
So many of those pathways have left us feeling not good enough.
So many of those pathways have left us feeling unworthy of our own self love.
Today and together we take a step towards developing self love by being here together.
You said I need that.
I want that.
And you are here now.
Taking time for this meditation is an act of self love.
Taking time for yourself is an act of self love.
Making the commitment to yourself is an act of self love.
Keeping the commitment to yourself is an act of self love.
Making your way here to be in community with me is an act of self love.
If we wait to feel the feeling of self love before we take the action of self love,
We will wait forever.
There is so much around us grabbing for our attention and our time,
Attempting to cultivate our insecurity.
If we wait to feel worthy enough before we act,
If we wait to feel valued enough before we act,
We could literally wait forever.
Instead,
We can embrace self love now,
In this moment.
We can claim self love every single day with tiny actions that serve to build the foundation for self love.
Take care of yourself.
To nourish your body with foods from the earth is an act of self love.
Drinking a glass of pure,
Clean water is an act of self love.
Stopping to feel the sunshine on your face is an act of self love.
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice,
The voice that speaks to yourself.
I love you,
So I feed you this healthy food.
I love you,
So I stop to feel the sunshine and notice the cool breeze.
Take care of yourself,
Your body.
Moving your body is an act of self love.
Riding your bike is an act of self love.
Going for a walk is an act of self love.
Resting is an act of self love.
Sleeping is an act of self love.
Relaxing is an act of self love.
Doing yoga is an act of self love.
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice,
The voice that speaks to yourself.
I love you,
So I take you to yoga.
I love you,
So I take you on a walk.
Take care of yourself,
Your time.
Saying no in order to protect your time is an act of self love.
Saying no in order to protect your energy is an act of self love.
Saying no in order to protect your emotional well-being is an act of self love.
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice,
The voice that speaks to yourself.
I love you,
So I am protective of your time.
I love you,
So I check in with your needs before I say yes.
Take care of yourself,
Your spirit.
Taking time for what you love to do is an act of self love.
Taking time to be in your garden is an act of self love.
Taking time to paint your dreams is an act of self love.
Taking time to pray and to meditate is an act of self love.
Being in the moments of silence is an act of self love.
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice,
The voice that speaks to yourself.
I love you,
So I take time to live my joy.
I love you,
So I take time to notice moments of silence and pray.
Allow my voice to guide your inner voice,
The voice that speaks to yourself.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
You are a unique individual with your own strengths and beautiful imperfections.
Embracing what makes you,
You is an act of self love.
Bring your attention back to your breath.
Feel the gentle rise and fall.
Feel your breath grounding you in the present moment.
With each breath,
Imagine pulling love from the air in the space between us that we have created together.
Revitalizing and nourishing your entire being.
Allow this love to heal you and fuel your intention to engage with acts of self love.
Choosing healthy food for your body.
Setting limits with your time.
Getting up early to see the sunrise or to get to an early morning yoga class.
Embrace your body as a sacred vessel that carries your spirit through this journey of life.
Embrace your very own heart as the center of all of your joys and sorrows and your very,
Very special being.
If you're sitting up,
Please find a space to lay down to enjoy Shavasana together.
Your back flat and feeling safe.
Your knees supported with a pillow or a bolster.
And giving some extra care that your neck feels supported and safe.
Together,
We will breathe three deep breaths.
And then we will settle in to a long and loving silence.
Let's breathe together.
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
And again,
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
And one last time,
Breathing in.
And exhaling slowly,
Slowly,
Slowly.
Allow your breath to settle in to its very own natural pace.
Notice the feeling of being right here,
Right now.
And here together,
In an extended silence,
We will settle in to self-love.
And now,
As we engage with the end of our meditation,
Please begin to bring energy back into your body.
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle your toes.
Gently rotate your wrists if that feels right.
Rotate your ankles if that's okay.
Gently turn your head to the left if that feels right.
Then back to center.
Turn your head to the right ever so gently if that feels okay.
Then back to center.
Gently roll to your right side if your body allows.
Settling in to this moment.
Noticing the feeling of being right here,
Right now.
And then when you are ready,
Pull yourself up into a seated position.
Sit up straight with your legs crossed in front of you if you can.
Bring your hands to your heart center.
Settling in to this moment.
Noticing the feeling of being right here,
Right now.
Self-love is not selfish.
It is a necessary foundation for your overall well-being.
By nourishing yourself with love and kindness,
You cultivate a deeper connection with your authentic self.
This connection allows you to show up in the world with greater compassion and empathy and generosity.
This connection allows you to know who you are and helps you embrace your own unique self.
There is something very powerful about meditating together.
There is an energetic synchronicity that emerges.
A resonance that makes the whole far greater than the sum of the parts.
Take in the energy and make it your own.
May the long time sun shine upon you.
All love surround you.
And the pure light within you guide your way on.
Namaste.
