Be Love! Reclaiming Self-Love
“Eat like you love yourself. Move like you love yourself. Speak like you love yourself. Act like you love yourself. Love Yourself” -Tara Stiles
Fall Deeply in Love…with Yourself
Love. It is infinite, boundless, and an essential part of being human. It is easy to care for others and share our passion, but why do we find it so hard to love ourselves?
We’ve all heard it before; finding love starts with loving yourself first. But, easier said than done, right? Learning how to love yourself feels like an endless process. That’s because it is.
Think of loving yourself as an ongoing journey—a spiritual practice that requires consistent nurturing to embody your highest self. It takes regular self-care rituals to restore and reconnect with the mind, body, and soul. It means mind-body awareness to nourish yourself through daily habits. It means healing from wounds of the past to move past the traumas of our childhood, past lives, and ancestors.
Although it might sound like a lot, introducing self-care rituals and healing practices into your routine can have a powerful impact on your life. It’s never too early to start. Step into your personal power. From daily practices to sacred rituals, discover these habits to learn how to love yourself.
Create a Self-Care Tool Kit
If you find yourself spiritually stuck, it can feel like a major challenge just to get out of bed, let alone take care of yourself. So, start simple. Fake it until you make it. Sometimes going through the motions of self-care will get you there, even if difficult at first.
Choose a few habits to include in your “self-care toolkit.” You can always turn to these go-to healing activities for self-care, especially on days when you feel blue. It can start with something as small as making your bed or applying a nourishing skincare regime (these can be major achievements on days when we are struggling). Or maybe just going outside: try hiking, biking, walking, or paddle-boarding. Even just a 10-minute walk in the sunshine can boost your mood and remind you that you are worthy of care and nurturing.
Turn to spiritual activities, like sisterhood circles, meditation, or yoga to nurture the soul and connect with the deeper truth of who you are. You can also practice self-care rituals, like a Full Moon Meditation, to heal energetically and release negative patterns. Or treat yourself to healing experiences where you indulge your senses; soak in a hot bath, allow your muscles to melt at the hands of a skilled massage therapist, or rub a drop of calming essential oil in the palm of your hands, cup your hands over your nose and inhale deeply to create deep relaxation. Even spending time cuddling with your pets or sipping tea with friends can count as an act of self-care.
Remember: Self-care is personal. You can decide for yourself what to include in your self-care toolkit. Experiment with new activities and allow your intuition to guide you to what really restores your body, mind, and soul.
Self Love – Return Home to Your Body
In an interview, Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh says, “How do you love yourself? The first act of love is breathing in and going home to your body… So to be aware of your body is the beginning of love.”
In our busy lives, it’s easy to get caught up with schedules, appointments, and commitments. Sometimes you need to step back and check in with your body. Bring awareness to yourself, to your body, to your spirit. Practice guided meditation, like Yoga Nidra or mindfulness, to scan the body and reconnect.
When your mind becomes aware of your body, you are fully present for yourself. Experience the miracle of your body. You might notice a few things.
First, you realize that your body is an amazing miracle.
Your feet carry you where you need to go.
Your lungs support the breath of life.
Your eyes perceive the brilliant lights and colors around you.
Your ears hear music and laughter.
Practice mind-body awareness regularly. Cultivating gratitude for your body helps align your actions to support your health. Over time, your thoughts will support a healthier attitude toward your body. Instead of focusing on your physical flaws and comparing yourself to how others look, you breathe in and appreciate the beauty of your body.
A simple yet powerful exercise is using a mirror to gaze deeply into your own eyes, affirming for yourself that you are beautiful and loved just as you are.
Speak aloud and state your affirmations directly to yourself. For example, “You are beautiful and loved, and you deserve happiness. Thank you for providing a home for my soul and for protecting me and keeping me alive.” It may feel uncomfortable, but even if you don’t believe the words you speak, your body and unconscious mind will receive positive messages. In time, they will begin to feel natural and true.
Heal the Wounds of the Past
We need to FEEL to HEAL. But when traumatic events happen, it can feel so painful that we lock away our emotions deep inside. They become our wounds. When you don’t take the time to heal these wounds, the emotional pain stays in the body. It can manifest into negative thought patterns, self-sabotaging behaviors, and even physical disease.
