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Self-LOVE In Action
Self LOVE is a concept or a practice that is uniquely different to each of us. Ultimately for me, it's been a lifelong relationship with my Self that's evolved over decades from abandoned to awkward, to sporadic, to intimate to devoted. Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen our lives & our world as we know it, turned on its end, as this Virus has encircled our entire planet. It hasn't been lost on me, that this may be the first time in history that the collective family is journeying through the same thing at the same time. Everyone is affected in some way, each experience will look & feel as different as the next, but through this pandemic, I feel we are being shown the radical interconnectedness of us all.
Something that's helped me to navigate the fear was to flip the script by imagining that I chose the experience, rather than the other way around. In this way, I feel like I set myself a personal spiritual test, to stay open & available to receive the lessons. How will I show up for myself? For my family? For my community & Planet? What do I want to represent - fear or LOVE? What new thing will I learn about myself? How can I expand? What do I have that can be of service to another? How can I help?
As most of us find ourselves at home, perhaps navigating your own anxieties & uncertainties, I thought I might share a few of the practices I've been connecting to that are helping me to choose LOVE.
Self Care
Listening to my body & giving it what it needs, whether that be movement, nourishment, work, rest, healing, boundaries, water, Netflix, et al.
Daily Meditation
Meditation has truly been a game changer for helping me show up for myself & my life as my best. Even sitting with your eyes closed for a few minutes (preferably outdoors) & shifting from the mind & placing your hand on heart is a great beginning.
Those that know me, know that Deepak is my zen man.
Click to link to free resources I've been loving up lately
Nature As Nurture
Getting outdoors to move, sit, or simply enjoy the abundant magic & beauty of Mother Nature is my portal to self-care & incredibly centering & replenishing.
Feeling my feelings
Allowing myself time & space to fully process my emotions whether that's through automatic writing, talking with a trusted friend, shedding tears, or holding my own hand through the okayness of not feeling okay. What is not expressed is repressed.
Being
Kind, Patient, Gentle & Loving with myself helps me to be the same with others.
Poetry
Putting on the kettle & reading something beautiful is Self LOVE.
Click to link to favorite Poetic wisdom I've been reaching for lately.
Movement
daily exercise whether that be walking, dancing, or rolling out my mat. Movement is an excellent release for stress & stuck energy, and connects the dots of mind, body, soul.
Connection
Virtual Cups of Tea with dear friends, Intuitive Readings with Clients, Social Distancing with my neighbors, family walks/dinners/playtime are all doing a fine job of keeping my heart full, elevated & supported.
Music
Listening & playing music versus the news
(also limiting my exposure to media).
Goodness
Noticing, truly appreciating, saying & sharing the good.
Sacred Space
Daily connection with my Sacredness. For me, that translates to conversations with the Moon, pulling cards with my Tarot, Spirit Animal & Oracle Decks. Listening for what has not yet been spoken & catching glimpses of what has yet to be manifested. A deep dive into studying Archetypes, Astrology & Tarot are all current bedside books.
Humor
SNL, Seinfeld & James Corden (Carpool Karaoke) have been helping to keep it light on the home front.
Gardening
I'm super fortunate to be at the threshold of a long-standing dream of growing our own produce at home & so gardening has been a beautiful portal for me to spend more time outdoors, learning & literally planting dream seeds for the future.
Creativity
Redirecting energy into creating new crystal collections & virtual offerings as a way I can feel of service to others.
Crystal Rx.
My crystalline companions of late have been Rose Quartz (heart harmonizing), Selenite (in the home for cleansing the energy of the home & infusing our space with with purifying light). Smoky Quartz (an excellent grounding vibration & also excellent for absorbing negativity & transmuting into positive energy). Golden Healer (for an incredible healing vibration that you can direct throughout your home, community & into the world). Black Tourmaline - (excellent protection stone for guarding ones energy both personal & physical spaces). I've also been creating grids for collective healing, & for protection & incorporating these into my yoga practice & altar.
Gratitude Practice - Another life changing shift via a daily gratitude practice. Naming & truly feeling appreciation for as many things as I can before I get out of bed & then again before I go to sleep (usually reflecting on the days happenings) are the bookends of my day. Remember ... what you focus on expands. Goodness begets more Good. Peace begets more Peace. LOVE begets more LOVE.
These practices are a menu of rich resources for my highest wellness. Some days I'll opt for a La Carte & other days its a smorgasbord. What I know to be true for myself is the relationship we have with the home of our own heart, ripples out into the home of our body, our neighborhood, our communities, our collective, & our planet.
As we go, so goes our world. Let’s choose to go with LOVE xxx
