There’s no better challenge than the challenge to get to know and love yourself better.

This week everyone’s talking about Valentines day but we think that there’s no better challenge than the challenge to get to know and love yourself better.

It may seem a bit obvious, and perhaps these days it can seem like everyone’s talking about self-care. But I think that this truly is the most important part of living a healthy and sustainable life.

Taking care of YOU

You simply can’t care for others or the environment, if you don’t care for yourself. We all know that if we’re feeling depleted, tired or overwhelmed, we’re simply not able to take the time to care for others. Tiredness leads to poor decision-making, short-tempers and just feeling a little ragged round the edges. We’re likely to snap at others, brush them off, not look them in the eye. We’re likely to eat processed, convenience food, or ‘comfort’ food. We’re just more likely to sit down and watch junk on TV, and definitely not likely to make good choices.

When we’re feeling well-rested, nourished and supported, we’re more likely to feel happy, friendly, eager to get friends round for a cuppa and ask them how they really are. Give people time. Give ourselves more time to keep feeling good with nourishing food and practices.

From this place of feeling better, we’re more likely to really accept ourselves for who we really are. We’re less likely to feel pressure to look differently, or act differently, it’s that wonderful feeling of all round comfort within ourselves.

Making good decisions

This is the reason why self-care is so important and our Embrace Your Essence series is absolutely crucial. When yoga isn’t fitness, but is a means of embracing our real selves. I think we’re more likely to make good decisions for ourselves and others when we’re in this feel good place. It can be a wonderful feeling to feel like you know yourself well enough to make decisions which are kind to ourselves and the planet. We can start to move into a place where we’re more likely to decide on a more healthy relationship, better choice of partner, of job – the list goes on!

Finding comfort in yoga

Of course Valentine’s is also a time where there feels like considerable pressure to be with a loved one.

Many of us don’t have that person, or perhaps we’re in a relationship, but things just aren’t feeling right. That can be more lonely than being on our own! For those of us who are suffering right now, this time of year can make things so much worse. I’ve suffered a deal of heartbreak in my life and I was able to find great comfort from the simple practices of yoga. This is the reason why we have a search facility to search by emotions, because i truly know how important yoga can be in moving us into a place where we feel better.

We also have our heartbreak challenge, for those who are going through a grieving process. Sometimes grieving takes a while, many decades often – and it’s definitely a process, it seems to ebb and flow. This time of year can be a time when our grief seems more painful. I hope that this series of classes, designed to comfort and support you during this time, can help. Just a little.

Wishing you a Valentine’s filled with self-love.

With love
Kat and Team MFML
xxx