Today's practice is about self-love.
A lot of people equate self-care with self-love.
And while self-care is very important,
Looking after yourself,
Nourishing yourself with healthy food,
Moving your body,
Maybe you even have some beautiful rituals,
A beautiful bath or buying yourself flowers.
However,
All those things don't mean much if you don't have love for yourself.
Self-love is this ability to see yourself in your humanity,
Accepting your humanness,
And seeing yourself as whole just as you are.
Knowing that none of us are perfect and that we all have flaws.
It's really a key to a more fulfilling life,
Because your inner world creates your outer world.
And without self-love,
We decrease our possibilities to thrive.
Also,
The more we can be our authentic self,
To accept ourselves for all that we are,
The more we make good choices for ourselves.
The more we're willing to step out in the world to be who we are,
To accept that sometimes things will go our way,
Sometimes they won't.
But that's all a part of life.
But without that acceptance and love for yourself,
It's very difficult to find the happiness you seek.
What kind of words and language do you use towards yourself?
Our words are so powerful.
Do you tell yourself you're not enough?
Or are you able to give yourself encouragement?
Are you compassionate towards yourself?
And when something goes wrong,
Do you honor your humanness and bring compassion?
Or do you berate yourself?
When you have self-love,
There's a willingness to show up as all of you,
Flaws and all,
Treating yourself with understanding.
It helps you to create what you want in your life.
You honor your humanness and you move forward without harsh criticism.
It helps to treat yourself kindly and compassionately.
And the more you can be kind to yourself,
The more you can share that with others.
So let's move into our practice.
So taking a comfortable seat,
You might even like to lie down if that feels right for you today.
But if you're seated,
Having the feet flat on the floor,
An upright spine,
And when you're ready,
Just close down your eyes and take this opportunity to arrive in your space,
To allow the mind and the body to begin to settle.
Even though your spine is upright,
Allowing the muscles around it to begin to soften and release.
Smooth out across the forehead,
Let the jaw be loose,
Shoulders to drop down,
Arms and legs at ease,
Belly soft and heart open.
And take a moment to acknowledge how you feel.
Noticing what's here,
Not rejecting or judging anything,
Welcoming yourself as whole,
Just as you are.
Nothing to fix or to change to be worthy.
Accepting yourself in all your humanness.
And bring your awareness to your breath and feel your body breathe.
And let the awareness of your breath be in your belly.
Breathe into your belly for a count of three and exhale for a count of five,
Slowly beginning to extend your exhalation.
When you breathe in this way,
You calm your nervous system and you signal to your mind,
Your body and your heart that everything is okay.
A loving and nurturing breath.
And gradually let your breath settle back into a rhythm that feels easy and effortless for you.
One that's gentle in your body.
And I invite you to bring to mind one of those stories that you tell yourself.
It could be I'm not enough,
Or I'm not lovable,
I'm not smart enough,
I don't know enough,
I'm too old,
I'm too young.
There are so many stories that we tell ourselves.
And pick one that resonates for you.
It could be one that I mentioned,
Or one that you know deep down about yourself,
That you tell yourself consistently.
What is that story,
That narrative?
And notice how it makes you feel to tell yourself this.
To know that this thought is not conducive to you thriving out in the world.
And that it's not who you are.
And that you no longer have to believe that thought.
What is the opposite of that thought?
What could you change it to?
I am enough,
I am lovable,
I am capable of anything I want to be.
Choose a statement that you can come back to.
That each time you notice yourself caught up in that old pattern,
That you can replace it with this new positive statement.
When you have your new statement in your mind,
Bring the awareness of your breath into your heart.
You may even like to place a hand over your heart,
Feeling your heart's energy,
Its vibration.
The heart that is your place of authentic truth,
And knows who you truly are.
This place of your innate being,
And your true nature.
Your heart has an inner wisdom and knowing that is more powerful than the mind.
And see or sense that there is an almond shaped flame in the center of your heart.
The luminous light of this flame expands every time you breathe in.
It transmutes the old story.
As you breathe this new statement into your being,
This light grows more radiant and luminous with every breath.
And as you continue to breathe in and breathe out,
Connect into that new statement.
How does it feel to say that to yourself?
And allow that feeling,
This kindness,
This compassion for yourself,
To sink into your heart and into your body.
A real felt sense of what it feels like when you tell yourself these kind words.
How it feels to speak positively towards yourself.
Really feel this in your body,
In your heart,
As this light of your inner being illuminates your entire body,
Your heart,
Your mind.
A radiance from the inside out.
And know that you're capable of anything you would like to create for yourself.
That you are worthy,
That you are whole,
That you have all the love you need,
All the courage,
The inner strength,
The inner resources.
It all exists within you.
It's already here.
Know that you can always come back to this inner light of your heart,
Of your own self-love.
That you deserve this care and kindness.
And this inner luminosity is here for you at any time.
Gradually begin to deepen your breath.
Take some gentle movement.
And when you're ready,
Slowly opening your eyes and coming back into your space.
