3 Ways to Love Yourself this Valentine’s Day

1. Self-care

Yoga is easily one of the best self-care tools. Spending some time on your mat can benefit your brain, heart, and bones, and can even change the expression of your genes. Better yet, yoga does all of these things simultaneously. To get the most out of yoga, it’s best to keep a daily practice, even on the busiest days. Even 10 to 15 minutes a day is valuable in re-patterning dysfunction in your body. It’s about personal practice. Yoga can also relieve mental stress, melt muscle tension, and help you feel confident that, yes, you can tackle your lengthy to-do list and handle whatever else may come.

2. Incorporate mindfulness

Your biggest critic is yourself. Mindfulness is neither trying to relax nor emptying the mind of its thoughts. A big part of incorporating mindfulness is becoming truly aware of your inner dialogue/self-talk. Sometimes, it’s the simple little things that can lift moods as well; like listening to some of your favourite music or a gentle mist of your favourite essential oils.

Rather, as we practise mindfulness,we learn to be a silent observer of our thoughts or emotions without the need to get involved with them, hence experiencing the moment. This helps us react less and make intimate contact with each moment of our lives however trivial or mundane it might be. When we stay present and aware as we do our day to day activities, it becomes an informal meditation practice and can substantially help reduce the stress we accumulate throughout the day.

3.Unplugging

Distractions are abundant in our world – and our laptops, tablets, and smartphones are a big contributor to those distractions. We grab our smartphones when they beep or ring, and pretty much any time we’re bored or curious. This counters productivity if we’re trying to get work done that requires real thinking; it can also disrupt moments of connecting with our family, friends, and real selves.

The meaning of yoga is to yoke or unite- the body and the mind. When we coordinate movement with the breath, paying attention to the sensations in the body as we move, completely feeling the experience at that moment without any judgment or expectations, respecting our boundaries with self-compassion and kindness, yoga becomes a mindful exercise in itself and it becomes a meditative practice.