So many women struggle with feeling comfortable in their own skin. Yet, the longest relationship that we will ever have is the one with ourselves. Really allow that to sink in.
What’s the solution? The solution is simple. Loving kindness meditation. It’s a meditation and also an approach to life. This practice helps you to connect to your heart space and in the process send yourself friendliness and well-wishing. It’s a way for you to open your heart to connect more deeply with who you are and to show up in the world as this expanded sense of self. As you engage in this practice, you will begin to feel greater ease in connecting with yourself, and lightness in your heart.
Loving kindness practice is a simple practice, but don’t let the simplicity of this practice fool you. It consists of saying four phrases and repeating them over and over, it’s a way of harnessing the energy towards ourselves and of planting seeds of kindness. Each time we say the phrase we are inclining our mind and heart towards deep friendliness towards ourselves.
The meditation is simple, the hard part is committing to it everyday for 10 minutes. Maybe you’re thinking “I don’t have time” but we all have 10 minutes to spare. Those 10 minutes that you’re browsing Facebook you can use that time to sit down and meditate. Had a long day at work and can’t wait to watch your favorite TV shows? Before turning on the remote, take a moment to say the loving kindness phrases to yourself.
The greatest gift that you can give yourself is spending a few minutes sending yourself loving affirmations. You are showing yourself that you care about your well-being.
Researched benefits consist of decreased anger and anxiety, self-critical thoughts, chronic pain and also increased positive mood, life satisfaction, and social connectedness.
Ready to learn this simple practice?
Say to yourself silently or aloud:
Thank you for being safe,
Thank you for being happy,
Thank you for being healthy,
Thank you for living with ease.
Say it four times in a soft and gentle tone.
Throughout the day you can do these affirmations. For instance:
· when you’re walking (maybe you have a dog that you walk regularly — that’s a wonderful time to connect to yourself and send your dog the loving kindness phrases too)
· when you’re driving (how many times have you gotten so frustrated by traffic? We all have. Again, perfect time to say the phrases. You will feel so much better.)
Essentially, you can send yourself loving kindness anytime. That’s the beauty of the practice.
Over time, doing this loving kindness practice regularly, you will start to notice that you are treating yourself with greater kindness and in the process feel greater ease within your own skin.
Law of Attraction!