We live in a society that bombards us with infinite amounts of information and noise. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and anxious on a daily basis. It’s also confusing to ascertain what information is true or relevant.  Instead of looking outside of yourself for answers and validation, you can strengthen your relationship with yourself.  But how?  It’s more simple than you think!

Here are 6 daily tips:

Svādhyāya

“Self-study:” Ask yourself ‘What’s up?’ everyday. Check in with yourself daily to assess how you feel and where in your body you are feeling It.  That’s right!  Observe where you’re holding your feelings like fear, anger, frustration, etc.  Get in touch with what has been going on that day or week, and how it is affecting you.  Rub your hands together and place them directly on the area of your body that is tight from physical or emotional tension.  Close your eyes and breathe into your hands.  Instead of ignoring the unpleasantness of your current circumstances, create space around it instead.  Sit with it.  Feel it move and dissolve with each exhale.  Imagine the exhale is giving this tightness an exit point to depart from your body.

TIP: Journaling can purge feelings from the body onto paper, and through Free Writing where you write without regard to spelling, grammar, or topic. It produces raw material but helps people overcome blocks of apathy and self-criticism.

Self-love begins with knowing yourself.

“Sometimes confusion is the most powerful thing we can feel because the recognition of confusion is a form of clarity.” -T. K. V. Desikachar

Sadhana-

Cultivation of daily Spiritual practice.  These rituals will connect you to your most authentic Self and will give your life purpose.  Practices like yoga, meditation, martial arts, painting, hiking, kriyas, and reading spiritual texts are a few examples of daily spiritual practices that deepen the connection to life through humble ritual.  Through svādhyāya, you will learn to block unnecessary social influences and get to know yourself.  Sadhana unlocks creativity, humility, and passion.  Practice daily.  Feed your soul.

The act of Self-love begins with making time for yourself.

Sustenance-

In Ayurveda, which is the “Science Of Life” and the oldest known system of healing, the kitchen represents Mother Earth.  It is the most sacred place in the home.  In the kitchen, we nourish our self with prana (energy) rich foods.  In Nepal, the women dance and sing while they prepare the feast to infuse their food with prana and gratitude. Through svādhyāya, you will learn which foods, portions, times to eat, and frequency will nourish your body.  Healthy nutrition supports the functions of the body and it is considered one of the pillars of health along with lifestyle (habits like sadhana) and sleep.  Health is also determined by how we feed our mind.  How capable we are of digesting our experiences.

Self-love is an expression of nurturing yourself.

Sensuality-

Enjoy pleasure daily!  This is why we’re alive: to feel!  We experience through the senses.  Many people need to remember that we are sensual beings.  That we are beautiful!

TIP: rub your hands together and place them anywhere on your belly.  Breathe deep into the warmth of your touch.  Inhale: feeling of love for your Divine body, and exhale feelings of gratitude for what your body can do.  So many people focus on their limitations or their pain.  However, this exercise is an opportunity to revere your able body.  Gratitude attracts abundance.

Touch needs to be welcomed and feel safe.  With your permission, re-define your relationship with touch.

Self-love is about celebrating your life.

Support-

Find your tribe!  Ask for help when you need it, and offer your help where it can be given.  Socializing with safe, supportive, and inspiring relationships is key to self-care and self-love.  I mean, how can you truly love yourself if your toxic relationships repeatedly bring you down or tear you apart?  Love yourself enough to choose your company wisely.  They will elevate you, and you them.  We need people who allow us to be vulnerable and who will listen to us.  We need people who we can share our experiences with.  We are social creatures after all.

How can you become a better friend?  It is an act of love to hold space for one another without trying to project our own experiences to alter the outcome of their destiny.  Lessons must be experienced and learned to gain wisdom for the next lesson to come.  Listen non-judgementally.  Empathize without “knowing exactly how you feel,” because you don’t.  Validate their feelings.  Offer suggestions and solutions only if you’re asked to do so.  Empower your friend.

Give and Receive love abundantly.

Sleep-

This is one of the pillars of health.  Sleep heals and rejuvenates the brain. Throughout history, scientists and philosophers have wondered why people sleep and how it affects the brain.  Now we know that if we relax the mind before sleep, the brain will experience all stages of sleep, and during those stages, the brain will clean itself with spinal cerebrospinal fluid.  This action flushes waste from the brain and plays a vital role in memory, learning, and immune system functions.

Lastly, Self-love isn’t selfish.  It is about taking good care of yourself.  Honoring your body’s needs.  Love yourself every day.

Using these five suggestions to enhance self-love, you will feel a profound adjustment in your overall well-being, which will affect every aspect of your life.  Some people will experience this transformation gradually, and others will feel a radical shift in consciousness.  Connect with me on social media for additional motivation and support on your path to wellbeing.  Nourish your mind, body, and soul through these simple daily practices.  Remember that on the days we feel lethargic, it is an opportunity to have a mindful and healing day.  Give yourself permission to rest, so that you can rejuvenate.

STORY WATER

A story is like water
that you heat for your bath.

It takes messages between the fire
and your skin. It lets them meet,
and it cleans you!

Very few can sit down
in the middle of the fire itself
like a salamander or Abraham.
We need intermediaries.

A feeling of fullness comes,
but usually it takes some bread
to bring it.

Beauty surrounds us,
but usually we need to be walking
in a garden to know it.

The body itself is a screen
to shield and partially reveal
to light that’s blazing
inside your presence.

Water, stories, the body,
all the things we do, are mediums
that hide and show what’s hidden.

Study them,
and enjoy this being washed
with a secret we sometimes know,
and then not.

-Rumi