Strengthen your self-love with yoga – your guide

Self-love – a word that's almost commonplace and on the lips of countless people. Yet few manage to truly love themselves completely. However, self-love is essential to feeling good and happy. Negative feelings toward oneself and a lack of appreciation for one's own body lead to a life marked by low self-esteem. This naturally also affects other areas of life. If you want to work on your self-love, there are several things you should consider. In this article, you'll learn why it's so important and how yoga can help.

What is self-love?

Self-love is the acceptance of one's self. Those who love themselves can accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths. In other words, people who have high self-love manage to value themselves more, feel better about themselves, and are less likely to self-judge. Terms with similar meanings include self-acceptance, self-respect, self-confidence, or self-assurance.

Why is yoga helpful in developing more self-love?

Anyone who has already explored the topic of self-love knows that it involves accepting one's own body, thoughts, and feelings. Buddhist teachings aim to bring body, mind, and soul into harmony, which is why yoga has an optimal effect on developing self-love and self-esteem.

a) Body awareness is improved

When you have a good sense of your body, you'll automatically be able to accept it better. Yoga is perfect for feeling more comfortable in your body. Many people can lose a few pounds, tone their bodies, and become more flexible thanks to yoga. These things immediately affect your body awareness. This makes you more self-aware and feel more comfortable in your own skin. You shouldn't put any pressure on yourself in this regard, but rather approach yoga step by step.

b) You recognize yourself

For many, yoga isn't a proper sport, yet it's ideal for optimizing your mental and physical fitness. You'll recognize your weak points; during the asanas, feelings and thoughts arise that you can work on. Yoga also helps you identify, loosen, and release blocked energies in your body. This allows you to be even more truly yourself—you can discover who you are, what you want, and move through life with courage.

c) You learn to be proud of yourself

We haven't always learned to be proud of ourselves. Before we praise ourselves, we praise others. You can change that now – yoga can help you. For example, if you practice asanas that challenge you, you'll be very proud of yourself after reaching your goal. This is precisely what's so important. If you have a few reasons to be proud of yourself every day, you can accept yourself more and more and see your positive qualities. As children, we were praised far too rarely; now, as adults, make up for it. The love you receive for yourself and for others will increase significantly as a result.

d) The path to your divinity

Anyone who delves deeper into the Buddhist teachings of India and the wisdom behind them realizes that every human being has a divine spark and is of the same origin. The external world is an illusion, the ego must die, and the mind must not speak louder than the heart. Yoga is very helpful for working through these issues and getting to know oneself better. The practice provides strength and provides the right impulses for seeing oneself from a different, very divine perspective. Meditation is also very helpful in this context.

e) Resolve blockages with Yin Yoga

Many people are convinced by Yin Yoga because it can release many blockages. All of our emotions get stuck in the body, including in the fascia. This causes them to stick together and prevent the energy from flowing as freely. In this context, Yin Yoga, which you can learn either online in a class, with the help of videos, or in a yoga session in person, is helpful. In Yin Yoga, the postures are held for a very long time, which leads to the loosening of the fascia. Over time, you will notice a big difference and be able to strengthen your self-love. It will also improve your flexibility, mindfulness, recognition of your own abilities, and your relationship with yourself. At the very beginning, it can be difficult to hold the asanas for so long – don't judge yourself for it, practice makes perfect. In the best case scenario, yoga can even improve your immune system.

A short digression on the five Kleshas (passions that cloud the mind):

a) Avidya (wrong understanding, our view is always subjective, always ask yourself whether what you think is true)

b) Asmita (false self-assessment, the world is an illusion)

c) Raga (what do we really want and the way to achieve it, not always wanting more)

d) Dvesha (not wanting to have – where our attention goes, the energy also flows)

e) Avhinivesha (fear, our brain is a specialist in imagining horror scenarios)

Those who regularly practice asanas on the yoga mat can more easily get these problems under control and focus on joy, trust, and love for themselves and all other living beings.

Increase self-love through affirmations

In addition to regular yoga practice, affirmations are advisable for strengthening self-love. These can even be incorporated into your yoga practice. Treating yourself with care and love is essential for strengthening self-love. Affirmations help you focus on the positive:

• I love myself the way I am.
• I am right just the way I am.
• I do everything exactly as I want.
• I am worthy of being myself.
• I am always safe and loved.
• I am beautiful.
• I love my body.
• I am grateful that I can love myself more and more every moment.
• Love flows through my heart chakra and through my body.
• My consciousness is becoming more and more focused on love.

You will see that you can strengthen your self-love through yoga, a more conscious approach to yourself and helpful affirmations.

Have you ever considered this topic? Has yoga helped you strengthen your self-love?