5 Ways to Practice Radical SELF LOVE

You know that feeling when you come across words that speak directly to your soul? They have a way of summarizing exactly what you're going through that you were never able to articulate yourself? It literally took my breath away when I stumbled upon the great philosopher, Osho's take on what it means to love . . .

 "Love should be like breathing. It should be just a quality in you – wherever you are, with whomsoever you are, or even if you are alone, love goes on overflowing from you. It is not a question of being in love with someone – it is a question of being love.

People are frustrated in their love experiences, not because something is wrong with love…they narrow down love to such a point that the ocean of love cannot remain there. You cannot contain the ocean – it is not a small stream; love is your whole being – love is your godliness. 

You are love. Love is not dependent on the object, but is a radiation of your subjectivity – a radiation of your soul. And the vaster the radiation, the greater is your soul. The wider spread are the wings of your love, the bigger is the sky of your being."

 I've been on a journey over the past few months to really, truly discover a sense of radical SELF LOVE. In actuality, it's been part of my path my entire life, but now, as I feel this great shift from girl to woman, and I know that motherhood is a part of this next step, I've felt an enormous push to really dig deep into my soul. One day, I want to show my daughter what a woman who TRULY loves herself from the inside out looks like. I want her to know that it must always start from within. No amount of external love can ever fill the gaps of an empty heart. No one else can do the work for you. And, the best part is, it doesn't have to be a scary process. It can be a beautiful journey towards loving and accepting yourself fully, just as you are. Society has taught us otherwise our whole lives. The media thrives on making women feel less than and that we need to buy the right make-up, have a flawless figure, wear the right designer heels and rock all the hottest trends to be considered beautiful or worthy. But guess what?! We are FLAWLESS just the way we are. I've never felt more beautiful than this year. I've worn little to no make-up and gone barefoot with salty hair and sandy toes more often than not and I promise you this -- I've never felt better. Nature is full of examples of pure, unfiltered love.

Here are the top 5 rituals I've incorporated into my life to practice self love, compassion and gratitude every single day:

1) View your time as precious -- We are only given so many hours in a day, in a lifetime, on this planet. Stop feeding the need to fill your time with people and activity. Carve out at least 30 minutes each day for uninterrupted YOU time. You'll start to crave it.

2) Learn to enjoy alone time -- At first, it will be hard to commit to this practice, and you'll probably be fighting it, but commitment is key. Start or end your day with that 30 minutes and just indulge. Do whatever makes you feel amazing. A bubble bath, cooking yourself a delicious meal, journaling, etc. Fight the urge to veg out on junk TV or processed foods, they will leave you feeling depleted and vibrating on a lower frequency. Keep it high-vibe and you will be radiating from the inside out.

3) Create rituals just for you -- I start every morning with warm tea or a cold, fresh homemade green juice. I get a massage once a month, at least. I meditate by the ocean and play in nature whenever it's calling. I've learned to value and commit to these self-love rituals. Don't get me wrong, I still feel a twinge of guiltiness every time I treat myself to something special. It goes against everything we've been told as women. Taking care of yourself is not necessarily valued in our culture. But, feeling guilty serves NO ONE. When I take good care of myself, I can better serve those around me. It's as simply as that. Choose 3 self-love rituals that you need in your life right now. Commit to them. Stop feeling guilty. Start feeling great!

4) Surround yourself with high-vibe people -- Circling back to point numero uno, your time here is precious. Only those with positive, uplifting vibrations deserve to be in your life. As much as possible, avoid situations where you'll be caught up in gossip, competition and bad energy. Women need to be supporting each other, not tearing each other down. Life is hard enough. Find a group of positive souls and stay connected to them. Feed the positive relationships in your life, and more will grow from there.

5) Get to know yourself better -- Like Osho so eloquently says, you ARE love. Love is a radiation of your soul. Get to know yourself on a cellular level, it's radical and beautiful and unique. Remember that you are a part of the whole. The fact that you are even on this planet right now is a miracle. Embrace every moment of it with a deep sense of unshakable self-love.

Need more inspiration? Put THIS on your vision board!

my beautiful friend Shannen Maher aka @gypseayogi