Self Love

Remembering back to my Yoga Teacher training in Costa Rica, our teacher encouraged us to stand in front of the mirror each day, look ourselves directly in the eye whilst saying ‘I love you’. And not just to say it, but to mean it, really mean it. After all, this is the most important relationship you will have, with the self, and to be truly happy in this lifetime you will need to nourish, love and look after yourself before you can be of service to others.

The mirror task seemed a simple enough one to begin with, yet when it came to trying it on the first morning in the bathroom mirror, the words seemed stuck – I hesitated whilst looking at myself directly, my eyes began to well up and I felt an overwhelming amount of vulnerability. I finally managed to whisper the words out loud to myself. But why the hesitation? I find it easy to tell my loved ones these 3 words all the time yet to myself it felt challenging, overwhelming.

Throughout my yoga teacher training journey, I practiced this simple task each morning, and in addition to heart opening and reflective exercises we participated in, I started to feel more in tune with my self than I ever have before.

Try it yourself, tell yourself ‘I love you’ in front of a mirror as a first step to self love and remember, you are enough.

I recently came across ‘The Girl Power Manifesto’ (see below) by Jen Pastiloff, whilst listening to the podcast ‘From The Heart – Conversations with Yoga Girl’ which made me smile and I hope it inspires you on your journey to self love:
“I promise to not be an asshole to myself.
Hell, I promise to LOVE MYSELF.
I will remember that my self-worth is not based on what I look like, how much I weigh, how many followers I have, or any other stupid crap that has nothing to do with who I am.
I will empower other girls and women.
I will be kind.
Fiercely kind.
I will have a sense of humor.
I will do my best not to gossip, create drama, or judge others (or myself).
I will remember that just because I’ve had a bad day, doesn’t mean I have a bad life.
And even on the crappiest days, I will remember this:
I AM ENOUGH.”
– Jen Pastiloff

I’d like to dedicate this post to Angelica (thank you for the most inspirational journey), Shannon, Katie, Alex, Christoph, Mary, Jenny, Heather, Sue, Christina (and of course… myself!).