Taking care of ourselves physically is a great way to show self-love. Physical activity, healthy eating, positive thinking, and proper sleep, all are forms of physical self-care. By doing this, we are sending ourselves a message of love. This can help us to make deeper connections to our true self and propel us forward on our spiritual journeys.
Here are some things you can do to show your body love and connect to your spirit through physical self care:
Breathwork: Your breath can be used as a tool to connect your physical body to your spirit. First, use your breath to relax the body and clear the mind. Once the mind is calm and the body is relaxed, continue breathing to raise your vibration and connect spiritually. Here is an example of a breathing technique: breathe in for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale the breath for a count of 8.
Walking Out in Nature: Studies show that walking in nature lowers your stress and anxiety levels. This can help you to reach a state of peace and allow you to connect with the earth and your spiritual side.
Daily Gratitude: It's important for us to show our bodies love by thanking them everyday for all the remarkable things they do. One of the most important things that they do is house our souls, enabling us to experience this life! That’s pretty amazing! We often focus on all the things we don't like about our bodies or what our bodies can’t do. Shifting our focus towards gratitude sends our body positive thoughts, and helps increase our self-love. Having more self-love makes us connect deep within, which can help us on our spiritual path.
Yoga: Yoga helps to balance the mind, body, and spirit through controlled breath and movement. Yoga grounds the body by a series of flowing stretching and strengthening poses. It also helps us focus our thoughts on the present moment, which can enhance our awareness and connect us spiritually. Yoga is a practice that prepares your body for meditation.
Getting Enough Sleep: Getting enough sleep and allowing the body to rest and recharge is the BEST way to show ourselves love. Sleep lowers stress hormones, keeps our immune system functioning properly, and heals cellular damage. Getting proper sleep helps us spiritually as well because during sleep, we connect with our spirits and recharge our souls. The Dalai Lama once said “Sleep is the best meditation”.
Meditation: Taking the time out of our days to slow down and Meditate is a great way to show our body love. Meditation helps us physically because it brings our minds and bodies back to the present moment by clearing mental chatter and focusing on our breath. This allows us to bring our attention back to our inner selves and have a feeling of peace and relaxation. The present moment and state of relaxation that Meditation brings helps us to remember that this is our natural state of being, allowing us to connect with our spiritual selves.
Exercise: This makes us feel strong physically and mentally. It helps us feel confident in our mind and body’s ability to accomplish something that may feel tough to do. This can help us trust in our own power, empowering us spiritually.
Eating Healthy: Eating a whole food diet that is low in processed foods helps our body stay healthy and our energy stay light. Eating junk food not only weighs our body down but can lower our vibrational energy and make it heavier too. Connecting spirituality requires a light, high vibrational energy. Eating more plants is a great way to show the body love and keep our energy light.
Daily Affirmations: Affirmations are positive statements that we can repeat to shift our brain's attention away from negative thoughts and make us feel empowered. Keeping our thought’s positive helps keep our vibrations high and helps us connect with our spirit. Here are a few daily affirmations for loving the body:
1. I am strong and capable of achieving my goals.
2. I am enough just as I am.
3. I am worthy of making time for self-care.