Yoga for self-love

How is your relationship with yourself? Are you kind, forgiving, loving? If not — and be honest here — are you harsh, perhaps even mean to yourself? If you answered yes, just breathe: all is not lost. Now, how does your relationship with yourself affect your relationship with those around you? How does it affect the ways in which you perceive the world?

Through yoga, you can harness and focus your energies to find a gentler, more loving way to be comfortable in your own skin. Yoga allows space for healing; a place where you can enjoy who you are and lovingly express self-worth. This is a process where releasing many layers of unconscious, over-critical self-talk takes time. You are worth the time to find self-love within, and you are worth the self-nurturance you can give to the world.

With yoga, you come to learn that you are not your body, thoughts or feelings, as these things are transient and will change. You discover that you the great I Am: a divine being of love. Knowing this allows you to live in peace and realize your true self, as a divine source of energy and love.

This beautiful sequence is filled with love notes and intentions for self-care. It will not only help you improve your relationship with yourself, your very way of being in the world will also improve if you gently, willingly and naturally open to these self-nurturing practices.

Over the coming week, listen to how you speak to yourself. Without guilt or remorse, joyfully embrace the opportunity to apply conscious, positive change to self-talk. Treat yourself as you would someone you love very much; someone who means the world to you and who you want nothing more than to see happy. Consciously cultivate an expression of love with kindness to yourself, honour your efforts each day, express gratitude for this beautiful life, and then wisely surrender all efforts to the universal consciousness of which we are all a part.

In this very moment, as you read, connect with the energy of love. Tap into this energy, right now. Can you move into your day from that place of harmonious love? If you find this difficult, you are not alone. What helps, is to commune with nature — go and be with her. Surrender and soften to the Beauty of nature, of life itself, and this will help soften the world with your very presence. Ask for peace and freedom to be graced upon you and graced upon all others. Be the love you wish to see in the world. Be free.

Om Prema (love)

Yoga sequence for self-love

Give love to your inner self by gently allowing your body and mind to open to this yoga sequence without force. Flow with patience and acceptance for your beautiful body.

Aim to practise this self-love sequence on an empty stomach, at the same time every day and in a quiet place free of distractions. Give yourself the daily gift of yoga for self-acceptance and love. You are worth it.

Begin with the mudra for the inner self

Bring tips of the fingers and balls of both hands together, drawing the fingers straight so the thumbs are closer to the tops of the index fingers, and an empty space is created between the hands.

Slowly and gently breathe in love, breathe out love and say Ahem Prema: “I am divine love”. Repeat this 5 times.

Set an intention

Out loud or to yourself, state this intention for your practice: “I willingly accept what I see, think or feel. I am not my thoughts or feelings. I am grateful for my body and all it does for me. My body is beautiful and perfect the way it is. It keeps me alive and connected to this world and I am grateful to be here.”

Keeping that intention in mind, begin your self-love practice.

Bidalasana

Flowing with purity through cat and cow will warm and prepare the spine so love can be embraced from all angles.

Stand on hands and knees, stacking knees directly under hips, shoulders directly under wrists. On the exhale, round the spine toward the sky, lifting abdomen back towards spine. Look down towards knees. Inhale and invert the pose, lifting chest, head and sitting bones up, looking up to the sky. Work abdomen back towards spine. Breathe. Continue slowly moving between the two poses with the breath for another six breath rounds.

Anjaneyasana

Crescent lunge opens the chest and hamstrings to courageously embrace your natural loving state.

Standing feet together, hands in prayer at heart centre. Exhale, step right foot one leg length directly behind you and stand on ball of foot. Raise arms up, palms together, shoulders down. Square hips. Bend left leg so knee is in line with ankle joint. Pull abdomen back toward spine. If comfortable, look up. Breathe. Start to work right leg straight. Stay here for a few moments then step feet together, hands in prayer to release out of pose. Repeat on other side.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Upward-facing dog opens the heart forward and prepares the shoulders for wild thing (Camatkarasana). 

Lying face-down, place hands on the floor beside chest then, pressing down with your palms, raise chest up, keeping shoulders back. Pull abdomen in, scoop body into position, lifting sternum forwards and up, arms perpendicular to floor, knees off floor if comfortable. Look straight ahead or slightly up, chin slightly in, being careful not to compress the back of neck. Draw in the lower belly. Next, lengthen spine back into downward-facing dog on a slow exhalation, engaging abdomen in movement. Repeat the flow between the two poses slowly with the breath, six times. Watch your mindset, practising ahimsa; non-harm towards you. Please note in this image Kylie is in motion, rolling over toes.

Uttanasana

Deeply folding forward cultivates patience and acceptance for self.

