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Self-love involves a life-long journey. The current state of the world may have you questioning your worthiness and social media may be challenging your body image.
Regardless of the reasons, it’s not far-fetched to say that everyone struggles with a lack of self-love at some point. However, we don’t have to be slaves to feelings of unworthiness, negative self-talk or low self-esteem.
This is where yoga comes in.
Have you ever wondered how different your life would be if you accepted yourself, fully and without judgement?
One of the essential lessons that yoga teaches us is acceptance. Learning to accept ourselves is key in our path to self-love. Yoga can help develop this perspective in many ways. For example, every time you step on the mat accept your body’s limitations or your current state of mind. Be generous and listen to your body.
Being aware of the most vulnerable aspects of ourselves and seeing them clearly with true acceptance sparks a journey of self-awareness. That self-awareness teaches you when you need to let go of expectations. Trusting in the unfolding of our lives and believing that all is as it should be can be liberating.
How often do you talk to yourself in ways that you would never talk to a loved one? Why is it so much easier to be compassionate towards others than to ourselves? If you’re working on cultivating the self-awareness that leads to self-acceptance, you are on your way to developing self-compassion.
Yoga helps to mute negative self-talk. It is a non-judgemental practice. Once you accept where and who you are in the present moment, you are better able to tone down any negativity threatening your wellbeing.
Read more on The Importance of Self-Compassion.
This is a tricky one. We are all familiar with the images we associate with yoga of slim people twisting their bodies in extraordinary ways. During my yoga journey, I’ve encountered people who refuse to do yoga based on the belief that one has to have a certain body type to practice it. In recent years, however, we’ve seen a spike in body-positivity and inclusivity movements within the yoga community. Thanks to this, more and more people are realizing that yoga is for every age, body and gender.
Next time you’re following an online yoga class or dropping in to your local studio, know that your body is a blessing. Allow yourself to show gratitude towards your body for all the wonderful things it allows you to do.
As a physical practice, yoga stimulates our organs, improves circulation and lowers our heart rate. This, in turn, can help reduce inflammation, anxiety, stress and depression. As a mental practice, the stillness of yoga, combined with mindful breathing, directly impacts the nervous system and helps spark positive emotions like empathy, gratitude, and kindness.
In spite of all these benefits, sometimes life gets in the way. If you find it hard to do yoga when you’re feeling blue, recite the following phrase that one of my yoga teachers shared with me:
“The reasons why you don’t want to do yoga are the reasons why you need to do yoga.”
Memorize it and trick your brain into wanting to roll out your mat. Once you do, let yoga do its magic and you’ll see the positive effects in your mind, body and self-esteem.
Let’s translate all the above information into easy actions to implement in your yoga practice:
If you are ready to embark on a self-love journey, allow yourself ot be nourished by your yoga pracitce and mindful breathing. Check out our heart-opening sequences and our growing library of guided meditations, free for anyone to access anytime, anywhere.
By Aimeé Durán Triujeque; All Rights Reserved @2022
By Aimeé Durán Triujeque; All Rights Reserved @2022
Do you ever feel anxiety over the need for something to be perfect? If so, you may be struggling with perfectionism. This debilitating mindset can keep you from reaching your full potential.
Loving-kindness meditation is a process of bringing warmth and friendliness to oneself, others, and the world around us.
