You are already perfect. You are beautiful. You are whole. You are sacred.
Loving your body can happen right now. You are whole and deserving of love as you are in this very moment.
Women and mothers are prime targets for body dysmorphia inducing campaigns, and I have so much love for every person who helps normalize REAL female bodies. Show me the infinite shapes of humans: I love them all! I have extra love for the realness of postpartum bodies and body changes across the lifespan. We really do just become more beautiful, don’t we?
All of this is to say that we do not need to buy the message that we are insufficient. We can choose to love ourselves and to love others indefinitely. It is said that people who love themselves, and accept themselves are happier and healthier for it-- and I 100% feel that to be true.
Here are 5 practices you can incorporate into your self-love into your daily flow:
Nourish Yourself with Food & Thought
Give thanks to your whole body-- the inside and the outside-- with nourishing foods and pleasure.
Nourishing foods replenish and optimize the magnificent workings of your body, to support it and to help it support you. It really is one of the ultimate ways to say “Thank You. I love you.” Nourishing food does NOT mean dieting, or deprivation. Consume what you love with love, and consider what your body is needing of you.
Wombspace Connection is connection with your creative energy, and is one of the many ways you can take a moment to sink into a grateful mindset for the work of fertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, and the cyclic nature of your being. What would it feel like to breathe into this space, totally present and acknowledge the efforts and wisdom of your body?
Move Your Body
The body is a living system: trillions of cells corresponding and collaborating to make you YOU. When you support one system, you are supporting all of the sister systems, just as when you love your body you are helping other women to love their bodies too.
Our bodies are our means of exploring the physical world, and our trillions of cells remember the experiences that we hold within ourselves. Energy can become stagnant when we hold it for too long-- we might feel tense, heavy, irritable or restless. Movement helps to move this stuck energy.
Let your movement practices be enjoyable! Use your whole body to support you. Feel your flexibility and strength as you explore and play. Stay curious - Your body is capable of amazing things.
Touch Your Skin
The human touch is magnificent. Get familiar with your body by trailing your fingers and palms across your skin. Play with changes in pressure, and notice how each part of your body experiences the sensation differently.
Learn about what feels good & feel the joy that lives within you! You may enjoy incorporating oils, herbs, warmth, or simply being present with the elements as they interact with you throughout your day.
Explore your willingness to accept pleasure, familiarize yourself with parts of your body that you have been hesitant to befriend. Every part of you is beautiful.
Spend time naked.
If you are hanging out at home, spend the day nude and go about your tasks as usual. We do not need to use our clothing to hide our bodies from the world, and especially from ourselves. Taking the time to truly honor yourself in each moment, and with wholeness will only benefit you and the world around you.
See your whole self. Take an extra moment before bathing and dressing to really see yourself, and how gorgeous you are. Do not use this special time with yourself to cast judgements. Notice how you feel in your body. What would it take to feel amazing in your body, right now, as it is?
CELEBRATE THE EVOLUTION OF YOU!
Birth is sacred. Your life here on earth is sacred. You are a sacred, evolving being.
Every experience within your life has held opportunities for you to grow and evolve. Time gives us the gift of change and we see this present in our bodies as we shift through the evolution from maiden to mother to crone.
You are wise, loved, and have so much to be proud of - even on your hardest days.
You are worth celebrating!
