(Find a Way to) Love Yourself

On my way to work I pass a church with a changeable sign, and lately it has said "love your neighbor as yourself". This got me wondering if I knew anyone who loved themselves. And not in the ego inflated narcissistic way, but a genuine appreciation for themselves.

I think the actions of the general population is reflective of the way people feel about themselves. If you had respect for yourself, you could have respect for others and demonstrate it. If you had compassion for your personality traits and characteristics, you would have patience for other peoples' peccadillos and treat them with compassion. But these qualities are not interesting. They don't perpetuate consumerism, they don't entertain. Therefore they are not valued as highly. Peace does not sell.

This week I will offer an exploration into your world in regard to your feelings about yourself. I have been, and continue to be, fascinated by the mind's ability to compartmentalize to such a degree that we can lie to ourselves. We can believe we have great self esteem but in actuality, be quite harsh on ourselves. The truth lies in the actions we take. What kinds of entertainment do you enjoy? How do you feel when you watch people make fools of themselves in front of a national audience? Better about yourself? How much of the news do you watch? How do you feel after that horror fest? Do you feel more informed and interested in creating dialogue with people you may not agree with or do you just feel more fearful, sad and angry? Do you take time to care for yourself? Do you really believe yourself worthy of the time and care? When you feel overwhelmed do you reach for a chemical to take the edge off?

Asana practice this week centers around integration. We will synchronize our many moving physical parts, as well as our breath and awareness to create an integrated whole. When we become immersed in the wholeness of our being, we can put aside thoughts and stimuli that fragment us. As we replace destructive attitudes toward ourselves with appreciation for what we do well and patience for what we don't do well, we won't as easily fall victim to the voyeuristic entertainment and news that has evolved to distract us from our own inadequacies. We won't need to be distracted because we will have less suffering, more joy and as we develop compassion, more people around us who are joyful.

Sit with yourself. Allow space within for whatever you are today. Decide to move with understanding for today's situation. If we practiced this class tomorrow, or yesterday, you wouldn't feel the same and wouldn't practice the same. Honor your internal environment. Care for yourself. Can you find space to be challenged while being accepting?