Standing, breathe in joy. Exhale, allow an intention to let go of the past and embrace the present as you fold forward. Pivot from hips, bending forward with straight legs. Relax head down. Bring sitting bones up towards the sky. Place hands on the ground if they reach, or hold opposite elbows. Breathe for three to six slow breaths. Exhale, bending knees to stand up slowly.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Downward-facing dog stretches and strengthens the entire body for love.

Place hands on floor, fingers facing forward and evenly spread on mat. Step both feet back one leg-length distance from hands. Lift sitting bones and draw inner legs up towards the groin. Work legs straight, engage front of thighs. Engage the bandhas (yogic locks) by moving abdomen back towards the spine, lifting pelvic floor up and moving ribs away from hips. Press into thumb and index finger, and externally rotate shoulders. Breathe and hold the position for a few minutes if you can, enjoying the complete stretch and strength this pose provides.

Camatkarasana

Wild thing ignites the fire within and makes space for self-love to grow.

Begin in downward-facing dog; hands and feet on floor, buttocks raised to sky. Shift weight onto left hand and leg, raising right arm and leg off floor, rotating toward sky into a side plank position. Lifting hips, reverse or “flip the dog” over, allowing right hand to float overhead to touch the ground, bending right leg so the chest is facing up. Sweep both shoulder blades into back of ribs. Feel the sense of elation this heart-opening posture brings. It takes a sense of fearlessness to flip back into the pose. Allow yourself to play.

Balasana

Fold down, forgive the ego and nurture the inner child within.

Sit on heels, tops of feet flat on ground, knees together, big toes touching. Inhale. Exhale, and with love, fold forward, resting forehead on ground while gently working buttocks towards the heels. Allow arms to rest alongside your thighs, palms of hands facing up. Close your eyes, relax. Breathe, slow, steady breaths and remain here for a few minutes.

Setu Bandha Vinyasa

This flowing bridge pose will open the back of the body for all aspects of love and allow you to let go of the past.

Lie on your back, bring heels in line with sitting bones, knees bent, arms by sides. On inhalation, gradually curl the spine away from the floor, lifting arms above head simultaneously, and rest arms on or reaching floor above head as back lifts as high as comfortable. Exhale, slowly lowering arms and spine from upper vertebrae to lower back into starting position. Synchronise breath with movement. Repeat six times. Lengthen exhalation with each repetition, incorporating ujjayi breath if you know it.

Paschimottanasana

To fold into the heart space, release the back and move forward and inward with love.

Sit on a folded blanket with legs straight and together. Flex feet towards you, inhale and raise arms above head. Exhale, fold forward from the hips with a straight spine, keeping bandhas on, looking downwards. If possible, hold the outer edges of feet; if not, rest hands on legs or floor. Stay in pose for a minute, working with the breath.

Savasana

Soften with ease, let go in your body and feel your worries and thoughts slip gently away.

Lie down on your mat, slightly tuck chin to chest, externally rotating shoulders so shoulder blades nestle into the back. Place arms along sides of body, palms facing up. Allow legs to fall slightly out to sides. Place an eye pillow over eyes and bolster under the knees if you so desire. Soften down, including all the muscles in the face, and feel the support of the earth underneath you. Scan your body for areas of tension, and consciously relax the whole body. Give over to the support of the earth. Let all the tensions in your body melt away, soften down and let go. Stay here for ten minutes if you can, relaxing into the space of stillness and peace. Each time your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to the loving breath; breathe in love, breath out love. Mentally say, Ahem Prema, I Am Divine Love, then resume your relaxation with peace.

Nadi Shodhana

To balance the ida and pingala nadis (energy channels), the male and the female within you for balanced, healthy love.

Sit in cross-legged position or on a chair with feet on the ground. Place index and third finger between eyebrows as shown, thumb on right nostril, fourth finger on left. Breathe in through both nostrils to begin, then close off left nostril with fourth finger, breathe out through right nostril. Breathe in through right nostril, close off right nostril with thumb, releasing fourth finger, breathe out through left nostril. Breathe in through left, close off left, breathe out through right. Continue breathing in this way for as long as is comfortable, ending the practice by breathing out through the right nostril.

Meditation with hands in gyan mudra

To reside in the heart and recognise your own self as divine, your own self as love.

Seated, lift spine. Make a closed circle with index finger, touching first thumb joint on each hand as shown. Extend other fingers, hands facing up, wrists resting on knees. The enclosed circle represents your individual soul connection to the universal soul. The three fingers outstretched, represents the mind, body, spirit union of yoga.

Take a few moments in this meditative posture to express boundless gratitude, love and acceptance for your body, your mind and your spirit. Thank yourself deeply for your practice and honour the light shining within, and know that light continues shining always.