What does it mean to heal from the past?
This can mean taking the time to unravel your traumas. Then, as you develop self-awareness, you begin to recognize unconscious programming and behaviors, understand their source and let them go.
You can work with a therapist or coach to access and heal the wounded child within and reclaim aspects of the splintered (shadow) self or practice journaling to unburden layers of confusion and gain clarity. Spending time with a sisterhood can also help work through painful experiences together. Our soul-tribe acts as a mirror that reflects our value and worth back to us, reminding us of our highest self when we have forgotten.
Spiritual practices, like Mindfulness Meditation, Forest Bathing, or Yoga Nidra, can bring us fully into the present and help release unconscious habits and trauma rooted in the past. You can break through the layers of illusions and experience who you are NOW. It means letting go of the thoughts patterns and perceptions imprinted upon you, the illusions of self, based on external factors that no longer hold true for you. A spiritual reconnection goes inward to connect with your soul, limitless and eternal.
Sometimes traumas can travel with us from one lifetime to the next. Self-destructive patterns often reveal the unhealed trauma carried over from a past life. The karma of your past lives continues to echo into the present moment. Look at the patterns you experience now. Repeated painful experiences often hold important clues about the buried, unconscious wounds that need to be healed. To break free, you first need to recognize these patterns so that they can be witnessed, forgiven, and released. In addition to Shamanic Soul Retrieval and Plant Medicine Ceremonies, spiritual practices like Past Life Regression or Soul Coaching also help identify and heal karmic patterns from previous lives so you can finally move forward into a life of thriving (rather than merely surviving).
Heal the Divine Feminine Wound
Because society has suppressed the Divine Feminine for so many years, it has caused a collective wound to the feminine aspects. The Divine Feminine is not weak – it is intuitive, receptive, and wise. Still, it has been misunderstood and maligned throughout thousands of years of fear and ignorance. For women, this can cause shame of the Feminine, like stigmas about body image, hormonal fluctuations, and menstruation. For men, it can manifest in suppressing feminine qualities, like intuition, sensitivity, and collaboration.
Self-love means full acceptance of ourselves. But, when we deny the Divine Feminine within, we deny a vital aspect of our authentic selves. Healing the Divine Feminine wound means honoring and reclaiming the innate power of the Feminine (both its receptivity and its fierceness) without embarrassment or fear. Divine Feminine healing is for everyone, regardless of gender.
For men, it may mean connecting to the sensitive side, to allow yourself to feel and express emotions. It can mean letting go of the shame for women—to embrace the sensual side and embody the feminine power openly.
To understand your feminine wound, begin by asking yourself which feminine qualities made you feel ashamed? These qualities include intuition, creativity, empathy, compassion, sensitivity, communication, acceptance, collaboration, forgiveness, and living from the heart. Identifying areas of shame can help us shine a light on our karmic woundedness so that it can be seen and ultimately healed.
Practice Self Love – Go on a Sisterhood Retreat
Much of practicing self-love means doing the work on yourself to heal internally and show up fully present to the world. But that doesn’t have to mean doing it alone. In fact, having the support of loving, like-hearted people will enhance your journey to self-love.
What better way to practice self-love than a spiritual wellness retreat surrounded by your sisterhood? Fall in love this Valentine’s Day…with YOURSELF.
Be Love! Reclaiming Self-Love, Jamaica is an inspiring 6-night, 7-day women’s retreat at an oceanside boutique hotel on the hidden, bohemian gem of Treasure Beach.
Self-care is the foundation of self-love. If You Find yourself overwhelmed, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. A Caribbean retreat on the white sands of Jamaica may provide just the deep breath and spaciousness you need to experience the joys of loving yourself.
Develop a deeper relationship with yourself surrounded by supportive sisters and expert teachers. This Women’s Self-Love retreat offers an immersive week of yoga, spiritual practices, ceremonies, and sacred self-care that will create more joy, foster deep connections, and cultivate self-compassion.
Space is limited. Use code “EARLYBIRD” through December 31, 2021, and receive 10% off our all-inclusive rates. Reserve your spot today to remember and reclaim your self-love.
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