Self-love nourishes the seeds of our heart,
The soil of our life.
The practice of self-love offers us a deeper insight to how we are living and gives us opportunities to surrender with trust.
In times of challenges,
Weeds can begin to grow in our garden,
And if ignored,
Their roots will take stronghold and will be harder to remove.
When the weeds begin to take over,
We lose sight of our beautiful garden and we begin to cultivate seeds of suffering.
So just as a garden needs to be tended to,
So does our heart,
And removing those weeds is where we need to begin.
I invite you to land wherever you are,
Taking the time to create comfort in either a seated position or lying down.
Once you have settled,
Close your eyes or soften your gaze,
And begin to tune into your body,
Relaxing your forehead,
Softening your jaw,
And allow your entire body to feel heavy and relaxed.
Take this time now to let go of anything you may have taken on in your day thus far.
It's okay to let go.
You are safe in this sacred space.
You have taken this time for yourself and there is nowhere else that you need to be but here with me.
Now bring your awareness to your breath,
Following its natural rhythm as it flows in and as it flows out.
Allow the simple act of focusing on the breath to settle your body and mind.
As you continue to take full deep breaths,
You may begin to notice the momentary pause that happens between each breath.
A period of brief stillness.
In this stillness is the gateway to your garden,
The opportunity to be present and aware of the seeds of self-love.
You begin to ponder,
Is my garden feeling neglected or overgrown?
Is it time to tend to the troubles of my heart?
Imagine yourself walking through a rusty old iron gate that creaks as you open it and you enter into a garden.
You pause,
Feeling the warmth of the sun as it washes over you and you breathe.
You are captivated by the beauty that surrounds you.
The flowers that are reaching to the sky as if flaunting their mere presence to the sun.
The slender blades of grass swaying softly in the wind.
The canvas of colours that are so artistically painted by the hand of Mother Earth.
This is your garden and you smile.
You place your hand on your heart and reflect.
How does it feel to be in this garden?
This tender space?
This place where I experience love for self and others?
Does my heart feel at ease or is it filled with a restlessness,
Doubt or fear?
You lower your hands down to your side and you begin to walk down the narrow cobblestone path admiring all the brilliant shades and colours of the flowers that have grown over the years.
What colours catch your attention as you walk?
You continue to stroll and meander the paths of your garden.
It is then,
Out of the corner of your eye,
You see this small plot tucked away in the furthest part of your garden as if not wanting to be seen.
And as you move closer,
You notice a very faint tinge of pink trying to peek through the massive weeds that were all intertwined and overgrown.
You feel a deep sadness in your heart because you have let this happen.
A small tear falls softly over your cheek as you reflect on this tiny little garden that is in need of so much love.
There is a stirring arising inside of you.
Is it a pain or a regret?
Perhaps there is a disappointment.
What is it that is troubling your heart?
A butterfly floats by bringing your awareness back to your surroundings.
In this moment of stillness,
You breathe in,
I am worthy.
And on your exhale,
I am enough.
With each continuing breath,
You draw in those words of self-love.
And with each breath out,
You release as you see yourself pulling those weeds that no longer serve you.
Take this time now to just be in your garden,
Cleaning and reflecting,
Allowing the words I am worthy,
I am enough to speak to your heart.
And if you notice that the mind wants to plant more seeds of self-doubt,
Just bring your breath back to I am enough,
I am worthy.
And remember,
You are in your garden.
It is safe here to surrender and to let go.
Now see yourself standing in front of this tiny little garden that you have just cleaned.
It is you that has worked hard to remove the weeds that stop this precious little flower from finding its way to the sun.
It is you who decided that this small delicate flower deserved to be seen and to grow strong.
I know that it is not easy to pull those weeds,
But do you see what you have uncovered amongst them?
The chance for this flower to blossom in the fertile soil of your life.
There will always be gardens to clean and weeds to pull.
You are the keeper of your garden and with it comes great responsibility.
Even the smallest of weeds left can take root and grow.
So take time to tend to your garden,
To spread the seeds of kindness and love that will cultivate a garden of true beauty.
It is now time to leave your garden and you walk back down the path to the gate where you entered.
And to your surprise,
The gate that was also neglected is now painted the most majestic colour of purple.
You are so grateful that you have made this journey.
You turn and with compassion you speak to your heart.
I love you.
I am enough.
I am worthy.
Breathe in this self-love and let this love fill you.
Let it feed the seeds you have planted so that they can flourish in the days ahead.
And know that you can come back to your garden anytime it is in need of care,
As this is where love lives.
And now when you're ready,
Push open the gate and come back into this space with ease and grace.
Your awareness comes back to your breath,
To your body and to your surroundings.
Gently rub your palms together,
Feeling the warmth of that love you have received energize your hands.
Now place them on your heart center and feel that energy dance through your body.
Draw your chin to your chest as you honour this love that is in you and all around you.
Take another deep,
Full breath in and exhale out.
And in your own time,
Slowly begin to open your eyes.
My heart giggles in gratitude for having crossed paths with you today.
May every step you take be nourishing,
Healing,
Transforming and freedom.
Be love my sweet friend.
Namaste.
Namaste.
