The Loving 5: A Self-Love Practice - Minisode | Ep 10

One of the things I'm learning through this journey to better understanding how to show up in community is that when I work on healing and centering myself, I am better able to connect and love others and also to receive from them in return. Let's start by moving our bodies. You can stretch, move through a yoga flow, run in place, Dance, shake, or simply turn around a couple of times.

You might consider moving through your body methodically from head to toe, tightening and releasing your muscles as you move through each area. If you're driving right now, you might simply shake an arm or raise your left leg a couple of times. We are acknowledging our gratitude for these bodies that have seen us through so much by moving them gently with intention and love. Now, please find a comfortable position where you can practice stillness.

You can stand, you can sit, you can move to a different place in the room if that would help you, or hide in the bathroom, or the car in your garage if you need to. Feel free to pause this for a minute while you go find a spot. I like to sit crisscross applesauce with one hand on my heart and one hand on my belly. And now, unless you are driving, please close your eyes. Relax your jaw, drop your shoulders, and become aware of your breath. There's no need to control it.

Simply breathe and observe. That was a breath in. That was a breath out. After all you've been through, you're still breathing. Breath is life. You are alive. Your breath is there to ground you, to fill you. and to allow you to release what no longer serves you. Count your next three natural breaths on your own timeline. You're not controlling these breaths, but simply observing them and counting them. Now, as a community of women, we're going to take three deep breaths together.

We'll draw our breath deeply into our bellies through the nose. Filling our bodies with breath from the belly up to the top of the chest and then we'll exhale through the mouth with a ha sound Emptying all the air we possibly can It's important to be able to take things in but also To release what we no longer need Now keep breathing naturally as you bring to mind the blessings life has given you. I like to move my hands to my knees, palms up, in a position of grateful receiving.

Consider the home you live in. Consider your family and friends. Consider the opportunities you've been given for learning. Consider your favorite books, or colors, or music, or works of art. Consider the beauty of this earth. You might imagine forests, mountains, or the swell of ocean waves. Picture the last person to offer you a kindness, whether it be a smile, holding a door open, or offering you a compliment. Picture the last person you offered a kindness to and how that made you feel.

Feel gratitude for the breath which has sustained you and the giver of that breath. The giver of that breath gave you life and continues to breathe life into you. Here I like to move my hands back to a position of having one hand on my heart and one on my belly but you do what feels comfortable for you. Now, repeat out loud the following, and if you're in a place where you feel like you can't repeat out loud, then just repeat in your mind. I have value just as I am.

I am making progress with my healing. I am lovable. I am strong. I am resilient. The world is better because I am here. I send love to my past self. Their actions are not my shame or guilt to carry. I give myself grace for doing the best I could under the circumstances. I give myself space to learn better, to do better, and to become better. I forgive myself for past mistakes. I forgive myself for holding undeserved blame. I let go of negative energy and thoughts.

I replace negative self talk with the positive affirmations I deserve. I'm filled with healing energy. I know I cannot change the past, but I have the power to create the future I want. I am loved by the giver of my breath and can fulfill my divine purpose. I was made to shine my light and breathe in light and love. I was made to sparkle. Now please open your eyes, get a drink of water, and if your body needs nourishment, have a meal or a snack.

Consider this an act of love for yourself as you nourish and hydrate the body that has continued to walk with you every step of your life. Thank you for trusting me with your time and energy today. I know your time is valuable. Thank you for showing up for yourself. I feel honored to be here with you. We just walked through the Loving Five. Five actions you can take to ground yourself. One, move your body. Two, be with your breath. Three, practice gratitude. Four, positive affirmations.

Five, hydrate and nourish. This is a fantastic practice for first thing in the morning or for any time of day, especially if you need a reset. The beauty of the Loving Five is that it is scalable. If you only have two minutes, you could do three squats, three deep breaths, three thoughts of gratitude, three affirmations, and take a drink.

If you're at work, you can make your movement a walk to the bathroom, be with your breath, practice gratitude and affirmations, get a drink, and return to work pretty quickly. If you're home with kids, or you're a teacher or a care worker, you can invite those you're caring for to do this practice with you. If you have more time in your morning, or at another point in your day, you can do a full workout.

Sit with your breath for 20 minutes and even journal your gratitude and affirmations before getting a drink and some nourishing food if you need it. I'm focusing on bringing the Loving Five back to my own life during this Valentine's month, invite you to join me. Check out the Solidarity Sister podcast on Facebook for a graphic you can save to your phone that has the Loving 5 and the steps in order. And you can even use it as your phone background to remind yourself.

I'll be putting those affirmations in the show notes too, so if you liked the ones that I did, you can use those or use any that resonate with you. If you make this practice a part of your life and you find that it's benefiting you, will you take a minute and shoot me a message? I'd love to hear feedback on how listeners are able to apply what we're doing and talking about here in the podcast and having that benefit their life. I would love to hear from you.