Hello dear one,
It's Pasha Lindy here.
How are you?
Today we'll be exploring how to connect with self-love.
Self-compassion author Kristin Neff says,
Like every human being,
Love,
Connection,
And acceptance are your birthright.
And just honoring her work,
Which was foundational in spreading the word about self-compassion and which is where I first learned many of these skills,
Will reflect on what self-love and inner strength really mean.
And you'll be invited to journal.
So if you haven't got a journal at the ready,
You might want to press pause now and go and fetch one or open a note on your phone or something.
So simply put,
Self-compassion and resilience mean being friendly to ourselves and courageous.
And a word I really love here is courage.
Can we tap into our own courage,
Especially in times of great difficulty?
Now you might know that the root of the word courage is the French word,
Cour,
Which means heart.
To have heart,
Meaning to stand up for what we love.
It's not about the absence of fear.
There may well be fear present.
It's about loving someone or something so much that we refuse to quit.
So let's do a contemplation to get in touch with what this means.
Taking a moment to get comfortable and inviting you to use a caring touch,
Maybe placing one hand on your heart or a hand on your arm or giving yourself a hug or simply folding your hands together.
Whatever feels right for you,
Feeling some kind of contact with yourself.
And let's take a few nourishing breaths together.
As best we can,
Letting go of any thoughts,
Just allowing the following questions to drop in and see what kind of answers arise.
What are the qualities of a good heart?
Feeling free to press pause if you'd like more time.
Question two,
When in my life have I been courageous because of love?
Again,
Pressing pause if you'd like more time.
And question three,
In which ways would I like to be more self-compassionate or more resilient?
So this question is really calling on our most courageous intention for our wellbeing.
Okay,
Well,
Great.
Well,
Thanks for engaging in that short contemplation exercise.
Just to say,
You know,
You are your own best teacher.
So whatever answers came up for you,
They're the right answers.
But I'd love to outline some of the common answers to these questions.
You might hear something here that also resonates for you too that you'd like to make a note of.
So I'd love to hear your thoughts on something here that also resonates for you too that you'd like to make a note of.
So what are the qualities of a good heart?
Well,
Many people say these include being caring,
Being grateful,
Trusting,
Being generous,
Being understanding,
Being loving,
And that there's a strength of heart in a good heart,
Which sometimes means standing up for what we really believe in.
But the second question,
When in our lives have we been courageous out of love?
Well,
Courage comes in many forms,
Hey?
So it could be a time we asked a bully to stop.
Maybe we shared our last few dollars with a homeless person.
Maybe we took part in a competition or performance.
Maybe we had a difficult conversation with a loved one.
Maybe we stood out from the crowd in some way.
Maybe we took a risk on a relationship we just felt was right.
Maybe we took care of people or plants or animals in all kinds of weather.
So we can recognise even the most simple acts of courage.
I look after the trees near where I live,
Even though I don't own them.
I pick up litter that's near them.
I remove weeds because I love them.
You know,
These trees cheer me up.
And when I go walking and I see their fine green leaves dancing in the breeze and shimmering in the sunlight,
It benefits me.
So in taking care of the tree,
It benefits both the tree and me.
And the third question.
Now,
Many people find it helpful to start practising self-love or self-compassion intentionally.
Maybe your intention is to become happier,
Be more independent,
To nourish yourself,
To crave less approval,
To say no to more things,
To stand up for yourself,
To worry less,
To avoid burnout.
Now,
Each of these are courageous choices.
So you're just invited to choose an intention that really speaks to you.
And if you feel to take up the challenge,
Choose the intention that the eagle would choose.
You know,
Aim high,
The most courageous intention.
Let's not limit our ability to even wish.
So happiness,
May I be deeply happy,
Not just a fraction or a smidge happier,
Deeply happy.
So feel free to upgrade your intention.
I've recorded a series of meditations on self-love and self-compassion on my Aura channel.
Have a look out for them.
And they include life coaching sessions,
Meditations and reflection or journaling exercises.
So here's a practice you could take with you into your everyday life.
Simply pausing to ask yourself the quintessential self-compassion question,
What do I need?
So checking in,
What does my body need?
Does my heart need anything?
Does my mind need anything?
You might just need a glass of water or a stretch or a chat with a friend.
Or for the heart,
Maybe it's a joyful piece of music.
For the mind,
Maybe a walk in the park to clear our minds.
Or maybe it's a meditation.
Maybe it's a meditation to just relax.
Or maybe it's just maybe a walk in the park to clear our minds.
So I'm inviting you to keep checking in with that today,
Pausing and asking yourself,
What do I need in body,
Heart and mind?
I'd love to hear how you go with that.
You might also enjoy the life coaching session called self-compassion and courage on my channel,
Which I'd recommend as a follow-up if you have about seven more minutes.
Hey,
You know,
These times we're living in,
They call for great courage,
But I know that your heart already knows how to do this.
So let's journey together a while and live a little bit more bravely,
A little bit more beautifully day by day.
Bye for now.
