Cultivating Self Love Through Yoga
The relationship you have with yourself is the closest and most intimate one you will ever have. To love and accept your body, though, can seem downright difficult if you’re like most people totally and honestly.
Have you ever made a negative statement regarding your weight? rebuffed a compliment and then followed it up with a snide jab? Have you ever been upset with the way you look or cursed the extra inch around your middle? It's all right, sweetheart. We all do and have. However, I want you to know that you are no longer required to do that.
You can and will love your body this year.
I suggest that we all change: What if this year, instead of starting the New Year from a place of scarcity or fear, we started it from a place of acceptance and love? What if we sought to be at ease in our own flesh rather than attempting to reach a certain weight on a scale? What if we choose to live in a specific manner instead of attempting to appear a certain way? What if we adopted the motto "New Year, Same Amazing, Unique, Exceptionally Beautiful Me" this year rather than "New Year, New Me"?
To begin the process, we must change the critical lens through which we currently view ourselves to one of love. Do you remember the adage, "Treat others as you would want to be treated?" I suggest we consider it this way instead: "Do unto yourself as you would do to others." Let this be the driving force behind how we view our bodies and let's start treating each other as family, lovers, and best friends.
I've smacked myself in the face before because I'm annoyed by my body. I would never treat a child in that way. Even though I wouldn't dare say that to someone I love, I have yelled "I hate you" at myself in the mirror. I put my life in danger to gain five more pounds. I never placed a friend in jeopardy like that. What if we valued ourselves just as much as we valued the people in our lives? Or how about this crazy idea: What if we learned to love ourselves more?
We have the most comprehensive toolkit as yogis to effect these shifts. We have resources that can help us stay in the now, understand reality, and change our negative self-talk to body-affirming thoughts. We have resources to enable us to enter a strong, vast, and already ideal location inside.
How to Cultivate Self-Love through Yoga
Yoga is an opportunity to establish a deeper connection with your true self through an inward journey of self-discovery. In essence, it's about learning to love and respect your body as the temple that holds your conscious spirit. Yoga is a lovely practice for those who struggle with low self-esteem, anxiety, or depression because it offers a gentle, comprehensive approach to resolving these feelings from the inside out.
SELF-LOVE HEALING
Through yoga, you can concentrate your thoughts and feelings to discover a kinder, more forgiving approach to feeling at ease in your own skin. Yoga provides a conscious time during the day when you may appreciate being who you are and compassionately express self-care. Yoga also creates space for profound internal healing.
Of course, it may take more than one yoga session to fully release the various levels of subliminal critical self-talk. On the mat, being light-hearted and accepting of who you are is a terrific way to bring in the ego-defeating warmth of humor. The good news is that your sense of self-love will increase and start to naturally influence how you view yourself the more often you can bring yourself to the mat with a loving acceptance of who you are.