Loving Yourself

Loving yourself

"The greatest secret to living a happy and fulfilled life is realizing that everything is created in our minds before it manifests itself in the outer world. We must believe before we can see."
Sarah Ban Breatnach
From Hold that Thought by Sarah Ban Breathnach (Warner Books)

I have learned an important lesson. It is easier to neglect our bodies. It is simpler to forget ourselves. It is important to love your body and cherish it. It is equally as important to accept ourselves the way we are. There will always be room for improvement. We are meant to be beautiful. We are meant to be unique. We are meant to be happy. Our bodies are meant for us. It is after all your vehicle on earth that you will have with you for the rest of your life. No matter what it goes through, you cannot trade it in. It's yours, so that is why it's important to treat it with respect. Our bodies are sacred and needs to be treated as so. Honour that body, for it has carried you where you are today. We must never forget to honour us. In addition, by recognizing ourselves and our body as a we are equally honouring our spirit within.



Take care of yourself.

How can you accomplish all the things you were meant to with a weakened, neglected body? How can your soul manage with a vehicle that is not running at it's full capacity. How can we allow ourselves to be overcome with stress? How can we be who we were meant to be? Most importantly, how can we expect our vehicle body to keep running on almost empty?

How can you care for others if you are ignoring the body that enables you to take care of others? How can you not fuel the soul that enables another soul to flourish. How can you teach love, respect and honour...by ignoring yourself, not loving yourself, and not honouring and respecting the vehicle that gets you were you need to go. How can that be? A teacher must practice and master before he/she can become the teacher. By neglecting and forgetting yourself you are allowing stress, negativity to enter your body which in turn leads to obesity and disease. There are steps that can be taken daily to keep your body running at it's full capacity. A little time in a day can add years to your life. A little time for you can keep you healthy, happy and hearty. It wil require one major sacrifice, taking care of yourself means you need to love yourself first.

Meditation and learning to breathe properly

It can take as little as one minutes a day to acknowledge yourself and connect mind, body and soul. Those sixty seconds can leave you feeling focused, energized, positive and connected.

Just the word BREATHE and BREATH makes me feel calmer.

Take that 1 minute...one hour whatever it takes to connect with your spiritual self, your one. Take the time to breath deep within. That moment you are one with yourself can really be the difference between making it through the day and not. We are not saying that just with meditation alone you will be saved and become Super Woman. Never. What we are saying is that by taking the time to breath, focusing on the inner you....you are saying, I am taking the time for me...me first...I am important...when I am ready I can properly and effectively care for those who need me. I can positively give them myself without myself feeling neglected. It opens the channels for more energy. It lighten's the load for less stress, and a more willing capacity to deal with life. It's a oneness...it's a circle of Love easily attainable by a quiet, still moment with you and your spirit.

We all need to connect to ourselves in order to visiualize why we really are here. How can you effectively go about your daily duty if you don't take the time...to connect and visualize your oneness, your spiritual connection. It can take a moment...a breathe...or it can take an hour...whatever you give to yourself...you will have more to share with others. You will resonate peace, you will resonate happiness, you will resonate positive energy. Take the time just to breathe. To focus in on you.
We are so busy that we don't breathe properly. We live in a busy, stressed world. Our society always seems rushed and running. Our breaths are held tightly in our lungs like a rock stuck in a pit. We don't take that vital oxygen to our organs and our cells that need it so desperately. Like vitality is essential to our well-being, deep breathing is essential to our entire being.

Here is a simple exercise you can do daily or weekly...whatever the choice... try and see if a pattern of positiveness' emerges.
I guarantee it will not disappoint.
Take three deep breaths....feel yourself...feel your energy...now release the tension....breath...with each breath...the tension is released...with each exhalation
visualize the negative energy that is blocked within...being released. With each inhalation visualize the positve energy from the universe being let in...let it permeate your body...let it feed every cell in your body....breathe....breathe...breathe...you are one...you are great....your are....you are....you are.....breathe breathe breathe....
Now stay still in this connection for as long as you see fit....continue to breathe....deep breaths from within. Feel the breaths...feel the oxygen entering your body...energyzing every cell in your body....breathe....breathe....breathe....

If you wish, you may even add a visualization exercise. Visualize your goals for the day being accomplished. Focus on your healthy body. Picture yourself drinking all your water. What are your goals for the day, for the week, for the future? This meditation visualization can be quite a powerfull tool in helping you reach your goals in life.

If you cannot find the time in the day. Another simple exercise is to take a few minutes before getting out of bed in the morning. Spend that time alone with you. Breathe and focus on you. Learn to enjoy yourself again. Remember how to love you again! Bless your body. Count your blessings. Take the time to be gratiful for even the new day, and the chance to begin again.
The time it takes you to breathe, visiualize and focus is the time it would take to build up negative energy. Start your day in a positive tone. Give to yourself first thing in the morning. Welcome yourself back to your existence. We need to unprogramme the circle of negativity around ourselves....starting with us. You are the rock and the rock can control her environment so that it helps those that come around her. Those that need you. Energy , positive energy equals vitality, well-being, balances, grounding...there is nothing negative in positive.
You have the choice...you have the power take the one minute for yourself...and have the most usefull powerfull hours. You have the power. We all control our destiny and how we want to live. The power lies with you. Make the positive change for yourself and see the positive consequences that emerge. One thing is for sure. You won't regret it because no negative will come from a positive. You owe it to yourself try if it doesn't work go back to your old way of existing.



