Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I'd like to talk a little bit about taking time to love yourself,
Taking time to just be kind to yourself.
I've noticed in my life that many people who are extremely kind to others are often seldom kind to themselves.
They do things for partners and children and parents and teachers and neighbors and friends and even their pets,
But yet they don't think of taking time to be kind to themselves.
I notice this all around me.
Both of my daughters and the lady that's the love of my life are like this.
They're kind and thoughtful and caring for everyone around them,
And yet they never think of showing the same kindness to themselves.
You need to be kind to yourself.
And before we can truly take care of others,
Before we can show anyone love and kindness,
We first have to be able to show love to ourselves.
In order to let go or find peace,
In order to spend more time in the present moment,
We have to take time to care for ourselves.
Taking time to be kind to ourselves.
I know that I've been guilty of this in my own life,
Taking time for everyone else,
But never taking time to do things for myself.
I've realized my mistake and I've tried to rectify it.
And that is what each one of you needs to do also.
You have to take time to love yourself.
There are lots of ways to show love to yourself.
Just treat yourself to something you've been wanting,
A candy bar or a Burger King whopper or a new pair of shoes.
You're in the best position to decide what a good treat would be.
Because at its most basic,
Love is just acceptance,
Accepting someone else,
Be it a person or an animal for exactly what they are.
Love is taking someone at face value.
And if you do that for everyone around you,
You have to do it for yourself.
Accepting all of their good points,
But their negative things as well.
Love is at its very best when it is given.
As you give love to a partner or a child or a beloved pet,
Your life can be better,
However,
If you take time to love yourself.
Accept yourself as you accept others,
Just as you are.
And you might ask,
How can we do that?
Simply by taking time to care for yourself.
Give your body the nourishment and rest it needs.
Give it all the care it needs so you can function at your best.
Do something you'd like to do,
But without judgment,
Without worrying about how much time it's going to take.
Because I've done that myself.
Maybe the most important thing is to just accept yourself for who and what you are.
And don't dwell on any failures or perceived failures from the past.
The past is just that.
It's past.
It's unalterable.
We can't do anything about that except improve on it.
We have to look at ourselves honestly and with kindness.
And in this moment,
Not based on the past.
It's been said that how you love and care for yourself is how you teach others to love and care for you.
In order to really love and take care of others,
We first have to love and take care of ourselves.
And loving yourself doesn't mean going out and buying yourself something expensive each time.
It's taking time to care for yourself,
To listen to what your heart tells you that you need.
A day off,
A camping trip,
A massage,
A hike,
A walk in the woods,
Whatever it might be that will lift you up.
The Buddha once said,
You,
Yourself,
As much as anybody in the entire universe,
Deserve your love and affection.
Wise words.
All of our thoughts expend energy.
I've said this many times before.
Your words and your thoughts have power,
And they have power to change us and others.
So make your thoughts count and let them be thoughts of self-love.
Remember that words and thoughts have power.
Now please make sure you're in a place where you won't be disturbed and make sure your other devices are silenced.
This is your time,
And you can go back to the real world a little later.
Close your eyes now,
And let's go in search of this moment together.
Just relax.
No pressure.
There's no place to go.
No place we have to be.
We are just here,
Looking for love in the best possible place.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
The only thing that matters is that you're comfortable.
Now try to relax your face.
Unclench your jaw and unfurl your brow.
Relax your neck.
Maybe you'd like to shake out your arms and hands and just let them rest comfortably.
Let your shoulders drop and let your body sag.
Ease any tension out of your chest or your belly.
You can even shake out your legs and feet if you want.
And as you begin to really relax,
Let's start to focus on our breath.
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments,
And focusing on it can help us to capture the present moment.
And as you focus on your breath,
Track its movement in your body.
Feel it as it comes in through your nose,
The air moving into you.
Notice the movement of your chest and belly as the life-giving air moves into you,
Filling you up with energy and vitality.
And then track your breath again as it moves out of your body,
Your chest and belly deflating as the air exits.
Just continue to breathe and follow each and every breath as you let yourself relax and settle in.
And if it's agreeable to you,
Place one hand over your heart to form a connection as you gently breathe,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Take this moment in time to offer love to yourself and do it without judgment.
When you breathe in,
You breathe in love for yourself,
And as you breathe out,
Let go of any tension.
Once more,
Breathing in,
Building this loving feeling,
And as you breathe out,
Just let go.
Let go of anything that's holding you back.
And as we settle deeper into stillness,
Let's set an intention of acceptance.
Accept who and what you are.
Accept the path that your life is on.
Accept that your path is a positive one.
The fact that you are here participating in this practice is a sure sign that you're on the right track.
You're doing this to make your life better.
And while we're here,
Acknowledge all of your strength and acknowledge what you view as your flaws or weaknesses.
We all have them,
Real or imagined.
Some things that we view as faults are put on us by others,
By our parents or siblings or teachers or friends,
And we need to let those judgments go.
Just let them go.
What each one of us needs to know is that we are enough.
We always have been.
We are often hardest on ourselves,
But that doesn't serve us.
If you like,
Whisper to yourself,
I am enough.
I am enough.
You have been and you always will be enough.
Now listen carefully to what I say next.
Loving yourself is the beginning of the path that leads to understanding and truly knowing yourself.
Let me say that again.
Loving yourself is the beginning of the path that leads to understanding and truly knowing yourself.
And anything that doesn't serve you,
You need to let it go.
Just continue to follow your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
I have to admit that the concept of self-love was hard for me,
Especially in the beginning.
It's not easy,
At least it wasn't for me,
To believe that I was enough.
And I know that often it's hard to let go,
Especially of the judgments of others.
So if you're struggling a little bit right now,
That's okay.
It takes time to become accepting of yourself,
But you have to know that you are enough.
I am still a work in progress,
Just as you are.
I've been doing this for 53 years.
I still have bad days.
But you have to be grateful for all that you are.
You have to take this moment in time to be kind to yourself.
Knowing yourself will help you to be your best self.
Letting go of anything that does not serve you.
Let go of old beliefs,
Old judgments,
Old friends.
Let go of it all.
Say it again.
I am enough.
I am enough.
Now,
As we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel just how good it is to be alive.
Taking a deep breath and let it out through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
You're ready to move back into your day,
A little calmer and a little more joyful than before.
The concept of self-love can be hard,
But I know you can do it,
One breath at a time.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session,
And I thank you so much for joining me.
Till next time.
He's a god- slash- graphic fast forward.
