Love Yourself
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You’ve heard the saying, “One cannot truly love another until they truly love themselves.” Yet, we often find it much easier to feel love for others than we do for ourselves. You may be asking: What does it even really mean to love ourselves?
Self-love means to fully accept yourself, just as you are right here and right now. It means to show yourself kindness and compassion. Self-love is taking action to nurture our growth and overall well-being. This loving energy we hold for ourselves comes from within. It is fueled internally by belief and confidence and has no need for external validation.
Self-love comes in infinite shapes and forms. To name a few:
Positive self-talk
Rest
Creative practices
Expressing your truth
Saying no
Forgiving yourself
Forgiving others
The list goes on. It is up to us as individuals to find ways to best practice self-love. Find what works for you and leave the rest. There is no wrong way to do it. The more you customize your self-love practices to meet your needs, the more natural they will become. The more you practice, the deeper your love for yourself will be.
Show up in the world with your heart full of love for yourself, and it will inspire others to show up for themselves.
Take a moment to pause to try this exercise: Place your hands on your heart. Feel the intelligence of your heart. Feel the confidence your heart has in you. Hold this energy with you and return to this exercise whenever needed.
Showing ourselves love and choosing ourselves is not a selfish act. The benefits extend to each person with whom we come into contact. As the saying goes, “The more we love ourselves, the more we can love those around us.”
We were born with unconditional self-love in our hearts. It's our birthright, and no one can take that away from us.
For the next week, hug yourself as you repeat this mantra "I love you, I love you, I love you" three times mentally or out loud. Do this right when you wake up and just before bed. Feel it deeply in the mind's eye and the heart.
Fall deeply in love with yourself. Try it. It feels better.
Show Yourself Some Love - Try a Workshop or Indulge in Some Self-Care!
Grace Panian, RYT200
Grace Panian
Grace fell in love with her personal practice in 2016. She is no stranger to the mental, physical, and spiritual healing power of yoga. As her personal practice began to deepen, she was inspired to complete a yoga teacher training. Grace received her RTY-200 credentials in Rishikesh, India in May 2018. She is passionate about the philosophy surrounding the ancient practice. Grace constantly dives into books and continuing- education trainings to learn more about the practice. She encourages students to come out of the mind and into the body. Her goal is to have students walking out of class more grounded, calm, and connected to their true self. To Grace, yoga is literally a way of living, bringing more awareness to the body, mind, and perception.
