Day 2: Self-Love #GetLovedUp Sometimes when there's a guest sleeping in your yoga room, you just gotta take your practice elsewhere. This pose makes me feel a bit suffocated when I first get into it but I just have to breeeeeathe. Today's theme is self-love. What is self-love? Well first, what is love? Accepting someone for exactly who and as they are, protecting, affection, listening, and so much more. So how do we apply that to our selves? To me, self-love is accepting ourselves exactly as we are. I've been super focused on self-improvement and while yes, it is a wonderful thing, there is an implication that you are not good enough and you need to be better. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH. You are enough, I am enough. Acceptance and improvement are not mutually exclusive. We can love and accept ourselves as we are AND improve. Protection and affection could come in the form of self-care- doing yoga, lifting weights, reading a book, going fishing, taking a bath, taking pleasure in the food that we eat and not feeling guilty about it (hamburgers for me!). Refuel. Rest. My self-care is my morning routine. Though I've been waking up early for yoga for a few years, it's been inconsistent. A few weeks ago, I created a flexible morning routine that means waking up at the same time and doing yoga but the style that I practice is suited for how I'm feeling that day. This week, I shortened my physical practice and added in meditation and free writing to the routine. Listening. How we we listen to ourselves? Trust. Self-reliance. As much as I love the Ashtanga practice, I've been struggling with my dedication to it. It began to feel like a chore and too serious. My friend stated it perfectly: "I think the most juicy beautiful yoga practices are just listening to what your body wants. I love Ashtanga but I don't think it's a good practice to do if you want to start listening to yourself." I had an AHA! moment. I'm currently learning how to listen to myself. That can start with listening to my body and doing what feels right for that day- be goofy, be slow, be fiery, be graceful. I'll continue to practice Ashtanga, but only if it feels right for that day.