Self Love with a self love Meditation? You Betcha! 🎧
Struggling to reach your goals? Have you looked within? Why not start with a self-love meditation? Check out the studies on what 10 minutes 3-4 x's a week can do to help you reach your goals.
Click to listen and either read along, or just go do something while listening.
Thought I would share a little sneak peak of what is coming next week! As I was setting up for this months cooking demo, Zazu knew I was making clam chowder and has already eyed the halibut! This is his little perch to watch ever so carefully when the halibut is going to make it's stage entrance! How he knows is beyond me!
How does a big city like Winston-Salem in North Carolina get a hyphenated name? Salem, established by the Moravians in 1753, derived its name from the Hebrew word "shalom," meaning "peace," and was officially incorporated in 1856. In 1849, the land just a mile north of Salem was sold to create Forsyth County, and a year later, it was renamed Winston in honor of the Revolutionary War hero Joseph Winston. The amalgamation of Salem and Winston took place in 1913, giving rise to the city of Winston-Salem.
Personally, my excitement peaked when I visited the now Salem courtyard, searching for a particular plaque. This unassuming yet significant marker, nestled inconspicuously in the center of the town square, holds historical value. In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court recognized July 4 as a state celebration, but it was the Moravians in Salem who, in 1783, held the first official 4th of July celebration in the United States. The commemorative low-key bronze plaque, discreetly embedded in the bricks, proudly stands as a testament to this historic event. It reads:
Commemorating The First Official 4th of July Celebration In the United States At Salem, North Carolina, 1783
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This Plaque Unveiled In The 200th Anniversary Year Of Winston-Salem July 4, 1966.
I found myself imagining what it would have been like to be part of that inaugural celebration. If only I had a time machine. To locate this hidden gem, set your GPS to 649 S Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Stand at the very center, of the courtyard facing Salem College, and gaze down to discover the plaque, patiently awaiting your reflection.
This month’s meditation is on Self love. Why would we want to focus on self love?
Without the ability to love ourself, we can not set boundaries, integrity and the ability to truly love others.
Unfortunately, many of us are an experience of hurt, pain, traumas and childhood wounds. Some of us are able to overcome and still exude love and joy, while others live through the filters of the trauma.
What does Self Love mean
Self love is not about carving a day for you, or writting in our journal, a Starbucks or bubble bath. Those are self care rituals towards self love. And they are fun, do not get me wrong!
Self love is about holding yourself to a the highest appreciation, affinity and positive emotions towards yourself. It is having a strong core value, creating boundaries that you do not allow others to step over. You understand your strengths and accept your weaknesses not as weakness but character traits.
Self love is about being able to look into the mirror and say “I love you”, and not cringe or shy away. When you love yourself you truly accept yourself. You treat yourself with kindness and respect.
How can we learn to love ourselves?
If you are struggling with self love, Shine with Self love article is a great place to start. So, since I laid out tons of activities and definitions in that article, let’s focus on self-love meditation. Guided mediation is a perfect tool to add to your adventure of loving yourself.
Self-love guided meditation is a wonderful way to develop kindness, empathy and love towards yourself, which ultimately will be projected onto others.
In a field experiment, the authors Fredrickson, (et al), worked with 139 adults, half of whom were randomly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation. Results showed that this type of meditation practice increased mindfulness, purpose in life, life satisfaction, social support, decreased illness and depressive symptoms.
Another guided mediation study showed activated empathy and emotional processing in the brain. Gray matter also increases in the areas of the brain related to emotional regulation.
Numerous studies has shown that as little as 10 minute loving-kindness meditation has long term effects in boosting self esteem, self confidence, reducing stress, self criticism, depressive symptoms, increases feelings of positive emotions, self-compassion, social connection and positivity toward strangers.
Struggling to reach your goals? Meditate!
If you are struggling to reach your goals year after year, it is time to do something different. Why not start with a self-love meditation.
The European Journal of Psychology research article Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals? The research explored the effects of meditation on motivation towards personal goals and an anagram task of 200 participants.
Participants (120) in the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than those in the podcast condition; this difference remained 20 min later. Furthermore, goal motivation increased from before to after meditating. The findings suggest that meditation may offer motivational benefits for personal goal pursuit.
What are you waiting for? You have goals to reach and it is already February. Take on this month’s Self-Love guided meditation. Listen to it for a minimum of four times each week during a 30 day period.
Repetition is key to reinforcing the positive messages embedded within this each meditation session. Each listen helps compound the affirmations, overriding old beliefs, and encouraging your mind to create new neural pathways. Through this repetition, you'll find yourself more motivated and empowered, ready to embrace your innate worthiness and build a profound sense of self-love helping you achieve your goals.
Discover the ultimate self-love experience! Unwind, relax, and empower yourself with this month’s transformative guided meditation. Dive into a journey of self-discovery, affirmations, and visualization, crafted to awaken your inner confidence and radiate boundless self-love in just 10 minutes.
Click here or below and get started.
Until next week, hug yourself daily!
~Karen
