self-love

“Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of This Moment.”

- Rumi

Yogic thought purports the importance of being mindfully in the present moment, whether in action or in thought. This is a constant struggle in life, practicing presence. Often we hear phrases like “live in the moment,” “be in the present,” and “do it now.” While in a yoga practice, we “breathe into the present moment,” or hear some semblance of: “leave your day at the door, and bring your heart to the mat.”

As the winter holidays quickly approach, many people may experience a mixture of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and sadness, along with many other emotional states that come and go. Holiday rituals and the changing of the seasons can bring both celebration and introspection. We may enjoy spending time with loved ones, decorating, spiritual practices, or shopping, and we may also be grieving losses, evaluating the year behind us, and planning for changes to come. Hopefully, as we all go through our own unique holiday experiences, we can make self-care a priority.

Happy autumn solstice! September 22 officially marks the beginning of fall, and what better way to pay homage to the withdrawing sun than with 108 sun salutations at sunrise or sunset? It’s a number that’s auspicious in Buddhism and many more religions. The malas (rosaries) of Tibetan monks include 108 beads, which is a nod to the 108 volumes Buddha dubbed the Tibetan Kangyur. Zen priests also wear 108 beads in a juzu on their wrists.

I hate kombucha. I hadn’t tried it until recently, but danggg. It tastes like spiked vinegar and apple juice. No thank you. As much as the yoga blogs and Pinterest posts rave about its benefits…I can’t. On top of this aversion, I also don’t have long skinny legs, a calm demeanor, or cool tattoos. But the good news is: I’m still a yogi.

Jobs, family, relationships, and social functions often tend to take precedence over our own needs. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day demands of life. Whether we feel a sense of obligation or not, the day can slip away without time to ourselves. It's those days that leave us open to stress, anxiety, and a loss of sense of self. That is why it is important to squeeze a little bit of “me time” into our daily routine. Whether it be five minutes or five hours, the following five are ways you can break away and take precedence over your day.

Everyone’s meditation practice is deeply personal depending on individual needs, and certainly it helps to have the advice of a qualified meditation teacher. But our most profound guru dwells within us.

As simple as this sounds, letting go of pain is not always easy! There can be hidden aspects of pain that provide our ego with a pay-off, making it quite difficult to see our pain gone. In self-healing, the questioning of our ego’s investment in the symptom of our suffering is a vital modality and can often provide a pivotal shift in our healing process.