During my morning meditation recently, I found myself thinking about something I wanted to receive. As I thought about what I desired, I realized that nobody was holding me back, except for myself. Without knowing the how’s or the details of manifesting what I wanted, I opened my heart and felt the energy of self-love and then expanded the feeling to encompass me.
 
I sat in that resonance for a moment with the awareness that allowing the Universe to help me receive what I was desiring, was an act of incredible self-love.
 
Later that day, I was tired and started to create a somewhat half assed version of a shield for my space. As my morning insight popped in mid-creation, I realized that the most self-loving thing I could do in that moment, would be to create really strong boundaries. Which as I did, felt like a beautiful gift to myself. This led to me asking the question repeatedly throughout my day and listening to the response.
 
“The most self-loving thing I could do would be to (fill in the blank).”
 
The responses might be:
-Take a bath.
-Take a walk outside.
-Read a book.
-Exercise.
-Take a nap.
-Process my emotions.
-Bring the energy of enthusiasm to my workday.
-Motivate to do that creative project I’ve been wanting to do.
-Say no to that event. Or say yes.
 
It will change moment by moment. But notice how things shift when you honor your needs. Even if rational thought is telling you otherwise. For example, there was a day recently when I felt very strongly that I needed to go outside for a walk and take a bath after. However, my to-do list was huge that day. I listened to my heart, and I took a walk because it was calling to me so loudly. It felt amazing and I was grateful I listened to myself. However, when I came home, my rational mind started listing everything that needed to be done with the idea that I didn't have time for a bath. And yet, I could feel deeply again that taking the bath would be the most self-loving thing I could do.
 
I had to silence the opposition voice, even though it was extremely loud, and go to the self-loving voice that wisely knew that in that moment, a bath could do more for me than starting in on my to-do list. Sure enough, my to-do list was much easier to tackle after the bath because I had shifted my resonance after a morning of self-love.
 
If you want to take this a step farther, look at the bigger things you’re desiring and make a list.
 
“The most self-loving thing I could do would be to …”
 
For example:
-Free myself from the past.
-Create better health.
-Forgive myself for…
-Take my power back from...
-Heal my relationship with…
-Release myself from the energy of struggle.
-Allow more ease.
-Create more joy.
 
Keep the list somewhere that you can read daily for a month to reaffirm to your subconscious that this is what you're choosing to receive and create. Because you love yourself. Because you deserve what will augment that self-love.
 
Again, don’t worry about how it’ll manifest. Just sit in the frequency of self-love. Let it literally infuse every part of you. Feel your heart open and pour all that love that you're capable of, into yourself. If you can't imagine what that feels like, think of anything that opens your heart and turn that feeling towards yourself.
 
The most loving you can do, is to create self-love first.
 
 
 

Our bodies are made up of 60% water. If you’ve ever seen the images Dr. Masaru Emoto took of water, you know that what you say to water changes it. So, what are you saying to the water within yourself? *
 
If you’ve spent a lifetime saying you’re not good enough or you don’t matter, you need to filter that water through a new sieve, one that says, “I am good enough and I do matter!” 
 
This needs to be a concerted effort; how you speak to yourself affects every molecule. Water is a building material for the cells, it flushes toxins, it lubricates joints, and it’s a shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord. Take a moment and feel gratitude for every water molecule in your body.
 
This week, take that a step further and start speaking to the water inside of you. Send that water love. Send it appreciation. Even if you can’t quite love or appreciate yourself fully, send those energies to your internal water and all it does for you. As you do so, those blessings begin to change your whole system for the better, bringing you greater radiance.

​Transform yourself through the water within.
 
 
 
*Credit to Eileen McKusick for sharing this idea.

For many people, pleasure isn’t something that’s actively sought daily, as there’s such judgment on pleasure equating being hedonistic. Pleasure also seems to be dismissed in the quest of being “spiritual.” But what is spirituality without pleasure?
 
We’re in bodies. We’re here to learn more by being in our bodies, not trying to elevate out of them. Many religions shame bodies as sinful, base things. They teach that Source/God frowns upon pleasure, therefore for some of you, when you feel pleasure, there’s guilt involved. But didn’t Source/God create bodies? Don’t you think pleasure was put in for a reason? 
 
Here in the United States, the puritanical message from our forefathers is still strong. Even if your ancestors came over more recently, that puritanical vibration is still felt and causes subconscious restriction and judgment regarding pleasure.
 
The dictionary defines pleasure as, “An event or activity from which one derives enjoyment.” Joy is one of the highest vibrations we can have, so to be in joy, is a wonderful thing.
 
Instead of trying to be so “good” all the time and controlling your body, what if you gave yourself the freedom to enjoy the taste of, i.e. a piece of chocolate in your mouth, or a spoon full of that ice cream you love so much. There can be pleasure in lingering over your morning coffee/tea while looking at the sky or reading the paper. Pleasure can come from the books you read, being out in nature, doing something physical that feels good, being creative, listening to music, or even watching a sunset - the list is endless.
 
Anything that engages your senses (thus, sensuality)- what you see, what you feel, what you touch and hear- all of that can be phenomenally pleasurable if you allow it. 

We’ve been taught there’s such nobility in restraint and self-control, how about instead looking for balance? Balance means a glass or two of wine versus a bottle, a piece of cake versus the whole thing, a run that feels good versus pushing your body to exhaustion and pain. We go overboard when we’ve been denying ourselves for too long. In rebellion, we say “screw it” and become over indulgent, which could lead to feeling worse the next hour, or morning, thus descending one into shame again. The solution is balance, balance, balance.
 
It’s beneficial to allow yourself to experience pleasure. It’s good to receive pleasure. Can you take that in or does that trigger you?
 
We have a pain body, but we also have a pleasure body. Is your pleasure body being fed? Or are you constantly starving it and keeping it locked away?
 
Here’s something to consider: If you’re more interested in controlling and keeping righteous guard over your body and spirit, over time you will siphon out all the joy in your life. 
 
Our bodies are miraculous. And just like the plants and animals around you, you need to feed yours with kind words and beautiful thoughts and experiences, versus beating it down any chance you get. You will never fully thrive if you constantly berate and deny yourself. The way to elevate your consciousness and to have more bliss in your life, is to engage your senses and experience more pleasure. Hang up the need to control, kick out the shame and guilt, welcome in balance, and delight in your body and spirit. Pleasure awaits.

​
 
 

Today I want you to sit with one thought:
 
 “Let it be easy.”
 
Allow that idea, take it in. Notice where in your life you’re trying to control an issue/yourself or force an outcome. Breathe. Come back to your center. Then say, “I choose ease instead. I can let this be easy.”
 
Ease is an act of self-love and trust. Don’t make things harder than they need to be.
 
Just sit with this. See what it brings up in you. If you get triggered and feel i.e., angry, then you know something in you needs healing. See your reaction as an opportunity to shine a light on what’s blocked. Your awareness of the blockage begins to bring the shifts needed to change it. Then go back to that idea of ease until you can fully receive it. 
 
The more you release the need to control and fight what is, the more you can be in acceptance and the flow of life. 
 
Allow the flow, allow the ease. There’s magic there.