Self-Love This Valentines Day

~Practicing Self-Love~

Often we are flooded by Valentines Day “necessities” of chocolates and roses, sweet tarts and sappy cards, teddy bears and fancy dinners. While they may promote "love" symbolically, these material things are fleeting. As this day is nearing, I instead challenge to you create a different focus point for the holiday: Self-Love.

You, yes you, taking time in the day to thank your body, your mind and your soul for everything it provides you with on a daily basis. No, this isn’t selfish or poor intent for your relationships around you. And this isn’t a calling to tell you this day is all about you, but rather a source of gaining intention and insight, a replenishment to all the chaos and commotion that surrounds us on a daily basis--especially when a holiday strikes.

Use this day of love to refuel yourself—mind, body and soul. But not just on the holiday. Let this presence of self-love envelop you, enthrall you. Let it speak to you in ways unimaginable and touch every person you meet with it. Because that's what love does, and it always, always, wins.

And what's even better, your relationships will benefit from your self-love practive, too. When you can completely and fully learn to love yourself, you can fully love others with intention and strength.

So how do we go about this self-love in the midst of each day (not just V-day)? Focus on Mind, Body & Soul.

MIND

Rid your mind and thoughts of cluttered voices telling you that you are anything less than beautiful. Cut yourself some slack. Who cares if you don't have time to do the laundy today? So what if your travel eats over the holiday helped a few extra pounds of love around the midsection? Shut up the voices inside your head telling you that these things matter and give yourself some LOVE.

Meditation is key. Create a mantra, then try to focus on that intention and live it out through the rest of the day, even week. Something I have been focusing on is staying present in each moment, completely and thoroughly present, whether it be in a conversation, during class or while eating a meal. Fleeting thoughts take away from enjoying the present--something we should all cherish.

My mantra this week is this affirmation in congruence with that wish:

"I am present in each moment. My mind does not drift into the past or the future. Today is sufficient enough for me. I am enough. I have enough and I am doing enough. I find complete and utter joy in this very moment. I accept myself and my life, fully, right now."

BODY

“It’s just really sexy when a woman loves her body, and you can tell when it’s real, and when it’s heartfelt, and when it’s true, and not just a show. I think that’s really powerful.”-Danielle Duboise, Co-Founder of Sakara Life

Listen to your body, as it is smarter than you think. Find out what makes it tick, what fuels it. Don't expose it, don't flaunt it, don't deprive it. Be confident in your body and all it gives to you. Use it's power to do good for your health and well-being.

Don't try and force perfection on your body. It's perfect in and of itself. Refrain from comparing your body to another's--Comparison is truly the thief of joy. Don't wish your body to be another shape or size, love it and all it gives to you. Why try to change something that is doing everything it can to give you life?

SOUL

Dig deep into what fuels you, what soothes you, what replenishes your soul. Meditation is key in this, just as it is with the mind. Take time out of each day to "do you," whether that's be dancing or cooking or exercising or simply opening up your favorite book with a nice cup of tea in bed. Your soul thrives on the attention to give to it. It thrives on how much you love it.

Go practice some self-love this Valentines Day, ladies. You deserve it.