Self Love
Just a little reminder to bring more loving kindness, compassion, and self care into your own heart and mind.
Sometimes in life, especially when things can get a little funky and intense around us, we often forget to give ourselves the love and compassion we truly need. Our busy worrying mind starts to hijack our senses, and we forget to tune into our heart, and choose love.
Love for ourselves and love for those around us.
So, what better day to remember to fill up our own love tank, then Valentines Day!
Filling up on love, means we get to overflow with love
When we consciously choose to fill up our inner love tank with greater self kindness, self compassion and more loving thoughts - we get to build deeper, more nurturing connections with ourself and those around us - and truly flourish in life.
This doesn’t mean we become completely self-reliant, self-sufficient humans that don’t need these things from those around us (we definitely do!!). In fact to love, and be loved, unconditionally, is our human birthright, and something we all need oodles of in our lives to become happy, healthy, thriving human beings.
However, ‘Self Love’, takes it that little bit further. Not only is it a super critical part of honouring our humanity, but it also opens us up to truly embracing, accepting and cherishing every aspect of ourselves - physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.
When we can give a little more to ourselves and adopt a daily habit of self-loving, self caring practices, we get to fill up our own love tank, and feel full from the inside out.
Everyone benefits.
When we adopt a daily habit of self loving care towards ourself, we release our reliance on external validation or accolades to feel worthy, valued or loved. We start to inherently know it, from the deepest part of our being. We start to feel it and embody it, vibrating love from the very depths of our cells.
How beautiful is that?!
Self Love is not selfish
Contrary to what may have been previously taught or what we may have believed growing up, self love is not selfish or self absorbed in any way, shape or form. Loving yourself is probably the most unselfish, and giving thing we can do.
When we practise taking better care of our own hearts, our minds and our bodies, we ultimately can’t help but feel better about ourselves. When we feel better about ourselves, we are able to give more to the ones we love - from a cup that is full (or better still, overflowing), rather than empty.
Self love breeds more love
More love breeds better communication, greater compassion, increased self worth, empathy, deeper intimacy, healthy boundary setting and more authentic heart to heart connections with those around us. It is a beautiful blessing to give to ourself, and those we care about.
So, on this day of celebrating love, I encourage you to take some time to reflect, explore, journal and contemplate what Self Love means to you. And perhaps how you might be able to bring it into your life a little more, and start your own daily routines of self nurturance and care.
It can be simple things, like getting up a bit earlier to make yourself a beautiful healthy breakfast to start the day, or to go for a walk in nature.
It might be giving yourself some extra time out away from the busy-ness of life, taking a long bath, turning off your phone, booking in a massage, filling up your fridge with nourishing good food, or burning a candle whilst you listen to your favourite music.
It could be becoming more mindful of your internal chatter, and being the witness of your self talk. Noticing and catching yourself when you are being unkind or unloving towards yourself, placing your hand tenderly on your heart, and allowing those thoughts to dissolve with the next loving in-breath and out-breath.
Sometimes even looking in the mirror and saying something caring and compassionate as you gaze into your own eyes, can really cultivate a beautiful sense of loving awareness. Try it out each morning for a few weeks (it may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but stick with it) - and notice the renewed sense of love bubbling over, and how this overflows into your life.
Remember, self love breeds more love. The more we do this stuff, the more love blossoms and blooms in our life!
To honour and love oneself. To know in our hearts that we are worthy, valued and honoured for who we are. And to bring more loving kindness into our inner world, overflowing into our outer world. This is a gift, that keeps on giving.
True Love is to Be in Love.
To be in love, is to stop and pause, and to breathe in love.
Let me share with you a very simple and practical way you can bring more loving kindness into your daily routines, simply by being present with your breath, and your heart-mind.
Metta meditation is a wonderful practice to cultivate a state of loving awareness. It was actually one of the very first meditations I ever learnt. And it’s still my favourite. In its most pure and simple form, Metta meditation is all about truly ‘Being in Love’.
Dropping into the stillness within, tuning into our heart space, and purely and simply - breathing in love, and breathing out love.
Try it for yourself. It is so calming and soothing and grounding, all at once.
Here’s a very simple and straightforward way of getting started with this beautiful practice:
First and foremost, find a lovely peaceful place to sit quietly, with your body comfortably supported.
Start by focusing on bringing love and compassion into your own heart with every breath in and every breath out.
After about 5 minutes or so, focus on someone you love dearly, and with every out breath, bring loving attention to their heart.
And then, we often recommend finishing your practice by thinking of a person, or a group of people in the world who truly need this loving attention right now. And to breathe out love to these individuals, to the world and to humanity at large.
Once you start practising this beautiful breathing meditation, it may just become your favourite too.
Some little fun facts about Metta
Promotes self-compassion.
Decreases stress and anxiety
Reduces physical pain
Improves longevity
Enhances social connections
So here we are on Valentines Day 2021, celebrating all the love in our lives, including the extra love we can give to ourselves, overflowing to others.
Wishing you an abundance of self love, overflowing from within, today and always.
HAPPY LOVE DAY!
Love