We’ve asked some of our lovely blog contributors to share what self-love means to them and how they create it in their daily lives—with a short meditation to bring you more peace & understanding.
Roxie Nafousi
Self-Love is our ability and willingness to place value on our own well-being and happiness. To me, every single thing we do each day is an opportunity to cultivate self-love.
How we treat our bodies, how we speak to ourselves, what habits we commit to and what behaviour we accept from others.
Self-Love is built in all the decisions you make day to day, and the question to keep asking yourself is, “is this the most self-loving decision I can make?” Whenever you can make a choice that is driven by self-love, make it. I truly believe there is no greater gift we can offer ourselves than the gift of unconditional self-love.
Roxie
Chanel Mulcahy
Self-love means to me, meeting and honouring myself exactly as I am in the moment. This means honouring my thoughts, feelings and emotions in the present moment and making space to love ALL parts of myself. Letting go of self judgement and letting love in.
Once I meet myself exactly as I am, I pose the question “how can I show myself love today?” I can then take self love into action by honouring what my needs are in that day – am I needing meditation, stillness, silence, or am I needing movement, creativity or the space to process specific emotions?
Self love can look different day to day and I think the most important piece of it all is to love yourself exactly as you are and move from there.
Hugs,
Chanel
Hari Simran Khalsa
For me at this time, self love means showing up even and especially in the moments that are uncomfortable, sticky or seemingly messy. It is practicing how to stay and choose myself first, both mind and body even when I want to escape them. Making myself a cup of tea or having a slow, easeful morning are a few things that have been giving me a deeper sense of self love.
When I practice self love (and it is a practice), I am better able to show up in my work, relationships and daily life with consistency, success and the openness to move with the flow of prosperity.
The art of self love does not always have to be practiced alone. In fact, there isn’t one person I know that successfully finds healing by moving through their processes entirely alone. It takes a village. Perhaps your village consists of 1 person, 2 people or 10…this doesn’t matter, what matters is that you consider your mental and physical health as top priorities and enter into these new seasons feeling supported. The most important and longest relationship you will have is with yourself. Experience what offers you ease in your heart and clarity in your mind.
Start where you are and believe that the seemingly small changes are in fact, making a big impact.
With love,
Hari
Karen Haller
Self-love for me comes in many ways. It’s taking time to listen to my intuition and act on it. It’s taking time out to slow down and be present. It’s nourishing myself with good, wholesome food.
Going to bed early and getting a really good restorative night sleep. Being out and reconnecting with nature and with family and friends – laughter!
And of course color – wearing the colours that support how I am feeling or want to feel.
Karen
Onkar Ryan
Self-love comes in so many different expressions and experiences. One of the ways I am expressing self-love is through radical self-acceptance, self-respect and creating loving boundaries, and speaking up around things that I feel passionate about and believe in.
Now what does that mean exactly, that means that self-love is valuing and honoring how I feel fully and wholly. Valuing my beliefs, my intuition, my body, my mind, and my heart. Feeling the confidence within myself against all odds and believing in it. If we don’t believe in ourselves, who will?
From my experience over the last 16 years, I believe that the only way to really and truly create the change and acceptance we truly desire… is by doing the work. One of the things I offer people that come to me for yoga, meditation, and counseling is the experience.
We can talk about self-love, but how do we experience it? How are you experiencing it? And the question is, can you? If you can not — why not? What is holding you back?
A good practice I use around that, and I give to people, is journaling. Asking yourself these questions and then sitting in meditation:
This is a short and deep meditation that can bring you peace, self-love, and understanding.
Try bringing your hands together in a cupped position in front of your chest, left over right, and then crossing your thumbs over one another. Close your eyes, feet on the floor, or sitting cross-legged with a straight spine.
Inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose; inhale through your mouth, exhale through your mouth (puckering your lips) as you do so. Then inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth and then reverse. Inhale through your mouth, exhale through your nose, and continue this breath cycle for 3- 5 minutes.
Envision as you do this, the feeling of self-love and acceptance for yourself within every fiber and cell of your body like white light entering into every cell filling you with this radiance of self-love.
After this time, inhale and hold your breath for a moment or two, and become very still as you squeeze your body. Then exhale and relax.
With Love, Onkar
Artwork by: @amyshamblen
