It is amazing how fast the month of February has flown by and here we are almost ready to say good bye to the "heart" month. Yes, Valentine's Day has passed and yet we hope that love never ceases. I have been thinking about the idea of self love these days. Self love is not one of conceit but about caring and respecting ourselves and truly loving who we are in body, mind and spirit.
It is so easy to forget about ourselves as we keep our days busy with careers, family and daily obligations. I must admit that I work in a field where I must give a lot of myself both physically, emotionally and mentally. There are days when I return home and all I want to do is simply sit and speak to no one. Mom wants her alone time! Sometimes parenting is not really at the top of my list and this makes me feel bad. Yet, as I have been reflecting this month, I need to take care of myself before I can take care of others. It is like the instructions on the airplane, put your own mask on first and then put your kids on second. I must thank the airlines for this mantra.
I have been participating in the Tampa 60 day yoga challenge and it ends at the end of this month. I am happy to say that I have been able to complete some form of yoga almost every day for the past two months. This makes me smile for I know it has been good for my body and soul. Some days I have only been able to fit in 20 minutes of self practice but other days I have had fun on a yoga swing or attended a class. All of this time on my mat (whether long or short) has helped me stay grounded even during these busy weeks.
It has also given me time to reflect upon the way I see myself. Self love means really coming to terms with the way my body looks. I will admit, I am my worst critic and I know that I really should be my best friend. I am constantly trying to build up my clients and students self esteem when it comes to there body image and yet I will admit that I find myself criticizing (internally) certain aspects of my body. Instead of reflecting upon what might not look "model perfect" I try to instill within myself what my body is capable of doing at this point in my life.
 |
| Me doing Aerial Yoga! |
If you would have asked me ten years ago to do a headstand or hang upside down on a piece of fabric from the ceiling I would have said no way. Today I am can do both of these plus many other strong and flexible things with my body. I am amazed at what my body can do and thankful that I can create such movement with my body. I am thankful that I can walk on two feet, balance on one foot, ride a bike for a long period of time and meditate for 15 minutes and not feel fidgety. These are just a few things but if we are to really sit down and list off the things we can do we would all be amazed (and probably have quite a long list!).
Self love is loving the body you are renting right now. We only get this one body and we better appreciate it now. Continue to do things that lift you up and surround yourself with people who love you for all your many qualities. Hug yourself today, tomorrow and forever.
May the love in my heart honor the love in yours,
Namaste
