What is self love…(hint… it’s not bubble baths and Prosecco - although don’t get me wrong.. that can be nice too!)
True self love comes from acceptance and understanding who we really are, at our essence. We are not the body, we are not the mind, we are not the salary, the house or that dress, we might have all those things but we are much more.
Over the next few months I’m gonna attempt to convey some key concepts of yoga starting with just a small question pondered over the centuries.. ‘who am I?” and Saturdays 12th feb Yoga class is themed on love and compassion - you can join us here or re-stream the recording anytime here after!
Yoga teaches us we are all connected to all of nature and something ‘higher’ (yoga literally means to yoke or join together - union). We start from the point of view that we are already perfect, we are shining light. We call it ’Purusha’, the divine inner light of awareness or the soul. We are an individual Purusha linked to and part of a wider Purusha (the universe/universal consciousness) . We are like a drop of water in the ocean, no less or more important than anyone else, as valuable as the sun, the moon, the earth and the rivers. We are connected, we are ‘yoga’. Here is a little video I recorded explaining Purusha
But just like planting a seed, we don’t expect it to sprout instantly..we tend it, water it everyday and wait.. then we see shoots , we continue to water..and eventually the tree is self sufficient and needs little effort. Self discovery is a bit like this, once the tree is grown we can enjoy its fruit effortlessly, but we need to give it a lot of attention for a while to get there with constant effort and practice but it needn’t be hard work.
The timeless tools and techniques of yoga are like a polishing cloth. Think about a baby or toddler beaming, present, joyous..they beam for no reason but in reality there is every reason. When we shine brightly, we spread this light and give other permission to shine too.
Yoga just opens the doors, whether you choose to continue the journey is our choice but I can tell you.. its the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and for my relationships and know others feel the same. Yoga just opens the door, the path and the direction is up to each of us.
A few simple tips and I’ll be making these the topic of future blogs coming soon!
Look after the body. It’s the only vehicle for life we have and the mind/inner work is hard to do when we don’t feel good.
Work on the mind - understand that everything you think of as yourself is a product of our conditioning and experiences that are layered on over life.
Be curious - see yourself as an interesting ‘case study’ after all there is NO ONE you spend more time with
Notice thoughts and people and their affect on you. Can you take a pause between the thought, emotion and response - takes practice but is liberating
Remember - everyone is also on their own journey of discovery. We are lucky enough to have discovered yoga and all its wonderful life changing qualities.
Take time for yourself. Anything worth while requires persistent examination and effort - keep watering those seeds!
One of the wonderful meditations that can help with self love and also forgiveness for ourselves and others is a Buddhist Metta Meditation or 'loving kindness' and I've recorded a free one for you to have a go at here
From my heart and soul to yours
Keep shining on. Love Lisa xxx
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