What is true SELF love?
I've been on this exploration of the chakras ever since I became Reiki 1 and 2 Certified about a month ago. True story, I used to think dedicating an intention around a chakra was an easy out for yoga teachers (gah, I'm so judgey) until I actually realized it's genius- I've learned so much and feel so much more comfortable talking about these said chakras (which are the 7 healing energy centers throughout our body symbolized by the colors of the rainbow)
This week we have come to the Heart Chakra, or Anahata Chakra, located in the center of the chest, symbolized by the color green, you can only guess how it's related to loooooove. This could be romantic or self love but I'm going to hone in on the aspect of self-love. I actually had a blog post about self love sitting as a Draft since MAY. I didn't feel comfortable posting it because to be honest, I'm still on this journey to appreciating myself a little more. But I read something upon my research of the heart chakra...and it was the hugest AHA! moment for me. I can't remember where I read it (wish I could credit the person) but it said that self love is as simple as detaching the EGO from the SELF. The ego is linked to expectations, comparison, the "shoulda-coulda's," and too much attention on how things appear on the outside. Whereas, the self is the beautiful light within you, this is your divinity, your life's purpose, and the purest and truest form of YOU.
So how does this apply? And what happens when the ego is attached to the self? It's when you start comparing your journey/body to others'. When you start to believe you should be doing something else "more important" with your life despite your happiness. Or worrying about what your parents or peers will think of you. It's questioning how others will perceive you.
But, pause those negative thoughts for a second...
What if we decided that we SHOULD be happy? And worried about what YOU think of yourself, your life, your job, etc. How do YOU feel?
We attach a lot of our self love to conditions like what we weigh, what we eat, or how "fit" we are...do you see the pattern here? It's all extraneous. It has nothing to do with the self and everything to do with the ego. Think of your body as a vehicle, not an ornament. Appreciate it for the weights it can lift, the exercises it can perform, and its resilience! After losing 85 pounds, I will tell you straight up that losing those "last 10 pounds" won't make you love yourself. Because your BODY is not your self. Think of it this way, as long as your self love is dependent upon your body, it's just as shallow as loving your significant other for their looks. So, with that being said, what do you love about yourself? Think of five things and let them be qualities that have nothing to do with how you look.
I love me because:
1) I am resilient; I never let anything stop me.
2) I am a bad dancer and singer but I will sing and dance my heart out anyway.
3) I genuinely care about helping others.
4) I am strong.
5) I stand up for myself and do NOT let anyone take advantage of me :)
This week we have come to the Heart Chakra, or Anahata Chakra, located in the center of the chest, symbolized by the color green, you can only guess how it's related to loooooove. This could be romantic or self love but I'm going to hone in on the aspect of self-love. I actually had a blog post about self love sitting as a Draft since MAY. I didn't feel comfortable posting it because to be honest, I'm still on this journey to appreciating myself a little more. But I read something upon my research of the heart chakra...and it was the hugest AHA! moment for me. I can't remember where I read it (wish I could credit the person) but it said that self love is as simple as detaching the EGO from the SELF. The ego is linked to expectations, comparison, the "shoulda-coulda's," and too much attention on how things appear on the outside. Whereas, the self is the beautiful light within you, this is your divinity, your life's purpose, and the purest and truest form of YOU.
So how does this apply? And what happens when the ego is attached to the self? It's when you start comparing your journey/body to others'. When you start to believe you should be doing something else "more important" with your life despite your happiness. Or worrying about what your parents or peers will think of you. It's questioning how others will perceive you.
But, pause those negative thoughts for a second...
What if we decided that we SHOULD be happy? And worried about what YOU think of yourself, your life, your job, etc. How do YOU feel?
We attach a lot of our self love to conditions like what we weigh, what we eat, or how "fit" we are...do you see the pattern here? It's all extraneous. It has nothing to do with the self and everything to do with the ego. Think of your body as a vehicle, not an ornament. Appreciate it for the weights it can lift, the exercises it can perform, and its resilience! After losing 85 pounds, I will tell you straight up that losing those "last 10 pounds" won't make you love yourself. Because your BODY is not your self. Think of it this way, as long as your self love is dependent upon your body, it's just as shallow as loving your significant other for their looks. So, with that being said, what do you love about yourself? Think of five things and let them be qualities that have nothing to do with how you look.
I love me because:
1) I am resilient; I never let anything stop me.
2) I am a bad dancer and singer but I will sing and dance my heart out anyway.
3) I genuinely care about helping others.
4) I am strong.
5) I stand up for myself and do NOT let anyone take advantage of me :)