It is so hard to believe that January is in our rearview mirror. I know that for me the first month of 2018 came in with a bang! Dealing with a water claim from a bust pipe as my family and I arrived home from our winter visit in Missouri to see the faces of my dear family. This event has given me a new appreciation for the words SIMPLIFY, PURGE, ATTACHMENT, and DESIRE. Looking at the piles of stuff all over my house, I am inspired to let go. Over our lifetimes we accumulate so much, and we use these objects to remember special moments in our lives when in fact, if we are more focused in being in the moment we actually retain the memory better than when our focus is on finding the perfect souvenir or capturing the best photo. So here at the close of the month for intentional living, I like so many others choose set intentions for change and have began to manifest for my future.

Here we find ourselves in the midst of the next holiday theme, the season of love. When considering love and yoga the first thing that comes to mind is Ahimsa, which is the first of the Yamas or guidelines for ethical living. Ahimsa literally translates to not harm, "a" means opposite of and "himsa" is harm, if you are not harming than you must acting with compassion or love. This season can be a challenging one for many people, maybe due to the loss of a loved one or perhaps a feeling there is no one to love in their life or to love them. This is where I like to consider directing this action of non-harming to myself, bringing my focus to MORE self love. For me it is when I bring this sense of self love into my daily routines and yoga practice that I begin to notice shifts in my thinking, feeling and functioning. I begin to observe all kinds of improved daily experiences like, being kinder and more patient with my loved ones, weight loss, and a renewed sense of joy and passion. Some of the ways you can welcome love into your life are

Meditation practice, this is best at the same time each day most are happy with meditating in the morning before showering or just before bed. don't overthink it, 5 minutes in a quite space simply observing your breath is a great place to work.
Write a love letter...to yourself! At first this can be a challenging task. But just try to see you through the eyes of others and all the amazing qualities you possess. If you are stuck write a list of qualities that make you loveable (remember you always have been and always will be).
Tell your self "I love You", Look in the mirror everyday and say aloud "I love you". Make eye contact with yourself and say it everyday!

I hope these actions begin to get you thinking about ways to improve your own self love and assist you in becoming love abundant!