Taking the time to take a breather in your day has a lot to do with weight loss. It is a connection with yourself, where you can reflect on your goals. Take the time to focus. Re-energize your drive. Not to mention the fact that giving your body extra oxygen and learning to breathe properly gives your entire self a new sense of revitalization. Take the time to be one with you. Take a moment to let your spirit guide you to your goals. Listen to your body. In a sense, you are breathing new life into your self every time you take a step away from life and breathe deep within.

I remember the first meditation I ever did. Althought the meditation only lasted maybe 5 minutes I remember feeling a rush of energy. I felt as though weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt entirely focused. I felt in sync with my entire self. The breaths flowed freely from my lungs to my entire body. There was just something that made me feel glorious. I have been a firm believer in deep breathing relaxation ever since.

As a woman, it is not easy to put yourself first. We are naturally and inately in tuned to put everyone ahead of us. We are caretakers by nature. It is crucial to our survival to change this programming around. It is imperative for us to remember that in order for us to properly care for others...we must take care of ourselves first and foremost. We hear this again and again. Yet, do we really listen? How can the house be solid if the foundation was built without care and precision.
This programming needs to be undone. We must. If you cannot do it for yourself, than think of those around you. They will benefit from a happy "person" who is solid, well-balanced and grounded. The positive outweights the negative, the benefits are limitless.

Take the time for you

It's so important to also take the time to do something that is important to you. What is your passion? What helps your spirit soar?
By gving yourself this time, you are loving yourself. You need to make this time for yourself. Read, knit, bake, run, anything that strikes your fancy. What is your passion? It's imperative that you don't lose yourself while going through life. This happens so often and the result is bitterness, stress, and disease. This is especially true of us mothers. We have so much for everyone else, that there is little left for us. Most often women feel resentful and bitterness towards life. We turn to food as comfort. How many times have we heard mothers express themselves to be a different person than what they used to be. How many mothers have lost themselves in life? The choice lies within ourselves. We have the power. We have the freedom to discover our burning desires, our wants and our dislikes. We all have the choice to discover our own unique passions.
During my journey I discovered a passion that lived deep within. I had a passion to write. I love writting. Ever since I was a young child I always loved writting and composing. In school, my favourite subject was always English composition. Deep down I always new that I would one day become a writer. I discovered my passion while giving myself time in a day. By giving back to my spirit, I re-discovered a deep passion that was burning within. It brings me joy, happiness and such peace every time I sit down with a pen and write. By following my passion, I am committing to me. I am believing in myself. I am loving myself. I am following my purpose. It brings me a sense of who I am and want I want from life. It keeps me focused. I am less likely to turn to food now in order to fill that void I always felt. I feel fulfilled already. I want more to be healthy and feel good. It makes me want to live my life at my fullest potential physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It doesn't take hours to give yourself some breathing space either. There are so many unique ways to give yourself time, special to you. Enroll in a nighttime yoga class, go out for coffee with a long time friend, plan something and write it down on your calendar. Enroll in that class you always wanted to take, go for that degree! What are you waiting for? Your body, mind and spirit is craving that balance. The balance between yourself and everyone else.
I don't know how many work out tapes I have purchased promising myself that I would stick to a routine. Things always got in the way of me doing it. The phone would ring. Someone would pop in for a visit. This needed to be cleaned ect...Then I got wise, I signed myself up for a yoga class. It was expensive but well worth it. I was forced to go. I loved it! My kids reaped the benefit of happy mom who is grounded and balanced. Not only that, it led to other things, I enrolled in a gym, I started doing pilates and I started eating better. It was a circle of positive well being. Finally, there was a balance. I felt better, I looked better and I certainly was better at handling lifes daily rituals. I became a completely different person. I got to know myself. My likes, my dislikes, my wants and my needs. I rediscovered my passions. I became so joyous and happy. I wanted to be happier. I somehow had more energy. I wanted to be healthier. It became a chain reaction. I couldn't control it, because it was so contagiously uplifting. I just wanted more and more.
You have to work with yourself. Give to yourself. Take the time for a warm bath at night. Book that appointment for a manicure. Whatever. Take that time to love your body. Give back to yourself, you will reap the rewards.
The positiveness chain created from your "time to yourself" will be contagious. You won't be able to keep yourself from sharing your great feeling, your groundingness, your peacefulness. Life will be smoother and more balanced. It's an energy that cannot be eaten or drank. It's a given. We promise. Take the time to re-energize yourself. Remember you are the one that holds the mold together, if you can't keep yourself together...how can you keep others? We cannot emphasize this enough. It is imperative in order to lead a balanced, well-maintained, happy life that you keep yourself first and foremost happy and at peace. Loving yourself is crucial to your existence, loving yourself allows you to be healthy, balanced and grounded.